Photography finds its way into a visual artist's heart as he begins seeing the art as a privilege. What was a mere search for creative outlet became a discovery of a lifetime for Adrian "Aids" Tecson, managing director (for post-production) of a leading visual effects company. He found photography and discovered that the craft has more than meets the eye.

Now a serious hobbyist, Aids is feeling like he's gotten a new pair of eyes freshly looking at things he used to not appreciate that much. The desire to chase light – a phrase common to current landscapists – is always on the go. He has developed into a lensman whose passion gets through landscape and ‘coastalscape.’

"The behavior of light is now something I pay attention to all the time – the way it falls on an object, the shadow it casts on some negative space, or the different color spectrums it can create," says this Atenista who spent both his high school and college at the Ateneo de Manila. He is a graduate of communication arts.

Running through his pile of photographs, it can be said that his finest medium for communication is photography. His coastal shots convey serenity; his landscapes whisper the enormous wonder of heavens.

With his natural strength for coming out with something unique, most of his landscapes are rendered in portrait orientation, different from the more common one. It's his style to compose his shots by intentionally breaking the rule of thirds and placing his subjects 'right in the center of the photo.'

Speaking like he has found some hidden treasure, Aids shares, "Overall, ever since I started this hobby, I have learned to appreciate the world more. Things I never really paid much attention to before – from open spaces, the sky, beautiful architecture, to the man sitting on the sidewalk, or the color of flowers after a rain shower, have now become everyday eye-candy for me."

In early 2008, or when he felt he needed a tool to better photograph his months-old daughter, Aids had his first DSLR, a second-hand Canon EOS 20D. He logged on to an online photography community called Pipho and realized that friends were awaiting him there, ready to share their knowledge on the ever-growing craft.

A big turning point arrived in September of the same year. He was invited by some new-found pals to shoot out of town with one of his biggest influences in photography, Edwin Martinez. Their group went to Pagsanjan and Caliraya for some landscape shoots, from sunup to sundown. He went home eventually with loads of nature photos and the crucial decision that he would specialize in such adventure.

"The best thing about being a photographer is having the opportunity to share with the world how you see things. Especially with the Internet, your image has the potential to reach millions of viewers and can ultimately affect them in one way or another," Aids discloses.

Although his pictures already possess some quality that will surely be of envy to others, the humble, reasonable man always comes out standing for himself. "I don't believe my work is edgier than those of other photographers because I believe each photographer is unique. Everyone will have their own set of audience. Some people may like my work, while others will like someone else's work, the same way some individuals prefer landscapes to portraits or fashion to photojournalism."

Now an officer of one group called Pinoy Photography Org., Aids gets to interact with other hobbyists by way of internal contests, photo ops, and special events. Two of his photos were featured in National Geographic's Daily Dozen while another one titled "Dusk at Yosemite Valley" got published in Digital Photographer Philippines. Three of his entries also made it to the 100 finalists of a contest dubbed as "Call to Move the Nation."

For the past 12 years, Aids has been doing post-production for TV commercials through the company Underground Logic. He is thrilled with the fact that video and photo are now co-existing. Besides, he is sure to keep photography in his artistic routine.