The video below by THE Jason Magbanua was the one that capped the successful I-M-30 series of events that marked both my 30th birthday and the second anniversary of Metrophoto. There is this new website by Intothedarkroom which is not only more organized and looked cleaner but also allows us to showcase our work in a way that visitors will appreciate with ease and allure. There is the successful Hothouse series where Metrophoto gave a free workshop to aspiring wedding photographers as our way of paying-it-forward. There is the 30-photographers, 30-portraits project where 30 of the most respected and closest photographers who have influenced me in one way or another, made their own take of me through a single portrait. There was the I-M-30 party where all of my closest friends and family in-and-out of the industry celebrated this significant turning point and where these were exhibited.
And of course there is this video of metrophoto by Jason Magbanua - there was no other option on who will do the AVP of the brand. While Jason is considered the best in the industry it was also important to note that I thought, style-wise, his stunning products will suit and compliment what I wanted to highlight about Metrophoto. The video is perfect! =) We had little time to create everything. All I had was an idea that in itself was not even organized to make things a tiny bit easier. Jason had to shoot me while I shoot an e-session and a wedding and then put them all together to create a "moving" video (as how I describe it, I didn't want a rockstar-type video where I looked too dressed-up, salient and cocky) without me saying a single word. I was excited but at the same time I wasn't really sure Jason will be able to pull through because I myself was having a hard time putting into exact words what I like. But I guess that's why he's a genius.
For the e-session out-takes we only had one opportunity, it was Ramon and Zerline's shoot in Ateneo. The concept of the shoot was simple which was nice because it will be more of the couple and my interaction that will be highlighted than anything else. To make me look good (or should I say fresh), Madge Lejano dropped by straight from Cebu to provide minor styling for me and of course offer moral support. hahaha. Jason and his team (Kuya Pat, Elson, and videographer Marvi de Guzman of Cinemaworks) captured the clips and drank cheap but very cold and tasty eighto'clock orange juice. =) Check out some photographs from that day here.
The wedding clips were more difficult to shoot. The only chance we have was on Tristan and Angelica's wedding where Jason is also their videographer - I could have easily been in their onsite AVP. hahaha. But for the purpose of my shoot, Marvi and Ian Cruz were there. Ian is responsible in capturing awesome clips that Bob Nicolas use for his onsite AVPs. Incidentally, Madge Lejano was also the Make-up artist in the wedding so my touch-ups were easy. hahaha. We shot some clips outside the reception venue where Jason had a cameo (can you guess which scene?).
Click on the numerous links in the texts above for more details and photos. And enjoy photos below from the I-M-30 party, wonderfully and beautifully coordinated by details diva Ernest Pascual. =)
Teta Canada-Lazo was my gorgeous emcee for the evening =)
The best cake of all by non other than Judy Uson =)
Here are my pretty girls =)
and my baby boy =)
>
again, to everyone who took part in all of our endeavors the last few months, huge or small, me and my family are deeply grateful =)
Lions, as we all know it, are the huge and fearsome predators that rule the jungle. The Lyons, whose workshop I attended last month, are equally huge but awesome wedding photographers that should rule the world! ok, maybe not the world, but they are huge and they are viciously good. While I would be awed to see lions up-close, it's nothing compared to being up-close with the lyons, Amelia and Justin, as a participant in their wedding photography workshop (The Lyon Shop), where they share everything, and that means everything, that they know in creating out-of-this-world-beautfiul photographs.
The workshop was intense. There are slots for only 15 attendees (I begged to be #16 when the schedule fell right smack on my US trip) to ensure maximum exposure, focus, and fun! =) An unbelievably packed experience all in one heck of a day in the stunning Laguna Beach. Best part of it? Everyone agreed with Justin to give the free copy of the TRA 2: The Revenge to the person who travelled the farthest, and the only one that will beat a person from the Philippines is someone from Papua New Guinea. hahaha =) Of course I have photos to share as evidence =) Enjoy.
Neat! handmade materials with the Lyon brand ;)
Amelia, all set to shoot with her fave lens, the 35mm ;)
Final reminders before we headed off...
... to this beautiful location outside for the first shoot.
See Justin's vintage Canon strap? Looks circa '67 and it's totally kick-ass
Workshopmates
Nice angle of Amelia's nice angle
See Amelia in this photo? This was the moment she shot her fave shot of the entire day ;)
And apparently, Justin just shot his fave shot as well =) yeahbaby!
lunchtime!
Shoot # 2
Showing the correct exposure for a shot with an off-cam lighting...
... expose for the sky =)
Oh and a nice dinner at Las Brisas to wrap everything up. =)
Great shots man! I loved what you did with the layout for this entry. Keep up the great shooting and best of luck with everything.
(11.17.09)Thanks for posting all these! You did a great job documenting the day.
(11.17.09)Oly, LOVE the documentation of this day! Nice job! SO glad you made it out from so far away!
(11.18.09)WOW!!!! thank you for posting. you gave me a nice warm feeling from that day again through your images. it was sure an amazing day. keep up the great work, it was sure a pleasure to meet you!
(11.18.09)Thank you for sharing what you have learn.
Hope to join your future wedding photo workshop.
Thanks.
(11.23.09)Strangely, this set is one of my favorites! I love the colors, the cute and interesting details caught on camera, the "feel" of the photos, and how you told a story...I love how it made me feel what you probably felt as a photographer attending a workshop like that. :o)
(01.07.10)
To those who are following what I write in this blog (besides my supportive mom hahaha), I did mention that Metrophoto had several activities last September to mark both Metrophoto's second year anniversary and my 30th birthday (yeah, I know it's hard to believe). =) One of these, which we already featured and blogged about here, is Hothouse, the workshop we did for free for aspiring wedding photographers as a way of saying thank you to all the support and blessings that we have been getting throughout our young career. Well, today we are featuring a project that is still somehow a way of saying thanks but more of actually giving recognition and respect, and it's about all the photographers, both hobbyist and professional friends of mine, who in one way or another, have inspired and affected who I am as a photographer now.
This was probably one of the best ideas anyone can think of for a 30th birthday thing. And it's not even my idea. hahaha. As me and Ernest were planning about the I-M-30 event (which btw, I have not featured yet but will do so very soon), he mentioned about an idea he had before for his own birthday - getting different photographers to take different portraits of him for his birthday. The idea just struck me. It was perfect for my own 30th birthday celebration, being a photographer myself I would'nt think of a better way to remember such a milestone in my life. Plus Ernest did say that it was too narcissistic for him to even seriously consider to do so I asked him if i can steal the idea and he said "you're too full of yourself" or something like that. hahaha. Which of course is NOT TRUE! hahaha. I seriously think that it's fitting and it's something that I might never have the chance to do again =) Call it a personal gift, a milestone project, or simply a way of saying thanks and reconnecting with people you are grateful for, it was one of the most tasking yet exciting undertaking that I ever did =)
The whole idea is for me to list down 30 photographers who have inspired, mentored, respect a lot, and/or who have affected me by just being my friends. They are to photograph me in anyway they like or see fit. Some chose concepts that were significant to with me or them, some shot concepts that they think represents who I am, and some just shot whatever they felt was fun to do. hahaha. I had exactly 3 weeks to finish all the shoot as we planed to have all the photos exhibited in the I-M-30 party... and we barely made it. hahaha =) Thanks to my Pinoy Photography (Pipho) orgmates who made sure we get to 30 before the big day ;)
So, here are the 30 epic portraits of me from the 30 awesome photographers of our time ;) In alphabetical order ;)
We call him Aids, and not only because that is the abbreviation of his name but I'd like to think also because he is contagious. hahaha or at least his light yet fun demeanor (those show in the portrait he created for me below). Aids is a very good friend of mine from the Pipho Org. He is also the overall manager and part-owner of Underground Logic (a company that creates the most awesome video commercials) and his landscape photos are out of this world! =)
Ann Francisco
Ann Margarette is half of the Francisco sisters to whom I have been great friends since my heydays with Intel. She was my insider contact in Canon while she was still there. hahaha =)
Beng Francisco
Yes, that's was a giveaway. Amabelle Claire or Beng is the half that completes the Francisco sisters (don't they have such cool names?). Beng is one of my best friends from Intel and is probably one of the people that I have kept as good friends for a looong time. =) She's into photography but she loves dollying-up people more - where she's very good at. She did my make-up for Rommel's portraits about 20 photos below =) The best thing about this shoot? Her treat of delicious cupcakes from Sonja's.
Carlo Nasol
He's the doctor of Pipho. And not just any doctor, a plastic surgeon. Can you imagine that? That's the closest I can get for a discounted liposuction of my bulging middle part (my stomach that is). Doc Carlo has his "A Bokeh a Day" project and of course this shot if me goes in there too. =)
Dave Deluria
I like to call him the mastermind. More than his talent in photography (festivals are his favorites), he is the brain and the guiding light of all of us in Pipho. His version of portrait are more of the candid type as evident in this one that he had of me.
Dino Lara
Sir Dino is the one, among all the 30, here that has the most significant impact in be being a wedding photographer. I have attended his workshop before when I was still a juvenile in photography and didn't know what to do or which path exactly to take. His simple yet unbelievably meaningful approach to wedding photography as both art and as a business is probably the inspiration to everything that I have done in my short career. His talent, generosity, and resolve puts him in my book as one of the best ever.
Ed Pingol
Ed is a rockstar photographer in the Bay Area. He's so freakin' awesome and popular that almost everyone I talk to knows him. Wait till they discover that he's such a nice guy too! It's almost unbelievable that we got the chance to work together for a couple of weddings this year. And for those opportunities, where I was both pressured and star-strucked, Im very thankful.
Edlin Roguel
There are a couple of things that Edlin taught me when I was starting photography that I will never forget. He taught me how to spot meter properly and he taught me how to the photoshop techniques of making the eyes sparkle. hahaha. This could be obvious in the photo he did for me where you can see how intense my eye are and how finely-built by body is. hahaha. Edlin occasionally shoots for metrophoto in our weddings.
Erron Ocampo
Erron is one of the first people from the wedding industry that I got to know when I was starting out. He's a really nice and talented guy. For this shoot he and Jesy had to bother some people just for us to get that nice "CSI" look in the photo.
Francis Yllana
Francis is part of the Metrophoto team. He's a vital piece in creating wonderful images during our wedding coverages. Ever since he joined the team for good early this year, we have upped the overall quality of our shots because of his talent and dedication. Not to mention he's a mother-of-the-bride or a bridesmaid favorite because of his boy-next-door looks. hahaha.
Jo Avila
Sir Jo is a top-caliber photographer. I wasn't even sure that he'd say yes when I requested (well, more of pleaded) if he can take a portrait of me. I was stoked of course when he said yes, after all he is the "pinakamagaling". His quest of always being the best has always been a great inspiration for me. As he did in his shoot of me, he had me bring different things about myself and he asked me if I can burn all of them as the concept of "letting go". hahaha. I was like "are you kidding?" apparently, he wasn't. But since I was unsure, he had a alternative concept which is as good and is what you can see below.
Johann Sy
Johann is like a teddy bear. Only, he's not brown nor sphere-eyed - he's more of like the Chinese version of it. =) He's a nice, lovable, huggable guy in Pipho that always happens to have all the best gears ad gadgets that's available.
John Mateos Ong
I consider Sir Jong a tycoon when it comes to wedding photography. His influence is vast, his talent is great, and above all his faith is extraordinary. It's inspiring how he helps spread the word through photography and how he develops people that are also both rich in talent and in faith. Talking about faith, I had to use a lot during his shoot. I'm very much daunted by the idea of plugging and electricity, thus you can imagine how I must feeling being wrapped by china-made christmas lights. hahaha
Jolan Antonio
If it were not for Jolan, I wouldn't have ventured into photography. Years ago, Jolan would bombard all his friends with emails of his gallery with photos of just about anything. And they were awesome - he was just using 3 megapixel camera but the images were awesome!. Awesome enough to inspire me to get into photography as well.
Joseph Leh
Leh has grown to be one of my good buddies in Pipho. He and Ela are fun to talk to and it seems that we all tend to agree on certain things - business among many others. In this shot he used one of the flash transmitters that he sells to make me look like a superhero - and heck it works ;)
Karl is the K in M+K. They are the couple that produces captivating wedding images and are one of the most sought-after in the industry. As fellow iskos, we decided to shoot in UP for my portraits. Can you guess where this one was taken? =) I bet you who frequent UP would know.
Karl Orteza
Arguably the most popular person in our online forum, www.pinoyphotography.org/forum. KNJO is the Adam Sandler of the Philippines and will never run out of things to say or talk about - which is both good and bad. hahaha =) He is also a shooter for metrophoto when I'm in desperate need for a photographer. hahaha. I'm kidding. He's a fun guy and a good photographer =)
Ken Go
Sir Ken is my lighting master. Almost everything that I know about lighting in photography, I learned from his workshops. His approach is straightforward and downright effective. It's a plus that he tends to be funny too! hahaha.
Madge Lejano
Madge Lejano the photographer is different from Madge Lejano the superstar make-up artist. The latter is awesome but the former is awesomer. hahaha. Im kidding of course. What's true is that Madge also knows how to take beautiful photos and will and can serve as a potent back-up in emergency situations. What's more is that she's also taking styling for shoots to another level. =) Madge did the styling and make-up for her shot below (yeah, that's me really soaking in a bathtub) plus the shoots of Dino Lara and John Ong.
Mark Bustmante
Mark or Squiggly is also one of my friends from Pipho. When I put him up to the challenge of being one of the 30 photographers, all he needed was 2 minutes and probably 3 shots to make this possible ;)
Mimi Abesamis-de Leon
Mimi is the M in M+K, also known as Mimi and Karl and also known as Fotogra. Mimi just delivered a bouncing baby girl, Katy, last week and she was at the height of her pregancy during this shoot. But what the heck, she had a great hot of me =)
Nelwin Uy
Nelwin is one of the premiere destination wedding photographers in the country. He's a nice and very talented guy who great to hang out with.... well, if you get the chance - he's as busy as the PAL hotline. =) hehehe. I had to really squeeze into his schedule for my portrait shoot because he was leaving again for Hawaii. The reason the shot has a square cropped is because Nelwin used a medium format film camera to shoot it. It also made me look 10 years younger. hahaha =)
Orlee Ninon
Orlee is one of the seniors in Pipho and one of the mainstays when it comes to winners in photo contests. I love tagging along when I can with him and Willie whenever they have their photo sessions of whatever subjects in UP. =)
Pat Dy
Pat is a rockstar. That's both literally and figuratively. He's a rockstar photographer that graces the top magazines in the Philippines and also a real rockstar whenever he performs with his band. His long shiny hair all the more rub it in. hahaha =) I ambushed Pat in his studio for this shoot and all he needed was a few shots and a few poses and viola, a photo of me fit for a magazine cover.
Raffy Yllana
Raffy is my business partner and Francis' dad. For some parts he is also somehow a 'dad' to me too (hahaha, I meant that in a good way). He's passionate and smart with the things that he do and he's also very easy to work with and get along with. He gave me one of the best speeches in his toast during the I-M-30 party, which I'm very grateful for. The concept for his shoot below is me being on top of a building - a metaphor with me reaching the top. cool =)
Randall Dagooc
Randall is a slice of the famous Mangored brothers. What they did and what they are doing with the art of wedding photography is unprecedented. They did not just take wedding photography to another level, they took it, painted it red and made it revolve in an entire new planet. Similar to what he did for my shoot below, stripped me, painted me red and made me look awesomely different in a cool work of art. =)
Regie Fernando
Boss Regie is the owner of the forum pinoyphotography.org/forum. Between him and that site, they have probably contributed half to the boom of the photography industry in the country and has made thousands of us photographers. The success of both Regie and the forum should be attributed to their generosity and passion, something rarely seen nowadays. =) Regie's minimalist approach to taing photographds has made him successful for years, as seen in the style of the portrait he had of me below.
Rommel Patulot
Chax is an integral part of Metrophoto, he has been my partner since the very beginning when times were tough and bookings we're pathetic. He's nice, sensitive, supportive, and hardworking and part of the success of metrophoto has been because of those. =) Needless to say, no matter how I seem to oppose the idea of me dressing-up as a clown and going inside a carnival, I knew I had to do it because that's what he wanted. hahaha. Loved how it turned out though. Thanks also to Beng for doing my clown make-up for this shoot =)
Ryan Dagooc
Ryan is the other slice of the delicious Mangored brothers. =) His photo below is like a dream... all wrapped in stripes with my pillow under the rain.
Willie de Vera
Sir willie is the only Nikonian that I allow to shoot with us during weddings because he is that good. hahaha. Also one of the seniors in Pipho, he's very talented and his passion for photography is almost unparalleled.
wow!! great shot... nice concept.
(11.07.09)30 great photographers and 30 awesome photos.
I tried to keep both arts alive, but the camera won. I found that while the camera does not express the soul, perhaps a photograph can! sir oly u rock!
happy birthday po!
Oly, your photography is an inspiration! It's only fitting that great photographers take your portraits. Happy Birthday! You deserve all of the happiness and success that you're blessed with. Looking forward to acquire some knowledge from one of the greats. See you at the Workshop in the US!
(11.12.09)
Nice. Nice.
Hey, I would like to be your secondary photog during your visit in the US. Can that be arranged? :)
(10.26.09)Woohoo!!! Woot!!! Woot!!!
We'll be waiting for those pics pre!
Awesome experience... and 1-on-1 workshop. Hahaha...
Last September 19, Metrophoto conducted the first ever edition of Hothouse. =) We had such a blast! The slots that we opened were filled-up in just 3 hours! That's the power of FREE for you! hahaha. 
that guy in the first and second photo in a purple shirt, he's awesome.lol.
that's me kasi.haha. awesome indeed to be in the first hothouse workshop. it was one aha moment after another and truly fun and worth far more than what you charged us. hehe. thank you for being generous of your talent and congratulations again metrophoto!
A sign of a good photographer is the one who share knowledge and ideas - that is you "OLY" (Metrophoto). Your generosity is priceless.........
(09.28.09)Hi Oly, Hope that there would be another set of this workshop soon so that I could attend. Sayang, I just checked your website just now. Btw, I'm the bro-in-law of Cate Martinez and Ronald Lee.
(10.08.09)Hi Metro photo,
Hope you could invite in your next photo shoot workshop.
Thanks
cool! love to attend your wedding workshops
(01.19.10)
hey master! wow, love naman the details! super duper nice! :) sorry we missed the party. :( grabe. sooo happy for you. di ka na ma reach. stay humble, genius! you deserve everything that is happening to you right now. nina and the kids must be proud. you guys are awesome. :)
(12.04.09)goodness! ang ganda! galing galing talaga ng metrophoto ^^ why didn't i see rache and omeng sa pics above? sila photog mo no? hahahaha... nagtatrabaho while you're having fun... oks lang... bday mo naman eh... belated happy birthday! you totally had fun that day! ^^ cheers to you!
(12.04.09)Hey Oly, Congrats!
(12.05.09)Really amazing photos, and we mean WOW big time!
inspiring bro.....for only 2 yr. in industry....galing!
(12.11.09)Thanks Sieggy! Sayang talaga you weren't able to go =(
Hey Joni and Patty! yeah, rommel took the shots hahaha =)
Buddy and Regie! thanks for the support =)
Jesson, chief salamat sa pagusporta mula pa nung umpisa =)
(12.11.09)Wow- looks like an amazing event. Love the video- best promo video I've ever seen for a photographer. Keep up the great work!
(12.11.09)Thanks Mark =) Appreciate it more if it comes from you =)
-oly
(12.17.09)