L to R: Jiggie Alejandrino and Jelito De Leon (Photo by the author)
Last October 20, 2025, Xiaomi welcomed their guests — a mix of content creators and media partners — to a masterclass in photography with Xiaomi’s latest smartphone, the Xiaomi 15T. Held at Seb!, a cozy café in the heart of Poblacion, the intimate setting allowed us to be very relaxed during the talk and provided us with an even more exciting hands-on experience.
We were welcomed with delicious drinks and tasty dishes while two of the country’s most celebrated visual storytellers, Jiggie Alejandrino and Jelito De Leon, gave us a masterclass in photography. They showed us how to create storytelling compositions, as well as shared with us different techniques — like the importance of light and shadow — and how they could be used to elevate a photo.
During this whole experience, they used the Xiaomi 15T’s co-engineered Leica lenses to take photos of subjects and create examples with their shared techniques in real time. They showed how Xiaomi 15T’s cameras can carry image quality, detail and a color science that allows your photos to be immediately uploaded to “the gram” without having to tweak and edit the image. With the Xiaomi 15T series’ 1-inch type 50MP main sensor with OIS, ultrawide and telephoto lenses, as well as the Leica VARIO-SUMMICRON 1:1.9-2.2/15-50 ASPH lens on the Xiaomi 15T Pro, this shows that one can be creative with the amount of capabilities and controls this phone has.
After the session, we were led outside to start our photowalk. With the theme “Humanity, Emotions in Focus,” our photowalk being in the midst of Poblacion — the cultural and heritage district of Makati — was a great melting pot to capture exactly that. We were separated into two groups, and they allowed us to explore the streets and create our own compositions. The photowalk allowed us to immediately put our learnings into practice; from creating or capturing stories, to finding compositions and shapes from our surroundings, all with the use of the Xiaomi 15T phones.
I have been to multiple photowalks before, each carrying their own uniqueness and challenge based on the environment and photography equipment being used for that day. What made this one different, was the fact that our optical instrument was a device that could easily be held with one hand and can be conveniently slipped into our pockets. It was a welcome perk to be able to not have to worry about the weight of the camera, to not have to take the time to switch out lenses, and to not have to be too imposing in an environment. This is especially important in street photography when one tries to be as discreet as possible in order to capture the candidness of everyday life.
The photowalk ended with everyone sharing their best or favorite photos that they took during the walk, with the group choosing whose photos they felt were the best. It was amazing seeing everyone’s different views through their lenses, and just how diverse the captured moments were despite everyone walking down the exact same roads and paths. Certificates of appreciation and recognition were given to the guest speakers and every attendee respectively, as well as giveaways to conclude the event.
This Master Café showed that one does not need to spend too much on the best camera and most expensive lenses out there in order to take a good photo. The speakers showed that you can get great photos even with just the device that you can keep in your pocket, and the Xiaomi 15T can do just that. Being able to keep one’s memories by easily capturing one’s daily life, without having to worry about the editing and post-production of a photo, will allow photographers, tech and smartphone enthusiasts alike to be drawn to the capabilities and convenience of smartphone photography. Indulge yourselves with the Xiaomi 15T series, providing you with great optics within an affordable and pocketable device.
