A month ago, photographer Adam Legaspi of Adamnesss photography, posted on Facebook his camera equipment not to brag but to remind him of difficult times. His high-quality gear were among the casualties of the flood and mud brought by typhoon Ulysses. His post went beyond its intended purpose, inspiring instead those who saw it. It his since served as a life vest, helping keep Adam afloat.
“Posting this here to remind me yearly that no matter what trials may come through, whatever difficulties and challenges may arise, whatever storms and typhoons may come, the decision to be strong and resilient should and always be in place,” Adam wrote in his feed three days after the flood. “It may be heartbreaking to see the things I use for a living, which I invested for almost four years, may not possibly work again, but with all hopes, I hope they still will.”
Thinking the flood would just be waist-deep, Adam left his camera bag on an elevated position in his house in Paradise Malanday Marikina before he and his family evacuated to his aunt’s house at 3 a.m. of Nov. 12. Unfortunately, the flood reached their ceiling and wrecked his beloved professional DSLR bodies, prime lenses, and laptop computer.
“Material na bagay lang ang nabaha, pero never ang (only the material things got soaked in flood, but the) passion, skill, and motivation to come back strong and to remain standing,” he continued in his post. “Maraming dahilan para sumuko, pero mas madaming dahilan para hindi. Maraming salamat sa mga co-creatives ko na tumulong at patuloy na tumutulong. God bless you all. Tiwala lang, friends. Babangon at babawi tayo (There are a lot of reasons to throw in the towel, but there’re always more not to. Thank you so much to my co-creatives who have helped and continue to help. Keep the faith. We will get up and get back on track).”
Adam’s high hopes didn’t fail him. After he posted the photos of his wet gear, he got tons of help in an instant from friends. His fellow creatives gave financial assistance, which was why he was able to give a down-payment to camera technician Jawo Manimtim, who’s so considerate to agree for a deferred payment. His filmmaker friend Nathan Cundangan offered to fix his laptop for free. Unfortunately, the computer didn’t work but at least Nathan was able to save the hard drive.
Moreover, Adam received from Alf Alba a Tuffcase, a water-dust-shock-rust proof camera luggage. Some photographers even expressed their willingness to lend him their cameras for when he has a shoot. Many messaged him directly to extend more help. And others bought the T-shirt he is selling from Hiraya Fam & Co., which enabled him to raise more funds. On top of that, he received a full frame camera and prime lenses from Jonel Tadeo and was featured on a TV show where actor and photography enthusiast Khalil Ramos surprised him with a camera body and some lenses too.
Adam says he will always be grateful for these people because after a month, they became God’s instrument for him to come back strong and remain standing—a proof that passion, skill, and motivation can never be drowned.
Just recently, Adam was able to continue his love for photography. With photographer friend PJ Barrios, he did a pictorial for aquaspacing service Aqua Infinity Design (AID) by Matthew Manes, where he was able to use the lenses he salvaged from the flood.
Adam ended his post with words that he has since held on to, becoming the reason for how he was able to live and breathe his passion once again: “God made our spirits strong and capable of being resilient to the whirlwinds of life.”