In Taking Photographs with My Finger in Front of the Lens, Judy Freya Sibayan (b. 1953, Philippines) used a black-and-white roll of film to take pictures with her finger in front of a camera lens. Her finger diagonally bisects the image and partially obscures it as a dark, elongated, indistinguishable object. In this set of 6 printed photographs, her finger is the constant element amidst a variation of backdrops, some recognizable such as a road with trees or a desk with a telephone. The simplicity of the work was emblematic of conceptual photography in Philippines at that time which distinguished itself from journalistic photography or pictorialism. This work reflects the conceptual nature of Sibayan’s practice and demonstrates the forays into conceptual photography in the Philippines in the 1970s, similar to the photographs of Johnny Manahan and Nap Jamir II which are also part of National Gallery Singapore's collection. Photography was part of Sibayan’s earliest works, including her paintings for her Thirteen Artists exhibition which were large paintings of details of photographs. Sibayan also participated in group exhibitions on photography such as Pictures (1975), Carousel Festival (1977), 9 Photographers (1978) and Otherwise Photography II (1981), all at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Taking Photographs with My Finger in Front of the Lens was exhibited at Carousel Festival (as slides) and in 9 Photographers (as prints).