Joanne Zapanta-Andrada : A beautiful mind
March 26, 2006 | 12:00am
In comfortable gym clothes and rubber shoes, photographer, Allure columnist, wife and mother Joanne Zapanta-Andrada doesn’t quite fit the typical image of a model – someone who seems to get out of bed fully dressed in the week’s latest trends.
Joanne describes her first forays into modeling as a product of circumstance more than anything else. Her first modeling experience was with Shoemart where she worked alongside veteran model Leo Rabago. The duo made several ads together for SM. Eventually, Joanne was asked to model for her godmother Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell for the skin care line VMV. That professional and personal relationship span for a good 20 years. "I was always lucky to have worked with companies that I had a great personal relationship with. I still have a special relationship with these two companies to this very day," she says.
She vividly remembers how even her earliest moments in front of the camera were devoid of apprehension or nervousness. "It was almost as though I had stepped into the ‘zone.’ I guess it was really something that I was meant to do because I felt really comfortable."
Her portfolio is filled with ad campaigns for various brands, one of which marks her as the first model for Bench. Joanne also modeled for VMV and other countless projects.
"I will always appreciate modeling and what it did for me. But I cannot imagine myself living just as a model. I think that I have felt that there are more interesting sides to me." As a child, she was certain that she was inclined to the creative side of things. "I believed that you are an artist no matter what you do." Years later, still fuelled by her determination not to be typecast, she is still discovering new ways to nourish that part of her.
Her early years in the industry allowed her to meet people who would inadvertently play their part in her life. Joanne recalls how she met photographer extraordinaire Jun de Leon. "Jun taught me everything I knew about modeling. He taught me what I should be feeling. It was then that I began to appreciate what light could do for my body." It was these early moments in front of a camera lens that kindled her fascination to become a photographer later on in her career.
Joanne majored in English Literature and specialized in Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines. "That changed my life entirely. Life for me really started at UP. It was really a place were you meet all sort of people from different sectors of society. It opened my eyes to what was and still is really going on in the country. But because I went to UP by the time I was just hitting my stride, it really did level me off."
She perceives her column in the Philippine STAR as a means to help people. Her access to the fashion world allows her to give people practical and even proficient advice. Not a lot of people know that in her years as a college student, she placed in the top 50 in Asiaweek’s writing contest that received over 8,000 entries!
In the privacy of her own home, she dabbles in painting as well. This is perhaps the side of her that reflects her intensity. With all she’s done and is still doing, motherhood is the one role that has tapped her deepest store of passion and fervor. In the most sincere manner she says, "If I had accomplished nothing else in my life, my children would have been accomplishment enough." – Denise Villegas
Joanne describes her first forays into modeling as a product of circumstance more than anything else. Her first modeling experience was with Shoemart where she worked alongside veteran model Leo Rabago. The duo made several ads together for SM. Eventually, Joanne was asked to model for her godmother Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell for the skin care line VMV. That professional and personal relationship span for a good 20 years. "I was always lucky to have worked with companies that I had a great personal relationship with. I still have a special relationship with these two companies to this very day," she says.
She vividly remembers how even her earliest moments in front of the camera were devoid of apprehension or nervousness. "It was almost as though I had stepped into the ‘zone.’ I guess it was really something that I was meant to do because I felt really comfortable."
Her portfolio is filled with ad campaigns for various brands, one of which marks her as the first model for Bench. Joanne also modeled for VMV and other countless projects.
"I will always appreciate modeling and what it did for me. But I cannot imagine myself living just as a model. I think that I have felt that there are more interesting sides to me." As a child, she was certain that she was inclined to the creative side of things. "I believed that you are an artist no matter what you do." Years later, still fuelled by her determination not to be typecast, she is still discovering new ways to nourish that part of her.
Her early years in the industry allowed her to meet people who would inadvertently play their part in her life. Joanne recalls how she met photographer extraordinaire Jun de Leon. "Jun taught me everything I knew about modeling. He taught me what I should be feeling. It was then that I began to appreciate what light could do for my body." It was these early moments in front of a camera lens that kindled her fascination to become a photographer later on in her career.
Joanne majored in English Literature and specialized in Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines. "That changed my life entirely. Life for me really started at UP. It was really a place were you meet all sort of people from different sectors of society. It opened my eyes to what was and still is really going on in the country. But because I went to UP by the time I was just hitting my stride, it really did level me off."
She perceives her column in the Philippine STAR as a means to help people. Her access to the fashion world allows her to give people practical and even proficient advice. Not a lot of people know that in her years as a college student, she placed in the top 50 in Asiaweek’s writing contest that received over 8,000 entries!
In the privacy of her own home, she dabbles in painting as well. This is perhaps the side of her that reflects her intensity. With all she’s done and is still doing, motherhood is the one role that has tapped her deepest store of passion and fervor. In the most sincere manner she says, "If I had accomplished nothing else in my life, my children would have been accomplishment enough." – Denise Villegas
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