A photographer is ushering the way towards a “new normal” type of graduation pictorial with his initiative which went viral on social media.
Laguna-based photographer Chuckie Jude Samonte Zabella conducted a house-to-house graduation shoot for the Grade 6 and 10 students of Open Door Christian Academy in San Pablo City since they cannot go out of their houses.
Since online classes were implemented, the private school reportedly decided to conduct a house photoshoot instead so that their students wouldn’t have to go out just to have their graduation pictures taken.
It would spare them from being potentially exposed to the virus, as well as save them traveling costs.
“Dahil po sa hindi makalabas ng bahay ang mga bata, kami po ang nag-adjust para makapunta sa kanilang bahay,” Zabella said in an interview with The Philippine STAR.
“Enjoy po kami, kasi bawat bahay na pupuntahan namin ay meron pong handang merienda. Nahirapan lang po sa pag set-up ng mga gamit. Lalo na po mga sa mga ilaw,” he added.
Zabella particularly featured a photoshoot of a male student shot amid a busy construction site.
“New normal… House to house grad pic,” he shared on Facebook with a grinning face emoji.
Zabella also shared another photoshoot taken in what appeared to be a classroom in his post’s comments section.
Higher number of infections
Recently, the Philippines have been seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases which were partly attributed to the presence of the new and more contagious variants that originated in South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Some cities in the metro have already been placed in localized lockdowns in a bid to reduce the transmission of the virus.
As of Friday, the health department logged more than 4,500 new cases, the highest daily tally figure to have been reported this year so far.
The public is advised to strictly adhere to minimum safety protocols such as the wearing of face masks and face shields and observing physical distancing, especially in public areas.
