Change The Way You See Beauty

I've been lucky enough to travel to different parts of the world even from a very young age. I've been to the sunny West Coast, the majestic land of Japan, and also, the historic Philippine cities of Cebu and Zamboanga. These are just some of the places I've been able to experience in my 20 years of living, but believe me when I say I don't think I truly got to appreciate these wonderful places if I didn't develop the habit of taking photos wherever I go.

For me, as important as taking in the scenery is, taking a great photo of them is a great way to relive the memory as many times as you want. It can be comforting as it can bring you back to a time when you were happy or even inspired. You can actually put yourself back to that moment when you beheld the beauty of a certain place and you actually get to discover even more things to love about it later. Sometimes, when you look at the photos again, you get to realize these small beautiful details that you hadn't noticed before - discovering even more of the beauty that there is in the world.

Below are just some of my favorite photos collected over the years and what they've come to mean for me. Also, they're all taken with my phone! You see, you can create all these beautiful memories without the use of a fancy heavy camera. Sometimes all you need is handy little phone in your pocket. :)

Dakong Balay Heritage Home, Carcar, Cebu - Beauty in Old Things

Seeing this photo reminds me of walking the slightly eerie halls of this old home. And I remember how much it completely reminded me of my childhood when I had after-school tutoring sessions in a house similar to this one. Even the smell was the same! Only, this place had been nearly abandoned so it was really dusty and a bit creepy. I love how my phone perfectly captured the peeling paint, the dusty table, and the beautiful open wall carvings near the ceiling. With this photo I'm reminded that there is so much beauty in history and old things.

Asakusa Temple in Tokyo, Japan - Beauty in Chaos

I'm reminded of the cold and sheer number of people in the temple that day. Even today, I've never been to a temple as beautiful as the ones they have in Japan. People were scrambling to take photos, to pray, or to drink from the holy fountain. With this photo, I wanted to capture the chaos. For me, as important as it is to capture the place itself, it's also important to include the people who experience it as well. After all, structures, monuments, parks - these were all made for people to enjoy.

The Carcar Dispensary, Cebu - Beauty in Darkness

This was definitely one of those moments that made me realize how a lot of people were wrong about tourism in the Philippines. The best way to see our history wasn't through going to monuments and parks, it was through visiting ancestral homes and buildings like the Carcar Dispensary. You can't see history by staring at a statue, but you can almost feel it just by walking on the creaky old wooden floors and peering out of beautiful stained glass windows. You get a sense of what it was like to live in a time that was hundreds of years behind.

The Osaka Cityscape, Japan - Beauty in Silence

This was taken on my first real day in Japan and I can remember my excitement that day. We had arrived the night before and I clearly remember being in awe of this very view. Every day I was in Japan was cool and perfect. It was clean everywhere and everyone was so nice! It's strange how I remember the peacefulness of Osaka just by seeing this photo.

Kusunogi Masashige Memorial Park, Tokyo, Japan - Beauty in Nature

I've never been a fan of parks because living in Manila makes it hard for you to enjoy the outdoors. It's hot and let's face it, super polluted. The first time I ever loved going to the park was when I was in Tokyo last December and got to stroll these winding paths. It was gorgeous and it was so peaceful. The cold weather was just the icing on the cake. I love how this photo perfectly captured that beautiful day along with the people who were enjoying the park with me. I can only hope I can create this same feeling with my designs when I become a full-fledged architect.

Dongdaemun, Seoul, South Korea - Beauty in Diversity

Seoul is well-known for being one of the fashion capitals in Asia. Be it black and white, summer pastels, or crazy vibrant colors, you can bet they can rock it. I loved how expressive they were through the clothes they wore. It was a different culture to what I was used to in the Philippines. It's so cool how this spontaneous shot was able to capture the different types of style you could see just strolling down the busy streets. A lot were just clad in basic black, and some preferred a little pop of color, while some just exuded confidence in their elaborate colorful outfits.

Universal Studios, Osaka, Japan

To this day, I still can't believe my phone was able to capture the Hogwarts Castle in such perfect detail, but it did! For this photo, there isn't too much of a deep meaning like the others, but it definitely proves a point that a phone can produce photos that can kick butt like any high-powered camera out there. Indeed, we are living in very very exciting times. Who would have thought that phones that fit in our pockets could produce photos like this?

I love that we live in a time when technology has changed the way we see mobile photography. It isn't just about cute selfies and grainy photos anymore, especially with the arrival of Huawei P9! It's the first smartphone to have a camera that's co-engineered with Leica. It has dual lenses that produce photos with amazing quality and allows people to take dramatic monochrome, slo-mo, colored, light painting, and just so many more styles. The photos I used in this post were all taken before the P9 came to play, but can you imagine how much more awesome they would be if they were taken with the Huawei P9? I bet it would be crazy beautiful!

So here's to more amazing photos and more amazing travels. I can't wait to see more beauty that there is in the world. And hopefully, I can get to take them with an awesome Huawei P9 someday! Haha! :)