BRIAN, DAY & MAC: The Newly Inducted Members at ZVCC

Get to know our newly inducted members as interesting snippets of information about the three are shared with us and compiled by Corinne Blanco.

Brian Agana

Please tell us about yourself: your family, your work, your hobbies and other interests.

I’m 49, married, with 3 bright and talented kids. I am currently working as a Professional Services Project Manager at RingCentral, a cloud-based business communications solutions company.

I am an active person and I love sports. During my younger years, I had this deep passion for mountaineering. Almost every weekend, I was out scaling peaks and Mt. Pulag was my all-time favorite. Mountaineering developed my survival skills, and taught me discipline and patience.

I was once an African Lovebird Breeder too. I managed to house around 50 breeding pairs and learned how to hand feed a one-day old baby bird. This hobby was also a very memorable bonding experience I shared with my late father.

I used to play badminton and volleyball but as I got older, I shifted my attention to a much more relaxing but expensive hobby—photography. Through this hobby, I discovered another hidden talent of mine which is sewing. Yes, with the Singer, Brother and JUKI Sewing Machines! This all started after I bought my first CDR-King Hard Case, I was disappointed that the included inner foam strips didn’t serve its purpose of protecting my gear. Out of frustration, I customized my own foam padding using a portable sewing machine. And this is where “BA.CON” (Brian Agana Concepts – Passion to Create) was born—a small online business that offered customization of foam padding for hard cases and camera bags. I stayed active in the market for 9 fruitful years until the pandemic hit and I was forced to close my business and sell my machines. Among my well- known customers were brand ambassadors Jiggie Alejandrino of SONY, Ricky Ladia of FUJIFILM and Jijo de Guzman of CANON. Another customer of mine was Ms. Arlene Donaire, who introduced me to the Zone V Camera Club.

Share with us some thoughts on your ZVCC Probee experience.

I had experienced being a member of other camera clubs before joining ZVCC. But when I joined Zone V, I was amazed at how the members welcomed and embraced us Probees. I truly felt the sincerity and camaraderie of the team and am happy that I made the right choice.

Share with us three places you’d like to go visit for photography.

ICELAND, to see, witness and photograph the beauty of the Aurora Borealis; SOUTH AFRICA for the wildlife experience; CHINA or NEPAL to see and camp even just on the base camp of Mt. Everest.

If you were given a chance to spend one day with a famous personality (living or dead), who would that person be and why?

Jack Ma. His experience in life was very sad and frustrating but he struggled, never gave up, and now he is one of the richest persons in the world. I find his speeches truly inspiring.

What is your favorite thing about yourself?

My being a “perfectionist”. Some call me “OC”, but I just want everything to be in order. I also want myself to always be prepared. I like thinking ahead and anticipating all possible scenarios so that I can plan accordingly. I find this very effective especially in my line of work, as a project manager.

What would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment so far?

Seeing my kids grow into more than what I expected them to be. My eldest, Luis, just graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Computer Science at UP Diliman. I have two other kids, Miguel, 16, and Alyssa, 14, who are still in school and both are doing great as well.

Use 10 words to describe yourself.

Athletic/Competitive, Silent, Observant, Sentimental, Pessimistic, Leader, Independent, Adventurous, Detail-Oriented and Claustrophobic.

Would you rather be a jack-of-all trades or a master of one?

Jack-of-All-Trades. I want to be versatile and independent and want to have a solution for everything. Like “MacGyver”.

Day Delfin

Please tell us about yourself: your family, your work, your hobbies and other interests.

My family consists of my sister and her 2 girls; unfortunately, both my parents are gone already. My father died of a stroke last December 2019 and my mother of cancer way back in 2008.

I worked as a flight attendant at Saudia Airlines for 15 years and only resigned last May of 2021. Now, I am starting my own business as a pharmaceutical distributor as well as other side businesses like selling jewelry from Saudi Arabia and selling curtains. Anything that comes into mind really; lets just say that every opportunity counts for me right now.

I really don’t have much of a hobby, besides social media and telenovelas. Photography is my only true hobby as of now, thanks to Zone V and Jed. The only other interest of mine right now is travelling.

Share with us some thoughts on your ZVCC Probee experience.

Being a ZVCC Probee has been enlightening for me and I never knew photography could be so much fun. I did catch a glimpse of this when Jed took me to attend several monthly meetings at the Old Swiss Inn and when I attended a couple of the Club’s Out of Town Shoots (OTS) . The experience was challenging at times but Jed was there to help as were all the friendly members and Probees.

Z places helped me experience first hand how to shoot with the guidance of our photowalk leaders. All in all, the probee experience did not disappoint.

Share with us three places you’d like to go visit for photography.

JAPAN—because since I was young I have loved the idea of seeing Sanrio Land and spending a day with Hello Kitty and the other characters I watched as a child.

GENEVA—since I love the feeling of being able to be one with nature, where mountains around me still have snowy tops even in the summer.

PHILIPPINE TOURIST SPOTS—I would love to explore the local tourist spots to further look into our history and heritage and to improve my photography skills with it.

What type of movies and music do you enjoy?

I like horror and suspense movies since I love the adrenaline rush I get whenever I watch them. I love listening to slow relaxing music that makes me feel more in tune with myself. But there will also be days that I feel more upbeat, so I switch to upbeat pop songs.

What is the most memorable lesson you learned from your parents?

They taught me how to respect other people. Especially in a world that is more fast-paced than before, people often forget the simple value of respecting other’s opinions, beliefs, and other factors that make them human.

If you could master one skill right now that you don’t currently have, what would it be?

Tailoring is one thing I do not know how to do and mastering this skill is one dream I have because I appreciate fashion and really want to make my own clothes someday.

What have you been most proud of learning lately?

Photography of course! The process of capturing people “in the moment” is something I really enjoy. I also love landscape photography. I would like to thank Jed Santos (BAE) for introducing me to ZVCC because I am so happy to have learned and done more than I ever imagined.

Would you rather be a Jack-of-all-trades or a Master of one?

A Jack of all trades—because I’m the type of person who prefers to learn more skills and experience more in life.

Mac Omega

Please tell us about yourself: your family, your work, your hobbies and other interests.

I grew up in Leyte and moved to Manila at age 16 to study college at the University of the Philippines where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. My first job was as a cadet engineer in a local engineering company.

In 2011, I moved to South Korea to work as an HVAC engineer. Most of my Filipino colleagues had their own DSLRs so I decided to buy one too even if I did not have any knowledge of photography back then. With my first salary I got myself a Nikon d7000 + 50mm lens.

As soon as I started clicking and posting photos on Facebook, I received a lot of positive feedback, which sparked my deeper interest in photography. I sought to learn more and taught myself by watching tutorials on YouTube.

I got first my award in photography in 2014 when I landed as a Top 10 finalist in the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk. It was a truly memorable moment for me because it was 犀利士
such a significant award and also because the photo was one of those “decisive moment” images that cannot be replicated.

Through the years, I continued to hone my skills in photography and that has led me to win quite a few awards. Still, the process of learning continues. One can never say one has learned it all when it comes to the art of photography.

Share with us some thoughts on your ZVCC Probee experience.

As a probee. I had a wonderful time. ZVCC exceeded my expectations of what a camera club should be. I always look forward to the monthly talks with different invited speakers. Also, it is with Zone V where I have been able to share my art to help others through the Lingkod Larawan and Images of H.O.P.E. Projects.

Share with us three places you’d like to go visit for photography.

I am a travel photographer and there’s a long list of places where I want to go and shoot. But if I have to pick 3 places, first on my mind to visit would be India to shoot some street photography. Second would be Norway to shoot landscapes with aurora borealis and finally, Africa to shoot some action photography with wildlife.

What type of movies and music do you enjoy?

I enjoy listening to OPM music especially from my favorite band, Urbandub. With regards to movies, I like to watch old movies especially award winning ones. My favorite movies are “The Shawshank Redemption”, “The Girl Next Door”, and “Runaway Jury”.

If you were given a chance to spend one day with a famous personality (living or dead), who would that person be and why?

I would pick the past VP Leni Robredo. She’s a great inspiration for everyone. She is a simple and hardworking person just like my mother. If I get to spend a day with her, I think I can be more inspired and learn a lot from her.

What is your favorite thing about yourself?

That I am a fighter. That I don’t give up easily when faced with difficulties and I always find a way to solve any problems that I have.

What is the most memorable lesson you learned from your parents?

To be patient and to be more understanding with other people.

What would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment so far?

Being able to build a house for my parents. Growing up , we were just renting and so when I went abroad for work, that was my ultimate goal.