With the advent of digital cameras and smartphones, anyone without exception may snap their very own photographs for memories, safekeeping or archival purposes.

However, there still exists a devoted group of artistic and talented individuals who prefer to strike an everlasting partnership with their handy DSLR or film cameras — to the extent of turning it into their passionate worthwhile careers, hoping to inspire others to pick up, adopt and nurture the craft.

They shoot not just for keepsakes or commemoration or for bragging rights. With it, they express their inner thoughts, most private feelings and artistic abilities through images immortalized via their lens.

Darlene Jane San Agustin, known as Dar to many, believes in a more direct, intimate, hands-on, whole-hearted approach to image-creation.

Due to this persistent fascination, she took a keen interest in alternative printing and the blue world of cyanotypes, a slow-reacting method that produces blue-toned films.

Her pieces go against the grain by challenging the elements within the photograph, the entire production process, the living subjects and models and even the ultimate role of the artist.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Photography from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and was a lecturer at the same institution from 2017 to 2023.

She is currently taking her Master of Fine Arts in Photography and Media at the California Institute of the Arts in Santa Clarita, California.

Miguel Sy, a Chinese-Filipino photographer, has built his visual career around architectural and advertorial photography, with numerous top-profile domestic and international clients. He has likewise delved into documentary work in countries, such as Cambodia, Nigeria and the Philippines.

An avid motorcycle and scuba diving enthusiast, he integrated these into his profession, with a focus on exploration and archiving. Today, he likewise shares his wisdom as an Architecture and Advertising lecturer at his alma mater, DLS-CSB's Photography Program.