It is a matter of pride for geodetic engineer Efren Ricalde that he learned photography through trial and error. When he got the hang of it, he chose to document mass actions or rallies, to do unposed portraits of activists, and to enjoy being right in the middle of things, even at the risk of being clobbered.

Ricalde’s early interest in photography began when an uncle, a member of the US Navy, gifted him with a Kodak instamatic camera when he was eight or nine years old. Initially, he took pictures of family members, and he recalled that his mother always insisted on having flowers as her background. As early as then, he believed that a photograph should not have too many distractions. 

While enrolled as a scholar at the Manila Science High School, he bought his books at the then Alemar’s Bookstore and passed a camera shop on Raon Street and Rizal Avenue. He stopped to gaze at a Minolta SRT 101 model. “Someday I will buy that!” he swore to himself.

He described his family as poor, and said he saved his scholarship funds toward buying the camera: “Mahirap lang kami. Inipon ko yung scholarship money para paglaanan sa camera.” He turned over his savings to his parents with the view that he could ask for it when it was time to make the momentous purchase Long story short, his money was used to pay for household expenses and utilities, and that was the end of his first dream.

When Ricalde entered college at the University of the Philippines Diliman, breaktime would find him at the Main Library reading copies of National Geographic. He closely studied the pictures, blissfully unaware that it was a magazine famed for its photographs. He said that whenever he saw a copy of the magazine, he’d look through its pages: “Binubuklat ko.”

After graduation, his first job was as the first Filipino systems analyst of Brunei Shell Petroleum. From the money he saved, his first purchase was a Canon AE1, an SLR with exchangeable lenses. He called it a “high-end, full-blown camera.”

His formal photography experience started in November-December 1981 when he became a leading photo enthusiast in Brunei. He helped put up the Brunei Shell Recreation Club Photographic Club and he and the other members organized contests in the company and in the entire country. He won more than 10 trophies, but there was no prize money involved.

He was often asked if he had studied under professional photographers. It was then that he was able to prove to himself that he has a natural talent in photography, he said. “The day before a photo walk, I imagine in my head what pictures I would take. I upgraded equipment to a Nikon F3HP with different lenses. I used them until the 1990s.”

In 1994, Ricalde decided to become an entrepreneur in his own country. He put up a business that made IT solutions for local government units, the national government, and the private sector. He also did geographic information systems or mapping. Among the other things that fulfilled him was developing the online examination system for the Philippine Regulatory Board (except law, which is administered by the Supreme Court).

He was also able to do an iPhone application called Maps—similar to Waze and Google Maps—apart from other contributions to the computer systems in the country.

But how and why did he get involved in taking pictures of mass actions? Ricalde said he entered UP in 1971 at the height of the First Quarter Storm. Immediately he became an activist, but he was not able to record anything in pictures. “Wala akong nakuhang litrato. I had no camera yet.”

When he was already employed, he timed his visits to the Philippines every August of each year because of the protest demonstrations. “Kasagsagan ng mass actions from 1982 up to 1989. Naabutan ko ang Ninoy Aquino killing [on Aug. 21, 1983]. Lagi kong nakikita si Madame Cory [Aquino, Ninoy’s widow] sa Cojuangco Building sa Makati.”

He said he remains a low-profile photographer. “None of my pictures have been sold or are intended to be sold,” he said. “But I’ve held photo workshops. I photograph for the people.”

He explained the last sentence as an intent to portray what is occurring in the country and the distinctive personalities working for the freedom of Filipinos: “Ibig sabihin naglalayon na makita ang nangyayari sa bansa at mga natatanging tao na tumutulong sa ating pagpapalaya.”

Ricalde had his first photography show, titled “Slices of Time,” at Gimenez Gallery in UP Diliman. He was told that he may be the first graduate of the UP College of Engineering to exhibit officially on campus. His subjects covered all the genres that he has gone through: street photography, portraiture, still life, mass action, etc.

As for his daily routine when he is carrying his camera, he said, “Photography is now available on our mobile phones. I use it as such for daily activities, but for special events, like when I see Palestinian refugees gathered at Rizal Park, I bring my camera.”

He is a big admirer of Sebastião Salgado, the Brazilian photographer and photojournalist who has documented indigenous people, miners, and workers in situ. “I also want to specialize in social documentary,” he said, the way Salgado did it. What basic tips can he offer those who want to take pictures seriously? He said they must feel the image, learn the fundamentals: “Kailangan sa photographer, maramdaman yung image. Matutong mag-visualize before taking pictures. Ang basic compositional elements, dapat matutunan.”