UMak Employees enhance skills in Smartphone Photography Workshop
As an extension of the celebration of the Philippine Civil Service Anniversary, the Center for Integrated Communications (CIC) held its second series of #TatakUMak, focusing on smartphone photography attended by administrative staff from various colleges and offices.
FO1 Athena Paz Zapanta of the Public Information Services of the Bureau of Fire Protection Mandaluyong City Fire Station, former Photographer and Videographer of the Makati Information and Community Relations Department, and UMak alumna, facilitated the workshop, emphasizing the importance of visual storytelling in photography. She noted that phones have evolved over the years delivering high-quality photos that meet industry standards.
“Visual storytelling is the practice of conveying a narrative through visual media,” Athena said and explained that a photo should communicate the photographer’s intended message at a glance, citing examples from her work during Mayor Abby Binay’s campaign and photographer for the City Government of Makati.
Zapanta also discussed the pros and cons of smartphone photography, highlighting its portability and convenience, as most of the functions of a typical SLR camera are now built-in. While storytelling matters, photo quality still depends on the phone’s capabilities currently used by an office, as not all have the same specifications.
Participants engaged in an activity where they submitted photos applying the techniques discussed during the workshop. Human Resources Management Office Head Marilou Nuevo expressed excitement about seeing the participants’ outputs on the University’s digital platforms in the coming days and encouraged them to practice and experiment.
University Secretary Juvy Hermosura emphasized the seminar’s relevance in keeping up with globalization and advances in the tech-driven workplace. “[Kapag] po may mga training like this, please make use of that opportunity as a learning platform kasi para din po sa inyo yun…’yung manpower resources ay nag-de-depreciate din. Kailan siya nag-de-depreciate? [Kapag] hindi na po tayo maka-align, maka-adjust sa demand ng workplace.”
Likewise, CIC Director Steve Villacorta noted that the workshop aimed to upskill staff in photo documentation now that University events have gradually returned onsite following the COVID-19 pandemic.
#TatakUMak started as a seminar on university branding and website management and has since grown to include digital multimedia workshops.
Written by: Mr. Arjun Andrade
