A Cebuano Creative Genius

CEBU, Philippines - In John Fick’s first go as an events photographer, all his pictures ended up either overexposed or underexposed. It was for his ROTC class and in order to pass, he had to do the little gig of documenting the Presentation of Sponsors. Those were days long before the comforts of digital photography; and a bad shot couldn’t be remedied by a simple press of the delete button.

It was after that occasion that Sydney-based photographer, John Fick, discovered his love for the craft. In the late 90s, his father handed him a camera, which he used for practice. A “born artist,” John worked as a graphic designer for 15 years before finally finding his niche in creative photography.

John Fick is proudly Cebuano and doesn’t fail to mention that in his website. He was born and raised in the Queen City of the South before moving to Sydney in 2002, where he is now a renowned wedding photographer—breaking into the Australian market and competing with the elite. 

In Australia, 70 percent of John’s clientele are the brides anticipating for a gorgeous snapshot of them on their special day. Though John also dabbles in fashion, portrait and family photography, he prefers to work on weddings because in these events he gets the chance to be a witness to the different stories that unfold. Unlike fashion where his task is to turn into reality the designer’s vision — in weddings, he is basically “shooting the unknown.” It becomes his job to bring out the beauty in every bride, the story behind every relationship, and the magic behind every wedding and render them unforgettable in his photos. 

John shares that he had clients telling him, “I like this image. I want something like it,” indicating some of his past work. But being the artist that he is, he would want each wedding he works on to have its own concept because he believes that every couple has a unique relationship. Each couple has their own story to tell.  

Not unlikely in the industry, John doesn’t hold a degree in photography, media, or something similar. He mastered the art purely by self-teaching, with the use of an old manual SLR, and a whole lot of passion. “If you want to be the best, surround yourself with the best,” he added. When he was starting out as a photographer, he would go the masters in the field and ask for their critiques of his work. That way, John was able to hone his craft and develop it to its full potential. Also, making a name for himself in a foreign country has definitely made him work harder so he can get the approval of the locals.

 John began with the use of a film camera and so his orientation on photography is far different than the “happy shooters” of this generation. The onset of the use of memory cards has enabled the new-age photographers to continuously shoot and shoot, without exactly experiencing the moment they are in. “You have to shoot as if you’re shooting in film,” John asserted. “You don’t take a thousand photos, filter the best ones and then experience the moment.” This principle that John stands by is visible in his works, which have truly captured the lovely intricate details of every scene, of every person in a particular point in time.