About Me

The first time I took interest in photography was when I was given a point and shoot "My First Camera" during my elementary days. I eventually started out as a photojournalist for my high school paper, carried out the same position during my university years due to the guidance of James Kim, and remained a hobbyist for most of my shooting life. I reached my personal limitations in 2016; my work was uninspired and dead to me. This was due to my belief that working alone was enough to reach the skill level I aspired for.

 

In 2017, then a total stranger to me, Lance Lladones Oneil invited me to an open shoot. This was the beginning of a revival. I began to learn more from those I worked with and shared what I had to achieve a goal all of us aimed for: growth. It was here that I learned the power of working with like-minds. My friend and mentor Sam David Felix inspired me to continue, something he himself has done, having experienced something similar.

 

During the first quarter of 2018, Jemimah Hope, one of my college friends, encouraged me to continue my passion as I expressed my frustrations and thoughts of quitting. She shared her story; her trials and challenges as a photographer whose livelihood depended on gigs and clients. She showed me that passion matched with direction was one of the fundamental building blocks in sustaining my craft. Her story saved me from quitting. I carried on.

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I began my semi-professional practice as I began to work with the kind folks over at SPEC Multimedia. I remember when Red Aquino first asked me to join them on a prenuptial shoot out of town. His words and trust allowed me to foster the resolve I needed to go further. Both he and VJ Catacutan played a role in my decision to step up my game and start aiming higher. Today, I shoot independently under The RetroCast Project but often team up with the kind folks over at The Local Folke, Hilaga Studios, and Reyes Studio.

 

Now, I am organizing my work and sharing it to the world, no longer living in fear of what others will say. This is my tribute to all who inspired me.

 

This is my escape. This is my outlet. The sights, sounds, and lights that abound are proof that “everyday life is beautiful. There is beauty in decay. There is beauty in the forgotten. There is beauty in the celebrated. There is beauty in color. There is beauty in the absence thereof. Beauty abounds in all that is."