We’re big fans of our Pixlr on Flickr members. They share some of the most creative photos they’ve enhanced with Pixlr apps. We’ve been profiling some of them lately. Today we have another one for you with Aldrin Gersalia — aka Prisbourne. His photos are incredibly creative, and we really love how he can take what might seem like a simple close-up of a mundane object and turn it into something strikingly artistic with just a few key effects in Pixlr Express. It’s clear he knows his way around our apps.
Aldrin teaches Practical Arts to grade 7 and 8 at Escuela De Sophia school in the Philippines. He takes his Canon with him wherever he goes, and he told us he often edits photos before he goes to sleep. Maybe that’s why so many of his photos have a dreamy feel to them. We asked him a few questions to find out more about who he is and what he does
Pixlr: Are you a pro or amateur photographer? What kind of equipment do you use?
Aldrin: I am an amateur. Before, I used to use my Nokia E71 smartphone when capturing photos, but I found out those photos from my Nokia are not so good in terms of defining image details compared to those from a dSLR camera. After using Pixlr-o-matic and Photoshop I started dreaming about getting my own dSLR camera to take better photos. Now, I use my Canon Eos 600D and a Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone.
Pixlr: What kind of things inspire you? Are there themes or subjects that people might notice show up a lot in your photos?
Aldrin: People who surround me, my profession, my friends, and sometimes my mood inspire me. I always try to capture photos which I think are unique, and I like to join photo contests that challenge me to improve my skills in enhancing photos. I like to use sports mode in my dSLR to capture every moment — especially the fast-moving ones.
Pixlr: I’m not sure where I learned this, but I think you’re a teacher, correct? Do you do anything photography-related with your students?
Aldrin: Yes! I’m an educator from Escuela De Sophia. I use photos edited in Pixlr Express as background images in my school PowerPoint presentations. Once, after a discussion, some students started asking what tool I used with my photos. Because of that they started using Pixlr effects in their photos and some even joined the Pixlr on Flickr group.
Pixlr: Is there anything you’d like to see in our app(s) that isn’t there yet?
Aldrin: Sometimes I want to flip images and stickers [horizontally and vertically], so I have to use Photoshop to do it.
Pixlr: Interesting. You’re the second person this week to request that. You can flip images horizontally and vertically using the Rotate tool in Pixlr Express (which may not be very apparent) but not stickers. I’ll pass that suggestion along to the team
Pixlr: Where’s the best place to view your photos online?
Aldrin : My Flickr profile is the best place.