Introduction

Hello guys! Raymund Bumagat here and today, I am going to share you my story on how did I get started with Photography.

But first, I would like to introduce myself to you.

I live in Sta. Rosa, Laguna PH. I have a degree in BS IT. I am a photo hobbyist and I love to take photos of Urban/City, Street, Portrait, Landscape, Food or let's just say that I love to take random photos. And in addition to that, I am a certified Instagram boyfriend!( lol jk, see my IG: https://www.instagram.com/rymndbmgt/ for reference ).

( This is my shameless self portrait. )

I started with Mobile Photography

Maybe like most of you guys, I also started taking photos using a smartphone, which in my case is an iPhone 4s.

During that time, I do not even know how to compose an image to capture, all I know is I will just snap a photo that I think looks good inside my phone's screen, choose a VSCO filter and I will upload it to my Instagarm.

Below are some of the photos that I took using my 4s:

( The light inside a coffee shop nearby, this is the image that was featured back then )

( Me playing a guitar during my vacant hours )

( My watch is in the table and the sunlight came through the window )

After uploading Images on a weekly basis, some of my friends said that I am good at taking photos, Instagram likes are coming in, and next thing I know is, I am being featured with some featuring accounts in Instagram.

After that, I continue taking photos and I got a job being an IT helpdesk. My job requires a shifting schedule and I started to have difficulties taking photos since I am in the office everyday and my body clock is already ruined which leads me to not taking photos at all :(

How did I get started again?

1 year later.....I already have a better smartphone with a better camera and yes! it is a Samsung S7 Edge. I cannot deny it, s7's camera is way better than the 4s. There so much details on my shots compared before, I also love the way that it has different camera modes and one of these is the Manual/Pro.

I already learned how to use manual mode and I started to get more control on my shots.

Below are some of the photos that I have took using S7 and was edited using Lightroom Mobile.

( My 1st long exposure everyone!, iso 100, 2 secs. shutter speed )

( Another shameless self portrait that my girlfriend took inside Wingstop )

During that time, I still cannot believe that I can take photos like that using my smartphone's camera! whoohoo! I am so amazed!

I started to level up my photography skills

I bet you already noticed, I am already using a different editing app called Lightroom and my girlfriend and I are switching places to take photos of each other. Now, this is where the funny story comes where I bought my very first camera....

I have noticed that every time that we are getting in the mall, my girlfriend will go ahead and stop in a camera store looking in a camera that she said she wanted to. She does it every time. I asked her, what's the camera for? that's too expensive. She said she wanted it for the gram!

So one day or should I say one night(I work during night shifts), I am already at the office waiting for my shift to start and then suddenly, my girlfriend sent me a link. This link is an Instagram Profile of a Blogger that has an insane feed, you can really look at his feed for hours, the sharpness and the quality of his photos are there and you will wonder how the hell did he edit his photos?!

Now since I really got curious, I started to search Google and YouTube what are the best app to color grade your photos, and then I found Lightroom. I tried the app and tried to achieve the same tones that I saw on the blogger's feed and yes, I have somehow achieved it (See my S7 photos above.)

My girlfriend was very happy because I already know how to take photos and achieve the blogger's tone.

But...

For me, compared to his shots, I can really say that his picture has more quality than mine even though the tones are alike, and I know that this is because he is using a camera. A real camera

Days and weeks have past and I am still taking and editing photos again and again. The next thing I know, my passion for taking photos are back and I am more interested to buy the camera than my girlfriend.

My bonus came and...tada!!!

Yes!! I really now have a camera, a Fujifilm X-A3. I even have new lenses now ( Wait what? me? with a Camera? can you believe it?!). I can say that the quality of my photos are way more better than before and I am very happy with that.

I did a lot of practice, and I already started to take some OOTDs of my girlfriend, some street photography, urban, food photography, worked for a blogging team with a sponsored stay in a hotel in Tagaytay, and many more.

Now, I bet that you wanted to see the photos that I took using my camera, so kindly see below:

( I did a food photography for a hotel in Tagaytay )

( Long Exposure in Binondo Manila )

( Freezing Moment using fast shutter speed )

( Night Photography in Neon Streets, told ya, I am an Instagram Boyfriend )

( Gotham City inspired color grading with some Photoshop )

Thank you!

So yeah! that's my story on how did I get started with photography.

I would like to hear your story as well and to know your feedback. Let me know in the comment section below!

I hope that you enjoyed my self quick introduction, my story, and my first post here in Steemit. That's it for now, and see you in the next post!