Picture Perfect

The camera on the Redmi Note 8 Pro I owned was far better than most of the phones around it's price range. The photos it produced looked really good to me at that time, and so I played with it very well. That's how photos became a thing for me. Over the years, with so many trial-and-errors and following creative photographers on YouTube and Instagram, I have learned a thing or two about taking photos that look okay at worst.

If Santa had asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I'd have told him the exact digital camera I'd like to own so I can take even better photos and explore exciting angles and concepts. I couldn't have been on the naughty list last year, so I take it that Santa had his hands full. Until I can upgrade, my Android will do.

Most of my shots happen spontaneously. There are random shots—just the usual everyday kind for making memories—and there are the intentional and deliberate ones, in hopes of creating something also pretty. And because I share my work sometimes, I have had people ask me to take photos for them.

Let's take these Nike sneakers as an example. I think it was my friend's birthday, and he had just gotten them. He sent them to me to take my spin on product photography on it. I was focused on taking shots of products for my friend's at that time. And so I fired up, came up with a concept, set the scene, and made the clicks.

There was a time I was exploring lighting. All I had was my black wall, a few colored lightbulbs, some miscellaneous hangins, and a table mat. I'd put things on that table, play with the different lightbulbs, and see what comes out on the other side. In one of such times, I used my electric guitar as a model.

Macro photography is an interesting style that not many people without micro cameras get to play with. I don't own an actual macro camera, but I was fortunate to have a small one come along with my Redmi Note 8 Pro. So every now and then, I would try to take some macro shots to see what would happen.

Macro photography is simply capturing images of really tiny objects that a normal camera wouldn't be able to clearly capture.

Two of my favourite macro shots I have taken are the one of the ice cubes in a glass and the photo of a tiny mould of sand on the ground. I don't know about you, but they sure appeal to me every time I look at them.

One of the reasons I prefer to read actual books is that I get to take photos of them that I like. You sure can't do that for e-books. So every time I finish a book, I take it to my studio and take photos of it. I have a ton of books lined up to read this year, and I intend to explore different styles of photos with the ones I finish. It somehow makes my review feel wholesome.

While I don't monitize photography yet or play in the big leagues, I make the most out of what I have and try to do a decent job. It's a hobby, and most of the time, I am just throwing ideas on the wall, trying to see what sticks. But I am always happy with what I create anyway, and I consider it one of my digital superpowers.