It’s no secret that not all who get shortlisted for The Filipino Times Awards win the title – but there are those among the community who remain steadfast in their support for their fellow Filipinos to rise up and be recognized.
The story of 2018 TFT Awards Photographer of the Year Chris Calumberan started out with a loss two years prior when he vied for the same category. However, with his persistence and resilience, he did not let the experience of loss hinder him from continuously developing his craft together with his colleagues.
“I was nominated 2 years ago for the same category. Although I was not able to win the award, I developed big respects and admiration to the jury. The board includes very credible and respectable members of the community. It was indeed a very humbling experience being chosen by them,” shared Calumberan.
Inner motivation
As he continued to manage his small photography company, he has learned the value of collaborative efforts not just with fellow Filipinos but with other nationalities as well. With his company pushing past 10 years, he continues to work with talented individuals from different nationalities and has even initiated an environmental project to coincide with his photography workshops.
“The plan is how we can translate creativity and awareness to help save the environment. I have collaborated with several talents in the community to give a photography workshop and initiated an environmental project for single plastic awareness where we promote the ‘reuse before recycle’ program,” said Calumberan.
Goal-setting towards self-development
One lesson that Calumberan took with him and has since been advocating for the community is the importance of self-development so that the process of helping others will come naturally along the way: “The (TFT Awards) experience has taught me how to work harder on your goals. It only proves that we need to develop and help ourselves first to be able to bring back something to the community.”
He also urged fellow photographers and professionals to find out key issues and come up with creative solutions that will help fellow Filipinos and UAE residents towards building this progressive nation. “Make every action count. Be creative in helping and voicing out your found solutions that our society is facing in your field and industry. Think how you will be able to contribute on the betterment of the many and the less fortunate,” shared Calumberan.
