Did you go to any formal training for photography?
-No I don't have any formal training in photography however I did go to art school to study various art mediums. I am formally trained as a painter(oil, enamel and acrylic), sculpture(wax and wood) and layout designs(mostly used for theater productions).
In the most part I am self taught but I value criticisms a lot. I have a few really impressive photography contacts/friends here in Winnipeg and in the Philippines that guided me in the right direction to continue improve as a photographer. In my early years I joined a local Winnipeg photo club. I was quite active until I found other means of exploring photography on my own.
One of my best source of knowledge is my very good friend Chris Insull, a highly regarded Winnipeg commercial photographer and Winnipeg's best fine art printer. Chris is an instrumental part for my lighting knowledge, even if I am self taught I let Chris "rip my work apart" for me to learn. I consult with him for a lot of my experimental shoots, to get a good idea where to further improve. Thanks Chris.
Who are your photography heroes?
One guy that really inspired me is my good friend Alfie Atega. He might not be a household name in photography but we do go back a long ways as friends and as far as I can remember he always have been a photographer. We used to edit yearbook layouts for their printing press in Davao City, Philippines back on our grade school years(grade 4-5)...no we are not child laborers..lol...we just enjoyed staying at their really cool office after school.
For real heroes....hmmmmm, I have to say Joe McNally is one of my greatest photography heroes. His work is always amazing and even before when he was still shooting film his work was already jaw dropping. His work is all about lighting and this inspired me to learn more about off-camera lighting such as studio strobes and speedlights. Chase Jarvis is another photographer I follow a bit, I love his work. These two guys are in my opinion the best in the international commercial photography circuit. I do follow a lot of other photographers such as Alex Majoli, a photojournalist for Magnum photos. Mario Testino is another amazing photographer that I really do admire. I admire photographers that don't really rely much on the magic of Photoshop to deliver jaw dropping images. For landscape and fine art photography I really love Michael Riechmann and Winnipeg's own Mike Grandmaison. I have great respect for both of them because of the quality of their work and never ending quest to be the best they can be. I have met Mike Grandmaison a few times through our common friend Chris Insull. One thing I can say about Mike, he is one amazing guy, humble and always ready to share some of his knowledge. For weddings, I absolutely love Gerry Ghionis' work, no need to elaborate since he is one of the best in the world.
I admire so many photographers and it will take my entire blog to name them all...lol.
What does your professional kit consists of?
3 really heavy camera bags with 3 professional digital SLRs and 1 mid level digital SLR for backup. 7-9 professional lenses covering focal lengths from 14mm up to 1,000mm. Some have 2 similar lenses for me and Frances my co-shooter. I personally use 2 bodies at all times, 1 for my trusty primes and 1 for my 2 fave zoom lenses. Majority of our lenses are really fast primes, f1.4 - 2, and our zoom lenses are also quite fast at f2.8.We bring up to 5 strobes(more if needed) and 3-4 light stands for our light set-up depending on the scope of the assignment.
For weddings, its our 4 digital SLRs, focal lenghts from 14mm - 400mm in 4-5 lenses and 3-4 strobes with 2 light stands. Multiple memory cards up to 50GB of memory capacity.
These specs would only be a bunch of confusing details for our clients, one thing we assure you is that we have you fully covered. We are prepared for almost all photographic situation we might encounter. We have multiple cameras, up to 50GB of memory at all times for security that we can go through up to a 14hrs coverage without missing a beat.
Do you still shoot film?
Not as much as 2yrs ago. But I do have a full Olympus OM system with over half a dozen lenses for my 35mm film gear. I also have my Koni-Omega Rapid as my medium format camera, not really a system since I only have one lens for it. I keep a few rolls of film in our fridge at home, both for 35mm and the 120 formats.
How often do you go out shooting?
I carry a camera with me everyday, not necessarily my full professional gear bag but a camera that can deliver optimum quality. I enjoy just walking around and taking pictures, its not necessarily portfolio quality but in a lot of cases just for my own reference for lighting and other technical stuff. I also enjoy street photography and I just keep my eyes open for street scenes that might be interesting.
Do you travel a lot?
Yes we travel a lot.
I have toured parts of the USA with my family in the summer of 2006 and 2008. I have a good collection of North American landscapes in my archives. I also travel a lot within the province of Manitoba and a few key places in Canada. I travelled to the Philippines a lot in 2009-2011 and I am planning my trip in 2012 sometime in January. I also visited a couple of South East Asian destinations in my past travels.
What's your usual travel gear?
I usually travel with 2 digital bodies and 3-4 lenses and 1 speed light. I also have 1 light stand and a tripod. I never want to compromise my photographs. When I travel I make sure I have my usual gear so that I can never look back and regret not bringing the right gear. On my upcoming 2011 travels, I am planning to downsize my travel kit to my Olympus EP series micro 4/3rds. I will be bringing an EP1 with an OM adapter to mount my Zuiko primes(21mm, 50mm, 100mm) and 1 speed light.
If we travel for a photography assignment we carry our usual professional kit. It consist of 4 digital SLRs, 6-7 lenses and 4-5 strobes and 2-3 light stands.
Wedding Questions
What's your usual rates for weddings?
I offer a very flexible way to price your wedding, I would love to talk to you directly to know what you have in mind. For a general idea, weddings can be as low as $1,400-1,900 but an average of around $2,700-3,000. We have packages to suit almost everyone.
How long do we need to book you for our wedding?
I encourage you to book me as soon as 6 months before your date. I travel a fair bit so I just want to make sure I am available on your date. 6 months is a usual time frame for my overseas commitments to be confirmed. I can also book weddings as late as 2-3weeks into your date, providing that I am available.
Do you have an assistant or second shooter?
Depending on the package choosen, I have options of up to 3 photographers. I usually work with an assistant but I am also very efficient on my own. The more people on my team the more it will cost, so this is a part of my pricing options that can certainly be discussed. I work closely with my gorgeous wife as my second shooter for my two-photographer packages. 3 photographer option starts at $3,300.
Do you have a videographer?
I do work very closely to one of Winnipeg's highly sought after videography services. We can build a photography/videography package for you.
What do you usually include on your very base packages?
All my packages includes the engagement session and 1st year anniversary session and the full resolution files from your wedding and a discount on further products and services(other studios gives this as a "studio credit"). In certain price categories I include a custom made website or an option for my starter custom album. We also offer a optional complimentary boudoir session on any of our wedding packages.
How long is an average turn around time for the finish product?
Depending on the finish product that's part of your package. If you are ordering albums then your proof images will be available within 3 weeks after the wedding and after the images are choosen for the album, 2-3 weeks later you will see your album layout. Once everything has been approved the finish album will be ready in 2weeks. If all you need is the print ready files then that would be available within 3-4 weeks(rush options of 1 week turnaround time is available at an extra charge, since I will have to either outsource the work or I have to prioritize your files).
Who do you outsource your post processing work?
I never yet outsourced any of my work. If my schedule requires for me to outsource, then I do have 2 really amazing graphic artists/photographers that I know personally. Marlon is an album layout artist and co-photographer for one of Asia's most recognized wedding photographers. Chris is Winnipeg based and is also a really talented guy with Photoshop, an amazing fine art printer here in the city. I will be glad to show you their work before I even give them the files to work on. I am all about keeping the quality of my work and I choose them for their impressive work.
What's your edge as our wedding photographer?
I hate to praise myself, but I am a very fun guy to be with and I am very passionate about creating awesome images for you. I view myself as a guest and I respect every aspect of your day, I will consult with you prior to your day for specific shots you might want(on top of all the "needed" wedding shots). I guarantee you even without you asking, your photos will be full of memories and they will look absolutely stunning. I see you more than just my client, I consider you a friend that is trusting me to be part of your most special day.
Working closely with my wife on your wedding has huge advantage, as my co-photographer. She also helps out not only on the day of your wedding but during the post-production of your images. Her photographs tells distinct stories complimenting my photographs to complete your album. Frances is also my greatest critic, making sure you don't even get to see any "so-so" photographs, keeping our quality really high. She always put herself in the bride's perspective, on how she chooses and edits each single photograph. She always ask herself on each image, if it is something that she herself would be happy with.
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