By Maan D’Asis Pamaran A child's first exposure to pictures is often through family photos, with grand occasions and little moments captured candidly for posterity. This was the same headstart for Vincent Earl S. Tanching, who recalls his father wielding a film camera at family events. "Being able to capture a moment in time really fascinated me to the point where I would also practice on my own, research and go online to further my knowledge as a photographer," he recalls. The bright lights of his alma mater at Christmastime lured him further afield. "My most significant experience as a photographer can be traced back to my roots as a student at the University of Santo Tomas where the annual Paskuhan celebrations took place, and the yearly fireworks display was always the finale. "Capturing the riotous colors of the fireworks piqued his interest, and as he graduated from the university with an AB Communication Arts degree, it became his personal "pledge" to capture it every year. "I distinctly remember back in 2016 when I shot the yearly fireworks, posted online and garnered more than 5,500 reactions and probably around 1,300 shares on social media. It was truly a milestone for me, and got me feeling that other people found my photos to be worth a second look." He has since moved on to capturing more static things. "I would consider myself a photographer specializing in urban landscape or cityscape photography, but I also dabble in capturing travel and street photos once in a while." It may sound funny, he adds, but buildings are his favorite subject because he never really found the confidence to pose models or shoot portraits. "I love shooting buildings because they are simply static subjects, and you need not pose them anymore; it's a matter of finding its good side to capture!" As a photographer he seeks to inspire. "I likewise want to showcase the beauty of the ever-changing and innovating urban landscape of major cities." As such, he admits that for him, mood matters. "If I am feeling down and quite burdened or uninspired, the photos that I churn out show it. In retrospect, if I am simply at ease and relaxed, taking my time to savor the moment, my photo outputs are also quite good." The minutiae matters, too. "If a photo allows a viewer to stop and scan every detail of the image and appreciate both the entire photo and its minute details, then the photographer has succeeded in what he set out to do." His color photos come out with very vibrant tones. "I really like to showcase the dynamism and fast pace of the city. I also shoot in monochrome but not as often. As a photographer, I have been able to capture Metro Manila from various viewpoints which allowed many to appreciate our capital city from high above and invoke a notion that the Philippines, or Metro Manila for that matter, despite the pollution, chaos and disarray, is still very beautiful if seen from a different angle."