Hidalgo Street in Quiapo is a photographer's paradise. Whenever I go here, even if I have no plans…read moreon buying anything, I end up with my wallet lighter. You might call it unsafe and frenzied, but it's all part of Hidalgo's appeal. One of the most famous characters in Hidalgo and probably the whole of the Manila photography community is Mang Ramon of Mayer Photo. Camps are firmly divided into two: those who love him and those who wished he fell off a cliff. A rudimentary search on Google would net a dozens of horror stories that customers had with Mang Ramon. You're probably wondering why he hasn't run out of business yet. The reason is that 9 times out of 10, Mayer has the cheapest and most competitive prices in the whole of Hidalgo. I find that the sure fire way to incur his famous wrath is to be obviously canvassing for the best prices. So the best tip I can give you is to canvas everyone first then get your money ready. Go to Mang Ramon and ask for the price. If (and It will be) cheaper than the others, buy it ASAP and you'll be on his good side for life.

This was the store where I bought my underwater camera, also because after going around Hidalgo…read moreStreet, I found that they were the only ones who are carrying or at least ordering from overseas the brand and model I want to get. They seem to know this, too, as when I said that I will look around, the owner said that they are the only ones offering that model in Hidalgo. I made a reservation for the camera, and made a down payment, which is required for their reservation. The owner said that I would be getting it one or two months later. I said I would pick it up two months later, on February, as January was a busy month for me, and February would be just in time for a summer trip. While it is a plus point that they are offering an otherwise hard-to-find model, there was some lack of communication and miscommunication from their end as the staff did not inform me as promised when the camera arrived. When I started calling for it on February, they said it was still not available. The owner later confessed that they already sold the unit reserved for me and just proceeded to do a rush order of a new one for me, which at least arrived in time for my trip. While my experience was not perfect, I do appreciate the pricing as I saved about P4,000, since their price is lower than those I canvassed in malls.

I was driving by the Scout area the other day and while waiting for a car to clear the road I saw…read moreShutter Master Pro so I decided to check it out. It's every photographer's dream! I'm not a professional photographer but I super enjoy it as a hobby. I love how photos can stand the test of time and how so much memories come from a single still! Shutter Master Pro has all sorts of equipment for any photographer, from amateurs to professionals. They have lenses, straps, programs, tools (and many things I didn't even knew existed!). It's also good to know that they hold classes there for all levels of photographers and different aspects of photography. I love how it's super well designed too, with brick walls and wooden crates! I ended up getting a monopod for my new toy, a go pro! I was super happy to find out that the prices weren't so bad either. I ended up coming back twice in the same week, good to know this place exists!

Shutter Master Pro is the glammed up name of Aperture Trading, the go to place of photographers and…read morehobbyists alike for camera lighting equipment and other accessories for more than a decade running. Their old store in Banawe was as basic as they came. There was no design or aesthetics involved. It was just a place to do business. They've since moved to a bigger and way better place in Morato. Shutter Master Pro looks like a completely new store. It's as if they joined one of the extreme makeover reality shows. The whole vibe of the place is awesome. The place is liberally sprinkled with wooden accents, from shelving to upcycled crates that act as tables. There's even a brick wall that can act as a photographic backdrop. Even if you aren't buying anything, just roaming around inside is enthralling. They attached a café of sorts to the store so you can have a cup of Joe while waiting for them to ring up your equipment order. This is the place they hold their photography seminars as well.

Fujifilm is considered as one of the leading photography and imaging company in the world. Whenever…read moreI have to develop images or I need photos to be digitally reconstructed, this is the first place that I go to. Fujifilm has all types of advanced digital and photofinishing equipment to make sure that they provide the best service to their loyal customers. I don't really print photos anymore. All of my memorable photos are stored inside my laptop. I usually go to Fujifilm for digital reconstruction. I have pictures of me and my family taken when I was a still a child and unfortunately, most of them are no longer in good shape. A lot of these pictures have been torn to pieces and there's no easy way to fix it unless you're an expert in using Photoshop. Good thing Fujifilm is here to fix all of these photos. When they were finally done digitally reconstructing the images, all of the photos looked good as new. It only took them an hour to completely finish everything.

All things analog have been getting a resurrection lately. The dust is blown off old vinyl records,…read morean old record player is given new life, and even the shutter of an old analog camera goes off again. More and more of my friends have been taking their old analog cameras for a spin again. Since they know that I have penchant for film photography, inquiries regarding film-processing centers is something I've been asked repeatedly. So for you old school shutterbugs out there who want their rolls of film developed, my suggestion is to visit the Fujifilm branch located in the basement of SM Megamall A. The shop does C-41 Processing (for color negative films) but they also accept cross-processing jobs for slide films. Having a roll processed will cost you less than Php 200. I usually don't have my photos printed. Instead, I have the photos scanned and saved into a CD. I just personally prefer to have a digital record of all my photos rather than having them printed out and gathering dust in my room. The whole service takes an hour, ample time for you to check out the rest of the mall.

After Mayer Photo, my next favorite store in Hidalgo Street is Henry's. I like them not because the…read moreprices are competitive, or that they offer stuff that no one else has. There's only one reason, really: their store has an air conditioner. Yes, I'm that shallow. Sue me. The Quiapo heat is just too unbearable! Kidding aside, I feel that the main strength of Henry's (aside from the air-con part) is that they are more hobbyist and consumer oriented. They have a more relaxed vibe as compared to the other shops in Hidalgo that are more for professionals and hardcore hobbyists. With Henry's, they have pastel colored Instax cameras and equally colorful instant film as well as a myriad of GoPro accessories. This is not to sell them sort, however. Henry's sells top of the line cameras, too. If you're visiting Henry's, just remember that it isn't on Hidalgo itself. After you reach the corner of the street, turn left. It's the second shop there. You won't miss it!

Before you swipe that credit card at one of those camera equipment stores at the malls, do check…read moreout Hidalgo Street in Quiapo first, as I'm sure you'll find a better deal here. This street is actually known for photography equipment, even for professional photographers. Henry's Camera is one of the nicest camera stores here--and the air-conditioning, glass windows and all do help make this place look more reliable and trustworthy. And, they actually really are. I bought my Nikon DSLR here, my friend has purchased her Canon DSLR here, while my sister has purchased her Fujifilm mirrorless camera (one of those X series ones) here as well. It's a legit place to get good deals (if you're paying with cash) for good cameras and other high-end photography equipment. Their staff are also very helpful and accommodating, and they won't mind answering your bizillion queries about their products. TIP: If you're purchasing a camera using cash and don't feel like carrying around a wad of bills to Quiapo (highly unrecommended), across Henry's is an SM Outlet Store that has a BDO ATM inside the mall. It's just a few steps away.

To all those admittedly hipster owners of the trendy Instax camera, UP Town Center has become home…read moreto Fujifilm's well-loved Wonder Photo Shop from the Land of the Rising Sun all the way here. Though not a 2-storey building like its flagship store, the shop still excites the young'uns obsessed with anything retro. Fujifilm's trademark film cameras are available other than the Instax which comes in different colors and a few other designs including Hello Kitty and Minnie Mouse. Other than products catering to Instax and film camera owners, Wonder Photo Shop also offers tripods and camera bags, although that's about the only thing that could possibly catch the eyes of the male crowd. This store also provides a photo developing service, so no, non-users of Fujifilm are not entirely banned from this photography boutique.

I went to the shop just the other day to have an artwork printed for a client. I was assisted by…read moreAnna. When I returned after 30 minutes to claim my prints and USB (which contained important work files), they couldn't find my USB anywhere and, on top of that, Anna had printed the wrong images. I was told that Anna had already gone home and it seems that she took my USB with her. What made things worse was that they did not have Anna's contact number, and all they could do was message her on Facebook. The supervisor, Aris, and everyone in the store was very apologetic about it, but this kind of thing is unacceptable, especially since it concerns artwork/important work files. When I went back the next day, Anna didn't even apologize or bother to explain what happened. When I finally asked her, she said she took my USB because she didn't want it to get lost. I told her that I hadn't claimed my prints yet, and so I was actually going back to the store, and that they also have my mobile number in the form that I was asked to fill out. She had no answer to that and remained unapologetic. So it was a bad experience all in all. Store management was poor and inefficient, and Anna was very sketchy and unprofessional.

If you're looking for anything camera related, there is only one place to go to - Hidalgo in…read moreQuiapo. While you might think that it is such an unsafe place to get camera equipment that costs thousands of Pesos, the whole stretch of Hidalgo has been home to everything photography related for decades. Admittedly it can be quite chaotic and dirty since there are street vendors plying their trade on every conceivable square inch of the street, but I prefer to add it to the whole charm of the experience. Don't get too cocky and think that the shops don't have what you need just because they look run down. Mayer Photo, Henry's, Avenue, and 24K all have the newest and most expensive lenses and camera bodies out there. If for some reason they don't have it, you can order it. If you decide on buying something, BPI and BDO branches are nearby for you to get cold hard cash.

If there is a Divisoria for clothes and almost all general merchandise, there is a Hidalgo Street…read morefor cameras and accessories. Prices here are significantly cheaper than when you buy in malls. I bought two cameras here and I saved around P4,000 or more each. And this street does not just have camera shops, but really cheap street food, with pancit for P10. They also have kakanin like puto. There are stalls where you just order take-out or eat standing up, and there are stalls with makeshift wooden stools where you can sit while you eat. There are also clothes stalls here - I saw some nice bolero vests for P100, and I would have bought one had it fit me. Just be careful, though. It's ironic that that Quiapo, which is ripe for pickpocketing, is where Hidalgo Street is at. After I bought a camera, I immediately placed it in my backpack before going out of the store. I realized a guy was following us, though, as I wove through the food and clothes stalls. My companion had to stare straight at him to let him know that we knew he had been following us. He stopped shortly afterwards.

I wanted to surprise my mom with a photo album filled with photos of our last family trip, all…read moreprinted out, captioned, and organized. She always complained how we never develop our photos anymore and just because it's all digital, it always just goes straight to Facebook. "Pano pag mawala na sa Facebook?" I would always chuckle but then I'd remember the very real situation of uploaded-photos-being-erased like what happened with Multiply. So I wanted to look for a good photo printing place for those precious travel photos. My experience with the more easily accessible printing centers in malls was quite wanting. My photos were always overly edited, colors were too saturated, or the print wasn't that clear, like it were just printed at home. So I was looking for the old "master" which was Kodak. The problem was there weren't much kodak stalls around anymore and since I heard they were going out of business internationally, I thought maybe they were gone here in Manila! But finally, I found one right inside Xanland in Katipunan. This was a Kodak Express and they were very much alive and kicking, yay! The prices were right, just the average (even similar to those below standard photoprinting places), and they had all printing options available. Matte, glossy, various sizes, white margin or none, etc. They were very much ready to receive my over a hundred photos and I trusted that it would all come out well. The lady who assisted me was also very nice about me making just a super minimal downpayment because I didn't have a lot of cash at the moment. When I picked my photos the next day, they were all perfect! Here's to hoping this store won't close out soon! I realized we still need these kinds of place, huhu.

While some would say that Kodak didn't really manage to come to terms with the digital age, it is…read morestill thriving, alive and well in the Philippines with its offers for quick printing and for the various needs of 1 x 1 or 2 x 2 photos for work and office related purposes. It is not uncommon to see a Kodak still in business in the country, making sure that precious moments are still printed and immortalized in glossy or matte photographs, and also ensuring that there is always a go-to area for the standard pick up and creation of photographs for applications or other such purposes. Ever a necessity for students, workers, or even those who are just fans of old-fashioned scrapbooks, the Kodak business manages to maintain a strong following today for its reliable and dependable services that still continue to produce good quality products, even in an age where most soft copies do not see print and uploading photos on social media is the trend.

If you're in the market for professional photography and video equipment, you better head straight…read moreto Shutter Master located in the compound of DPI Studios in Pasong Tamo, Makati. Stocked with all you need to get your photography dreams going, from studio lighting equipment and accessories, paper and fabric backdrops, a whole bunch of reflectors, studio rigs and so much more - this is undoubtedly your one-stop-shop. If you don't exactly know what it is you really need, as being surrounded by such big and heavy equipment can be quite overwhelming, the store's friendly and knowledgeable staff is more than willing to help out. If you're in the market for strobes or studio lights, make sure to ask about the lighting kits that are available. Kits are more complete because it's got all you need like strobes, lighting stands and triggers, plus they cost less than buying the equipment per piece.