Every college student is required to submit a thesis before graduating but of course, you need to pass the subject. It’s like a ticket to your graduation. I chose black and white photography as my thesis topic because I’m always overwhelmed by its output.
The photos where shot in different places in Metro Manila, from Intramuros to Manila Bay to Roxas Boulevard to Binondo to Quiapo to Baseco. But of course, it didn’t happen in just a day.
My friend and I walked the streets of Roxas Boulevard and Manila Bay but her thesis is different from mine. We weren’t planning to go to Binondo but we accidentally rode the wrong FX going to Quiapo, we rode Divisoria FX instead, so we then roamed and took pictures in that place just so our transportation fare won’t be wasted but we still went to Quiapo after. And I couldn’t believe I got to go to Baseco too, thanks to some of my schoolmates for inviting me to go there. We did an outreach there and painted houses! It was fun helping a lot of people beautify their houses. 
I remember staying overnight at my high school friend’s place and even brought my thesis there. They helped me do it and this is the result of one of the pages in my thesis paper which is also in my coffee table book but I only produced one copy just for the sake of our exhibit and for my own collection. Some even suggested me to publish it but I couldn’t afford that for now.
People are basically social beings. For ages, we have been trying to connect to each other and wanted to make sure that we are heard. The same can be said for photography. Even before photography has been invented and developed, people have been finding ways to capture special moments in their lives whether through sculpture or even in paintings. Men have been very good at capturing images; even our first ancestors have drawn on caves’ wall to leave their mark.
“Modern photography” was first conceptualized in the 1800′s. The word photography comes from two ancient Greek words ‘photo’ for light and ‘graph’ for drawing which means “Drawing with Light” as photography uses light in order to successfully capture images.
On its conceptualization, photography is initially monochromatic, more specifically in black and white. But only after a few decades, scientists have been exploring different variations in color and in processing photographs–and they have been successful. In present times most, if not, all photographs are in full color. In today’s age and time, it is not rare to come across digitally enhanced photographs, full-spectrum, ultraviolet or even infrared photography.
However, we still see a number of photographers nowadays who are still convinced that black and white photography is the way to go. This may be due to a combination of factors. Some people might just want to relive the “good old days” and feel nostalgic, while others feel that black and white conveys more emotions as compared to colored prints.
Many nights of not sleeping and going to school like a zombie is worth the experience. 
Content of the book can be found here.
