Estan Cabigas

A student visitor of the WPP 09 exhibit at the MOA during one of the guided tours

My ID as an exhibition guide for students

After three weeks in the country, the World Press Photo 2009 exhibition in Manila ended last Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia. For me, it’s also a break from the weekly ingress and egress as we setup and transferred the exhibit from one venue to another as well as the five days, all weekends, of doing the guided tours for high school campus journalists. While tiring, it’s one of the most fulfilling activities I have in the past few months. Partaking one’s knowledge as well as impressing young minds about photojournalism and photography is just so cool.

First day of the World Press Photo 09 exhibit at The Block mall.

I’m so tired and “wasted.” My throat is hurting from the six or seven groups of high school students that I toured around the World Press Photo 2009 Manila exhibit at The Block mall. What made matters worse was that the background music was blaring loudly. Other than that, my feet hurt. But then, doing the guided tours was fulfilling as I get to share with these campus journalists about photojournalism, “reading” images and photography.

Next week, I will be at the Mall of Asia wherein another batch of students will be doing the rounds.

Setting up the World Press Photo 09 exhibit at The Block mall, the second venue in Metro Manila

The call time was 2030H at Starbucks at The Podium Mall wherein Sander Goudswaard from the World Press Photo will give a short talk about the installation that will be done later as well as about handling the guided tours for the World Press Photo 2009 Manila exhibit. I was just exiting the plane from Cebu at Terminal II that time. Well, it was also good that I came in late as the actual activity started around two hours later and having volunteered the previous year, it was not really new for me.

The number of volunteers seem to be smaller compared last year and because of this, we finished rather later, at 4 AM. Despite this, it was good to see these winning pictures big and up close. The Podium exhibit will formally open on Monday, 3 August until the 8th wherein it will then be transferred to The Block.

Sander Goudswaard of the World Press Photo showing the volunteers how to set the images on the frames. Bogsie in right foreground.

Cheryl and Brad infront of Zhao Qing's winning series (1st Prize Stories - Sports Features)

Manman Dejeto sweating it out while installing one image on the frame with Bogsie.

Faye Ferrer handling the piece of Julian Abram Wainwright (3rd Prize Stories - Sports Action)