Weekend Forever: Galleria Taal: Mecca of Vintage Cameras

This is what really brought us to Taal.

Ever since we read about this extensive collection of rare and vintage cameras from a magazine, T and I had wanted to see it for ourselves. T, being a photography enthusiast, also has a collection of film cameras. A smaller collection, definitely, but I would still call it a collection. After our visit, he was inspired to display his assortment too. Maybe in the future we’ll also have a museum like this one. Right now he’s still enjoying taking photographs with cameras that are already found in this museum.

Galleria Taal is housed in a century-old house, which is now in the care of the first owner’s descendant, Manny Inumeralde. Its amazing that the family still visits the ancestral house and has lunch in the dining area found in the second floor. There is so much history in the room, not just because of the antique furniture but much more because of the story the portraits of family members tell about the house.

The camera collection and photograph collections are private, but can be viewed for a modest fee of Php100 per person. After paying and signing the guest book, you will be taken to a guided tour of the house, camera museum and the photograph collection that was lent to Galleria Taal by different individuals.

Manny Inumeralde has been collecting since he got his first camera at the age of 15. He has Nikons, Cannons, Contax, Pentax, Leicas, just to name a few. Some of the cameras are twenty years old, and some are more than a hundred. There are those that have been worn from use and those that are still in their original boxes, but all of them are in working condition.

T is just like a kid in a toy store in this place. As for me, while I did appreciate the vast and rare collection of camera, I don’t really know a lot about them. I like taking pictures (but not really the technicality of it), so I was able to relate more with the photograph collection.

The exhibit of photographs taken from 1870 to 1980, has found the perfect venue in Galleria Taal. It’s a brilliant complement to the vintage camera collection, and given the historical nature of a visit in Taal, the photographs provide a rare glimpse of Philippines during those times. This is not your ordinary black and white photo collection.

I didn’t know cameras have been around for as long as it has and has actually captured some of the most iconic times in our history, like Jose Rizal’s execution and the declaration of Philippine’s independence in Bulacan (I think this is the same scene from one of our older Peso bills). Some of the photos show landscapes and landmarks of Manila before the flyovers, buildings and its congestion. While the portraits depict different individuals, their roles and the culture back in those days. Looking at these photographs, it’s easy to see why people say “a picture is worth a thousand words”.