I have never thought I could be part of the group, The Camera Club of the Philippines. The Club was established in 1928 and is the oldest and among the prestigious camera clubs in Asia. It consists of about a hundred members with diverse personalities, characters, lifestyles, and jobs. But the members have one thing in common – the LOVE and PASSION for taking photographs.
Last June 21-24, 2012, the Club had an “On-The-Spot” Competition at Siem Reap, Cambodia. About forty-three members, veterans and probationary, joined the said competition. Since I am still a probationary member, my whole purpose for joining the trip was to learn photography skills from the veterans. During our “temple runs”, I would observe the veteran photographers, like Master Bien Bautista, Master Quincy Castillo, Vidal Lim, and Leo Riingen, take photographs of the incredible wealth of temples that are dotted around Siem Reap, monks in their deep orange robes, and the breathtaking sceneries at Angkor Wat. It never crossed my mind the kind of photographs I should take for submission to the competition.
On the first day, I just took some photographs of everything that I would see along the way. Hopping from one temple to another, we spent hours and hours taking photographs. At the end of the day, I reviewed the photographs I took on the first day, hoping that I already have entries so I can enjoy Siem Reap in the coming days. Unfortunately, I was still not satisfied with the photographs and nothing really appealed to me.
On the second day, Leo, Jijo and I left our hotel early in the morning to catch the first hint of the rays of the sun at Angkor Wat. At Angkor Wat, I was amazed by its grandeur and beauty. I set up my camera and waited for what I know could be a perfect shot. Then, we toured around the temple and took more photographs. As we walked inside the temple, I saw a monk walking along the corridors of the temple. I ran as fast as I could in order to catch him and take some photographs. I grabbed my camera and just started clicking on the shutter until he was out in one of doorways. I reviewed my shots and thought I got some good shots. At about ten in the morning, we got so hungry and decided to get some food. While we were waiting for our food, I noticed a vendor selling mangoes just few meters away from where we were seated. I stood up and left our table. I positioned myself on the ground about two meters away from the vendor. I started clicking my camera, again, hoping that I would get a good shot. It probably took about ten minutes for me to take fifteen shots until Leo called me for lunch. That night, I reviewed the shots I took during the day and was delighted to see my photographs of the monk in the doorway and the vendor with little child. I thought I had entries to submit for the competition.
On the third day, we did not get up early in the morning, as we owed ourselves some sleep. During breakfast, Leo, my ever-patient sponsor and mentor, asked if I had entries already and that he wanted to view them. I showed the photograph of the vendor with the little child and saw a satisfied look on his face. He said it was a perfect shot. It had a perfect lighting, perfect angle, perfect composition – a temple at the background, the local currency, and the vendor with the Cambodian kroma – and perfect subjects with perfect emotions. I felt elated by his comments. As for the second photograph, the monk in the doorway, I felt serenity and peacefulness in this shot. I thought these were the photographs I will submit for the competition.
July 2, the first Monday of the month, was the judgment day. Five judges were invited to evaluate the photographs submitted for the On-The-Spot Competition. The only wish I had that time was to get a passing score. And the announcement was made. My photograph of the vendor with a little child was declared the top photograph among all the eighty-four photographs. And together with my other shot – the monk in the doorway – I was announced as the “Top Photographer” for the competition. I had never expected to win. Indeed, this On-The-Spot Competition at Siem Reap will be in the history of Camera Club of the Philippines. But for me, this is one different experience I will forever treasure. I gained new friends, saw the beauty of Siem Reap, learned new skills in photography….Winning the contest was just an added bonus.
This article is published with permission from the author Malou Antonio. Malou is currently a probee of the club.