From First Clicks to Winning Shots: How My Son Discovered His Passion for Photography

 My son and I decided to go to the Muntinlupa Sports Complex so I could teach him how to use a camera, since it was required for his computer project and a photography contest at his school. The students are not allowed to use photographs from the internet; they may submit any subject, as long as the picture is originally taken by them and not by anyone else.

 

He had never tried using a real camera before, although he loves taking pictures with his cellphone. I think he is genuinely interested in photography, but he leans more towards videos.

 

After attending Sunday Holy Mass at Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish Church, where my son sang in the choir, we went to the Muntinlupa Sports Complex to look for possible subjects. It was his first time handling my camera—a Lumix G85, which is a micro four-thirds sensor crop camera and the only one I use for my paid photography projects. Although I was initially worried he might accidentally drop it, I realized it was more important for him to learn. In the end, I decided not to worry; gaining experience is worth the risk.

 

Once we arrived, I handed him the camera and began teaching him the basics. Since he had no background in photography, I set the camera to Program mode so he wouldn’t have to worry about exposure settings like aperture, ISO, or shutter speed. All he needed to focus on was composing his shots. I encouraged him by saying, “If it looks good in the frame, then shoot. No one will judge you. Just enjoy shooting.” I also showed him how to zoom and how to press the shutter button while holding the focus button at the back of the camera.

 

After walking around the area and taking about 30 photos, we went home, and I showed him how I process my photographs using Adobe Lightroom Classic. I gave him some ideas on how he could enhance his photos with the application to improve color and exposure. After demonstrating my workflow, I let him process all of his captured photographs on his own. He was so happy to have learned photography.

 

When he finished processing all the photos, he found that only 9 out of the 30 were useful. I then asked him to review his edited photographs and choose which one of the nine he considered his best work—the winning piece in his eyes.

I can’t believe that at just 11 years old, he really beat me. Despite all the cameras I’ve owned, from film to digital mirrorless, I’ve never won—but he did.

 

Here are the nine photographs Karol crafted, along with his chosen winning piece. He was also awarded a certificate for Best in Photography.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the winning shot of my son.

                                          Photo captured by:

Karol Yozef S. Bayan

Date captured:

January 18, 2026

Location:

Muntinlupa Sports Complex

Description:

A young boy exercising on the

track and field.

I told him that if God is willing and I am able to acquire a new camera, I will give him my Lumix G85 so we can shoot together and make beautiful photographs. I believe my son has a better eye for photography than I do.

To respect privacy, the signatories’ names are intentionally blurred.