This Saturday’s edition of Vigattin Radio at Radio Inquirer 990 featured a truly engaging discussion on photography as a hobby and as a profession. Invited to the studio were top names in photography in the country: Erich Caparas, Doc Erikk Cruz, and Loel Lamela, whose works have been presented at the Vigattin.com web site.
Erich had a long stint in traditional photography, and when he was in Washington DC, he was very engaged in studio photography, where he said only his imagination was the limit, and honed his craft with proper lighting and plain backgrounds. He got into real estate for a while and rediscovered digital photography as a hobby for his portfolio. He said that photography gives him fulfillment.
Loel said he was born into photography, with an aunt who was a professional photographerwith a studio in the ‘60s while he was growing up, who took pictures of him as a young boy. He grew up with Eric and went to Don Bosco in Tarlac which he said had a great arts program. He also told his knack for the arts when he won an award from J&J for one of his works in watercolor
Doc Erikk is a veterinarian by trade and has a chain of veterinary clinics in the Philippines. It was in the US where he met Erich, from whom he studied photography. He said he has been doing photography as a hobby for 2-1/2 years now.
They then discussed about their choice of models and how to motivate them. They said that it helps if they look pleasant but it is not everything, as they also look for emotion, and that they are willing to train those who have potential.
They then talked about how taste in photography is different from person to person that you really have to know yourself, your preferences, and to not just copy other people’s style. For example, Erikk is the only Filipino to have his work archived at the Museum of Modern art in New York for his use of a particular software/program at the time. They then discussed how photographers develop a particular style in their photography different from the others.
Doc Erikk says that he has a profession as a veterinarian but he also has his artistic side. He had a singing school. He was a videographer, and when he came back from the US, he developed a fascination for photography. He says when he posts his work online, like in Facebook, he is open to positive and negative comments where gets ideas to develop his artistic creativity,
Then Loel talked about the quality of pixels as a key feature in new cameras, that the number of megapixels does not always guarantee a better camera.
They then discussed how they make their own photos and edits and post processing, and how it is important to have an eye for art. They also stress on capturing moments, telling stories with photography and showing people enjoying themselves. What is needed in photography is the motivation and drive, to learn all the techniques then break the rules to find your own style.
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