DUBAI: Back home, it would probably take a lifetime to save enough for a decent camera; which is why getting one while working abroad tops the list of most overseas Filipino workers in the UAE.
The next step would be joining photography clubs that abound, then joining competitions and hitting it big.
Photography clubs are where one could also chance upon old acquaintances or someone who hails from the same province, in this case Tawpee Comeso and Mark Anthony Agtay, two Batanguenos who bumped across each other during a workshop organized by the photography group they were both members of.
“It feels like home… knowing na may kababayan ka,” said Tawpee Comeso of Nasugbu, a photographer at the Dept. Of Urban Planning and Municipality in Abu Dhabi.
“Masaya at may kaugali kang Batangenio,” said Mark Anthony Agtay of Taysan.
“Our passion in the art of photography brought us together. From that day on, we became friends na.”
Salvador Codo, who heads a Dubai-based photography club, said the hobby provides refuge for homesick OFWs. “Napakalaking tulong para malibang o mawala ang lungkot dahil kapag merong mga community events, madami kang makakasalamuha, makakakwentuhan na mga kababayan natin, habang kumukuha ng litrato,” he said.
Their club holds weekend, out-of-town activities, enabling members to work on compositions like long exposure, Milky Way shooting under the stars and desert landscapes.
The club, which has around 300 active members, also regularly holds photography workshops at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) free of charge.
