Nelmar Atanoza

About Nelmar Atanoza

Through Open Lens Life, I document travel, photography, portraits, events, and gear through original photography and first-hand experience.

Photography was in my blood before I ever picked up a camera. My grandfather was a photographer. My cousin is one too. I only found that out later.

I grew up in San Isidro, Davao Oriental, on the eastern side of Mindanao. I later moved to Tagaytay City for college, where I completed a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at the City College of Tagaytay. I graduated cum laude and received the Scholar of the Year award.

Today I work professionally as a software engineer in BGC, Taguig, building Flutter applications and working with APIs. My background in engineering shaped how I approach photography and gear writing. I pay attention to systems, details, reliability, and how tools behave in real world situations instead of simply how they are marketed.

The camera fills the space that code cannot. Engineering is precise and methodical. Photography makes me slow down, observe, and pay attention to moments most people walk past without noticing. Both disciplines shaped how I see the world. Neither replaces the other.

Photography Background

I focus on four areas on this site: travel, portraits, events, and gear. Each demands a different mindset. Travel photography rewards patience and timing. Events move fast and leave little room for mistakes. Portraits depend on trust. Gear writing depends on honesty and actual use.

Most of my favorite photographs come from familiar places during the right light. Golden hour in Tagaytay, especially at People’s Park in the Sky and Picnic Grove. Early mornings in Tanay, Rizal where the light hits the mountains before the crowds arrive. Quiet moments in Metro Manila when the city slows down just enough to notice it differently.

I prefer photographing places that are already within reach rather than chasing destinations only because they are popular online. I do local travel. I hike. I revisit familiar places until they start revealing details I missed the first time.

Living in Metro Manila constantly reminds me that photography is not only about finding beautiful places. It is about learning how to look intentionally. Pasay and BGC are two sides of the same city, yet they feel completely different through a lens.

About Open Lens Life

Open Lens Life is an independent photography and travel publication where I document places, experiences, people, and gear through first-hand writing and original photography.

Every destination featured on this site is somewhere I personally visited. Every gear review is based on hands-on experience. I do not write from spec sheets, marketing copy, or second-hand summaries.

If something here helps you photograph better, travel smarter, or understand a place more deeply before visiting it yourself, then the site has done its job.

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