Changing seasons from a Cordilleran’s viewfinder
Sharla Ngayodan captures the splendor of Tibet and Mongolia
On a recent Baguio trip, we chanced upon the “Seasons” exhibit of Sharla
“Shulla” Ngayodan at SM City Baguio. This was Shulla’s first ever solo exhibit. Born in Itogon, Benguet, she journeyed through Mongolia and Tibet of China for seven years. “My experience of the changing seasons is the most exciting as it is also challenging,” she recalls. “Mongolia has one of the coldest, longest winters while Tibet has only 68 percent oxygen due to its high altitude and it’s also very dry.”
Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and in Tibet, altitude sickness is common. “As I learned to adapt with the change of time, I also learned to reflect on how my life has changed with the seasons,” says Shulla.
Her photos are segregated by Summer, Spring, Fall and Winter. “I learned that winter will always come. It’s a season that requires patience and trust,” the 41-year-old missionary says. “Spring always proves that there is hope and new life. Summer brings rest and joy. Fall is of letting go and preparation.”
There is the glorious panoramic shot of the Yamdrok Lake, the “last” snow on cherry buds, the highest Mount Everest and the sparkling frozen ice on a window. “I was inspired by the beauty of the people I’ve met who became family and the wonderful places I’ve that I now call home,” says this Baguio City National High School alumna and UP Diliman Interior Design graduate.
In her eyes, we see the beauty of each season. “I believe that to come to appreciate the wonderful things before me and capture them in stills, I need to realize there is a grand design and acknowledge the Great Designer,” remarks Shulla, who grew up inside a mining community living from one staff house to another. “Looking back, our almost endless move from one house to another might have influenced my flexibility in adapting to new environments easily, which was much needed as I traveled and lived in places,” she shares.
Her childhood memory consists of drawing on the walls with crayons in their home. “My parents never tried to stop me or my siblings in expressing our creativity,” she discloses. Her biggest influence is her father. “He taught me the basics of using an SLR,” she recalls. “He would let me look through the viewfinder, turning the lens until a clear picture is seen, holding your breath before clicking and relaxing afterward. It was a simple introduction to shooting but I was hooked!”
How different is Tibetan life and life at the Cordilleras? “Tibetans are a nomadic culture but modernization is letting them have the choice of settling down while most in the Cordilleras have already decided that many centuries ago,” she explains. “There is so much difference in the life of a Tibetan and a Cordilleran, but one discovery I made was that Tibetans, like Filipinos, point to things by puckering and pointing their lips!”
Shulla has built a career in architecture. Design and photography were a “relief” from work. As a photographer, she wants to master the art of capturing moments with freedom and without fear. “I hope in some way the photos I shared gave people a glimpse of these and maybe [the opportunity to] reflect on their own life journeys.”
‘Tibetans are nomadic, but modernization is letting them have the choice of settling down while most in the Cordilleras have already decided that many centuries ago.’