Better than good

MANILA, Philippines - What makes a good photographer?

Is it technique or what others call “the eye?” Or is it all about the experience or the equipment one uses?

Lito Genilo of Smart Shot Studio, a multi-awarded photographer whose services are very much sought after, says it is all of the above. A former seminarian, Genilo first picked up the camera 20 years ago and since then, has built a formidable reputation as one of the best in the country.

If a great photographer is one who has the ability to make images that stop other people dead in their tracks, then Genilo has already achieved greatness.

Genilo opened Smart Shot Studio in 1995 after seeing the business potential of photography. His photographs, which capture the unique moments of every occasion, make use of various techniques, from formal and posed to journalistic and candid. Genilo’s clients say there is nothing contrived about his photographs. Each image is unique and truly captures the essence of its subjects.

Genilo’s goal is always to come up with images that are uncontrived. The poses are always very natural. During a wedding coverage, for instance, his pictures show the feelings of the bride and groom for each other.

“It’s not always easy because sometimes you have to wait for the right time to click but the finished product is almost always worth it,” says Genilo.

Among the awards won by Smart Studio Shots are from the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International; Wedding and Portrait Photographers International and Wedding and Portrait Photographers of the Philippines.

For soon-to-weds, Genilo offers the following piece of advice: “Have a pre-nuptial or engagement pictorial. It really helps if you’ve already been around your wedding photographer when we have a camera in my hand. For the photographer, the same is true. We can figure out what poses compliment you best and establish a rapport with the couple.”

Smart Shots Studio is one of the major participants of Wedding Expo Philippines-March 2009 at the PICC Forum on March 7-8. The event is considered the biggest, most comprehensive and longest-running wedding fair in the country and is the launch pad for trend-setting products and services and suppliers in the industry.

Now on its 14th staging, Wedding Expo Philippines will showcase over 300 of the Philippines’ most well-respected wedding suppliers in a 5,000-square meter exhibit.

Wedding Expo Philippines offers free admission for soon-to-weds and their friends who pre-register at www.themesnmotifs.com. Free tickets may be claimed from Themes & Motifs at Makati Shangri-la Hotel at Ayala Avenue, Makati City. Those who book suppliers onsite will get special discounts.