Filipina Nat Geo Young Explorer Issa Barte leads vivo Imaging Academy Masterclass

Artist, photographer, and 2021 National Geographic Young Explorer Issa Barte will be leading the second installment of the vivo Philippines Imaging Academy Online Master Class. She and her students discussed the value of photography to show realities that would have otherwise stayed hidden and the value of social media as a channel to raise awareness about these stories.

The first day of the masterclass talked the ethics, purpose, and Barte sharing her pro tips in taking photos. In the second day, the students shared their photographs taken with the vivo X80 series smartphones and showcasing their advocacies.

Barte shared four pro tips to create better photographs and tell compelling stories:

• Foremost is remember ethics – to ask permission and share one’s goals with the people being photographed or the subject.
• Build a relationship with the story and the people. Allow yourself to be vulnerable to your subject so they can be comfortable in front of the camera.
• Use the background to help tell the story.
• Use a reliable smartphone camera – a more accessible and less intimidating tool for creating portraits and intense situations.

Barte says that the vivo X80 series’ ZEISS natural color, auto focus, and ultrawide lens are vital in capturing human emotions and expressions as well as showing on-ground scenes, including in climate crisis-devastated areas. She says that a smartphone is a good device to break the barrier between the photographer and the subject who can be intimidated by big and bulky cameras. She recalled when she was an amateur, and encouraged her students to start where they are and with what they have.

The two-day vivo Imaging Academy masterclass ended with the students sharing their photographs and the inception, goals and progress of their respective projects. Barte concluded the class by saying that stories, when shared using the right tools, deliver a message that then become an inspiration or a symbol of hope, which is exactly what the world needs today.

The vivo Imaging Academy masterclass series hopes to give Filipino photography enthusiasts a chance to own their masterpieces by refining their skills. New York-based expert photographer Michael Halsband shared his insights on how to create powerful photographs by capturing authentic details and expressions during the first vivo masterclass session released a few weeks ago.

Other professional photographers such as Peter Van Agtmael, E-Jay Zhang and Raul Romo will lead their own vivo Imaging Academy masterclass episodes where they will share their photography philosophy and discuss strategies and tips.

You can check out upcoming episodes of the vivo Imaging Academy on vivo Philippines’ Facebook, YouTube and TikTok platforms.