Just in time for the colorful Masskara Festival in Bacolod, Nikon School brought Pro Travel Photographer George Tapan to the City of Smiles to enhance the skills and creativity of participants.
With “A Day and Life in the City” theme, the 30 participants that came in early amidst the celebratory mood in Bacolod. Nikon Pro Photographer George Tapan graced the occasion by giving few tips on photography, reminders about the rules of the contest and the criteria for judging:
Relevance to the theme- 50%
Creativity and Style 30%
Caption- 20%
Participants were asked to submit their best photo shot within the day, and to be submitted on or before 10 pm of the same day. Participants were also discouraged to alter their photos, thus, adding challenge to their skills in composition and creativity.
So, as soon as the short talk ended, most of the participants took off to roam the city and to capture that entry photo. The shutterbugs had roughly 12 hours to get the right photo and send to Nikon School group.
While waiting for the entries, I, together with the Nikon Philippines group, roamed around to check out what’s happening at the MassKara Festival 2015 and captured some of the moments of the festivities.
After a challenging day, the much-awaited lessons on photography came in the next day as George Tapan himself shared his decades of lessons in travel photography to a very attuned crowd.
Like the other attendees, I was also amazed at how George Tapan captured his photos. And he was very kind enough to share some of his secrets on how he took those amazing photos. He encouraged everyone to take photography to the next level by shooting photos of with SOUL and EMOTION. A photo that would last more than a lifetime of the shooter.
To create those shots, he gave few tips for photographers in the Nikon School at Bacolod session:
- Study the area – taking good travel photos does not come by accident. George Tapan advised to study the location to know how things are going to unfold.
- Be early – the early bird catches the early worm – so does an early photography catches more time to capture that perfect moment.
- Go to a vantage point – photography is about light and angle. Getting to a good vantage point makes view of the photo better.
While George Tapan was talking, ThinkDharma Inc. group was busy printing the photos of the top 10 qualifiers to be judged that day.
I was grateful to be one of the judges, alongside George Tapan himself, 2Go Travel’s AVP – Retail Sales Ms. Grace Golez and Events and Marketing Manager / Trip Magazine Editor Mr. Ismael Algara. It was hard choosing among the entries, since the 10 deserved to be winners.
2Go Travel was gracious enough to give two additional prizes to the the other two close contenders. But only three made it to the top to receive the prizes:
1st Place – Raymund Barcarlos (received Nikon Coolpix S9200 and 2GO Travel Certificate)
2nd Place – Vanessa Jison (received Nikon Coolpix S3200 and 2Go Travel Certificate)
3rd Place – Gerald Tria (Limited Edition Nikon Luggage and 2Go Travel Certificate)
All the Nikon School at Bacolod participants did not go empty handed as they learn from George Tapan. They carry with them the inspiration to shoot better photos.
Even I was inspired and challenged at the same time to take better photos of my trips – not just for my souvenir or enjoyment – but also for others to see how I captured a memorable moment of a beautiful place.
Thanks to ThinkDharma Inc., exclusive distributor of Nikon products in the Philippines, 2Go Travel, Epson, Camerahaus and Robinsons Mall Bacolod for making Nikon School at Bacolod possible.
I am pretty sure that the participants enjoyed how George Tapan “unmasked” some of his secrets in time for the MassKara Festival.
