I almost wasn’t able to go but I sure am glad I did!
It was my first ever WPPP (Wedding and Portrait Photographers of the Philippines) experience and no words can describe how thankful I am to be able to have the chance to witness how the masters of photography are able to share their knowledge and expertise in the different fields of photography. My head almost cracked with information that was overflowing.
It was the night of August 18, 2011. I travelled the long and winding road of Davao City with the “A Team”: Edwin Orbe and his sons, Jez and Karl, Engr. Maloy Ardieta, Jelo Pacaña, and Atty. Zed Ditucalan, whom we are so thankful for letting us ride in his awesome and sleep-friendly car
He swept the road so carefully that we know God was with us, guiding and blessing our trip to and from Davao City. We encountered numerous trials that one might have almost (knock on wood) caused our lives. It was too foggy; almost zero visibility. And at a particular place, just minutes before we arrived, there was an accident that took 2 lives; one beheaded. We were so shocked that we forgot we all have cameras. We could have taken photos to document the incident. The same with the container truck incident that caused a huge traffic. Atty. Zed insisted that he can maneuver the car though only a slight mistake can tip it off the hill. We travelled early to be able to have some rest before the festival and he was insistent on keeping our time tables. We were all glad he did, for he was so skilful that we arrived just in time to have a few hours of rest before the WPPP Photo Congress began.
And the rest is history in the making. We met a handful of masters in photography that we were all like kids in Disneyland eager to have a few shots with them. Some of these shots were taken by the A Team and some are even by photographers whom we just met and requested to take our pictures using my camera.
When they gave their speeches and the formal workshop in different categories began, we couldn’t help but shake our heads in disbelief. All our efforts paid off. The experience was priceless.
See you all next year!

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