Seeing the Edge of Light: Behind the Scenes

Fashion Photography in the Philippines has evolved through the years. It doesn't just fall on concept alone these days; and you need to know what it takes to make your shots "above and beyond" of how you imagine it. You've gotta listen to those who are in the business and make your dream come alive. Somehow, I thought it was impossible in the Philippines but Masters Xander Angeles and Niko Villegas of Team Edge of Light proved me wrong.

I was able to attend their workshop a couple of years ago and I must say; it spelled the difference of identifying what my passion was. Fashion Photography was something I thought I was good at, but these guys at Edge of Light was just SICK!

As if there weren't too much Masters that afternoon, Lito Sy even dropped by! That was my first time seeing him. On the right (in Pink) is Niko Villegas who recently topped Mega Fashion Crew.

I just visited their workshop a couple of weeks ago for Fashion Photography and I immediately noticed how directly they were dealing with the budding photographers that afternoon. It was just like the time I was able to attend their workshop. They didn't stop at just theoretically teaching me what the whole business behind a photo shoot consists of. They make you do the legwork of actually shooting the model. You device a way to do the lighting and setup what you need together with world class models, make up artists and crew.

The equipment they have in house are also at par with the world's best. Some are also Phottix gears and caters to mostly any brand of camera. They've also got Lowerpro bags/other gears around for those who would want to get it for a couple of percent (20%-40%) off. Best of all, Sensei Xander and Boss Niko are Nikon Ambassadors. I love how some of their lenses feel on my cam, you can borrow stuff while at the workshop. Try out the lenses if you feel like it.

The set that day was futuristic, made of wood, tarp and fiberglass. Hair and Make Up was by Ms. Dionne Co; which I must say was equally awesome! She did a great job interpreting the concept and look for the model. Stylist Ashley Cayuca is unquestionably lethal; she's done prodigious stuff for local brands and this shoot was no exception.

These guys taught me more than just taking a great photo, they made me realize the need to learn how to think differently and deconstruct things so you know where your kind photography would go. I'm so blessed that I got the chance to attend their workshops. These guys shoot in New York for crying out loud; if that ain't enough reason to run after what  they offer at Edge of Light I don't know what will. I didn't shoot with the actual gear that they had on studio that afternoon but I've got some of my shots turn out great. Just imagine how it would be if I got to shoot there.

This shot I sniped only had one light on it. Now just imagine how you would experiment with about 6 or 7 more light sources, wind, other stuff and make your photo phenomenal. I suggest you do the next best thing and call Haikka for their next workshop schedules. I'm telling you it would really do wonders for your photography!

For Inquiries and Reservations

Call Edge of Light at
Tel. No. (63) 2 3832209
And look for Haikka
Or Email edgeoflightinc@yahoo.com

Shooting Ms. Cuba: Arianna Barouk

It was a day of fashion overdose again as I held Trish (my cam) and met a few other photographers for this particular shoot. I was so excited because luck has been going my way and true enough I got hold of a very gorgeous model. Arianna Barouk, a statuesque cuban lady from the Ms. Earth competition made my day so great I was smiling from ear to ear while shooting. It was one of the best to say the least. Here's the part where we went to the abandoned house that we chose to be the location. It wasn't the best but it was quite a remarkable photoshoot.

Check this out!



You got to see a glimpse of what actually goes on in one of my shoots. This was actually pretty small compared to what I was doing in the past. What made it special was it was more intimate and I got to talk to her a whole lot more! Oooh if you only knew how much I liked the short talks we had in between I was in bliss! Thanks for making this possible and to show you how much I liked this... check out this shot I got processed after that!

Ooh it was so nice to get to shoot gorgeous ladies like her. I want to shoot more Brazilians, Russians, Cubans, or just any Caucasian. There is something special with them that I can't point out. Aside from being flawless and less post processing needed, I just love how they look. It's different if you compare shooting Filipino models huh! I love Arianna too because she wasn't too grossed out about the location like some other models I know. She's so professional! Can I marry her? LOL

Glam - High Fashion by the River

In the not so quaint Marikina River Park we went in and arranged this photoshoot with the C4. The Call Center Camera Club is pretty big and by the looks of it there will be more shoots with these equally good looking guys in the coming months. My Fashion Photography itch would definitely welcome this.

I'm not going to show you the whole set but I'm going to get you a glimpse of some of the shots I made and what I was trying to achieve in post processing. I've been a little haunted by low key shots these past few weeks so I'm trying to get high contrast brightened skin colors because I'm not much of a fan of over saturated skin. I guess in some way I achieved that but I'm experimenting with layouts pretty soon. The end result is a little on the white-vampiric looking side and I got to emphasize on better parts like the eyes and clothes. Obviously I'm not done with the whole set but this should be a good thing to start that off.

Showing you some new sets pretty soon! Stay tuned for that! =)