Raymund Isaac: Shooting Stars

CEBU, Philippines - There are those who, at first glance, do not fit the bill of our usual definition of "star material." Not every celebrity out there is blessed with that instant wow factor after all. Wipe off the layers of face paint and your much-envied cover girl will appear just like any plain Jane.

So without resorting to a trip to the cosmetic surgeon's office, how did some discoveries go from 'blah' to 'whoa'? How did a few transform from being top of the baduy list to become fashion glossy favorite? Apparently, it takes the help of a gifted and trained eye to do so.

Raymund Isaac, dubbed as the country's "photographer to the stars", had paved the way for numerous seemingly ordinary-looking faces to enter into show business, or provided those already in the industry an improved consumer appeal by changing their image. His expertise? Photography, image marketing and visual consultancy.

He was formerly known as the bad boy of Philippine photography, and that notorious reputation stemmed from his intriguing collection of nude and risqué photos. A graduate of De La Salle's Communication Arts, Raymund's roster of clients includes A-list celebrities, fashion icons, high-powered politicians, and big-time advertising agencies. He was the 2002 Overall International Winner in the Glamour and Beauty category of the American Photo Magazine in New York.

Although he was hesitant to name-drop celebrities who morphed into beautiful swans thanks to his magic touch (in case it would offend them), he managed to share to the Cebu press two examples of his star-making handiwork.

"Si Wilma Doesn't, nagwawalis siya sa kalye sa Cavite nung nakita namin. Sinitsitan namin, sabi namin iha, pwede kang mag-artista. Walang naniwala sa aming magazine, channel o press nung araw, pero tinulak namin. Sabi namin kay Wilma, libre naming gagawin basta patunayan mo na pwede ka, na may star factor ka. At napatunayan ni Wilma," the muti-awarded lensman revealed.

As we would all know, the morena beauty eventually became a sought-after ramp and print model, later on branching out as a comedienne and host.

There's also Young Superstar Judy Ann Santos. While she already carved her name as an effective dramatic actress in such unforgettable soaps as "Mara Clara" and "Esperanza", and had a strong mass following with the hit movies she made with then-loveteam Piolo Pascual, Juday was still constantly picked on harshly for being round-faced, chubby and unfashionable.

"Ayaw siya tanggapin ng mga magazine kasi baduy daw, kesyo daw mataba. Sabi namin, kaya namin pagandahin si Juday the way na gusto niyo. Maganda naman si Juday talaga, kaya lang ngayon, naging fashion icon at big endorser siya. Nung araw, ayaw siyang hawakan ng tao," he shared.

The 47-year-old has since captured the best shots of the country’s brightest stars, including Sharon Cuneta, Piolo Pascual, Angel Locsin, Ai-Ai de las Alas, Gretchen Barretto, Donita Rose, Karylle, Mariel Rodriguez, KC Concepcion, Charlene Gonzales, Dawn Zulueta, among many others.

Now, his industry prominence will prove useful for TV 5's "Star Factor", a reality artista search where he serves as one of five judges, collectively known as the Starmakers. "I will be teaching these kids how to be in front of the camera. Marami na ring dumaan sa aking mga artista who I trained how to face the camera. Kasi hindi naman enough na maganda lang sila."

His specialty on imaging and photograhy will be very important for the show because television is a highly-visual medium.

"Kaya siguro kinuha nila ako as judge dito, may mga artista na tinulungan kong makapasok sa showbiz by changing their image. Meron akong pwedeng ma-contribute using my experience of 30 years in the industry na itong batang ito, pwede pala 'to. Minsan kasi, hindi niyo makikita ngayon. Pero pag binago na ang image at may talino at tiyaga din yung bata, pwede pala," the Starmaker said.