MANILA, Philippines ? True to its name, Synergia, is a showcase of the combined energies of aspiring photographers put together in one exhibit that opened Friday.

?The photo composition exhibit is a culminating activity of the class, which runs for three and a half months or one term,? said Professor Bobot Meru, who has been teaching the photo composition subject for a year now at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in Manila. This is the third exhibit organized by his students.

?We chose the name Synergia because we associate it to the combined energies and efforts put by the class,? said Au Lim, Meru?s student and member of the core group for the exhibit at the Shangri-la Mall in Mandaluyong City.

Meru, a photojournalist for 30 years, described his class as diverse and close-knit, composed of 14 young and not-so-young students.

But Mathieu Padilla said the age gap has helped ?because we showed here in the exhibit different subjects according to how we see them.?

But despite the differences, Padilla, 20, said they were ?united in our passion for photography.?

For his subject, Padilla chose the sticks used for the penitential rites at the Cutud Lenten Festival in San Fernando Pampanga.

?Photography is an effective medium to convey the message that we wanted. In my case, it?s never too late to pursue that passion,? added Lim, a mother of five. Lim shares her passion for photography with her twenty-one year old son, Miguel, who is her classmate in the subject.

Lim said that she chose her subjects according to the images that she imagined.

Beatrix Chua, 19, captured slices of life that caught her attention while buying a drink in Quiapo and during mass.

?As a photographer, I have the responsibility to present reality,? said Chua, who admitted that the class was challenging, especially for a beginner like her.

Chua related that at one exercise, she passed 60 photos, none of which was chosen.

Meru said he would criticize his students? works so that their creativity would come out.

?Creativity is not taught. You just have to give the basic rules then the creativity follows after shooting a lot of subjects,? said Meru whose works range from lifestyle, sports, and business to fashion and glamor.

?It's bringing out the story in the images,? said Meru in a separate interview with INQUIRER.net after his exhibit.

Meru said criticisms of his own works had challenged and honed him to be the photographer that he is now.

The exhibit is opened to the public until Monday, January 18.