Finally

I have worked with Tom Epperson thrice. The first was one of my first shoots ever for Metro with my best friend Wendy Puyat, who was also quaking with fear. Wendy looked amazing, but I was what he called a blinker, which resulted in only one usable shot of me. The next was a cover for Chalk. By then, I felt more at ease because I knew him better through his wife, Jenni, and beautiful child, Aryanna. The last was one of my favorite shots ever. He shot me only once with a Polaroid camera using expired Polaroid film. It was a shoot for Manual and the results were phenomenal. To this day, I can’t believe that I, forever novice in the strutting arena, was able to do five photos with only one take each. Every experience with Tom is different, but always unforgettable. He has a way with people. He’s no babbling PR machine. Nor is he some haughty artiste, although he is dead serious about his work. That is something everyone who has worked with him can affirm. His forte is portraits, as he explains, "In the world, there are what you might call true characters. There’s something about them that fascinates you. You just can’t take your eyes off them – and it’s not just a beauty thing."

Tom Epperson, an American based in the Philippines for the past 18 years, has become one of the industry’s most sought-after print and advertising photographers. His photographs have appeared in countless publications including Pulp, Metro, Preview, Mega, Philippine Tattler, The Philippines Yearbook, Newsweek, Lifestyle Asia, Manual and others.

After 18 years, it comes as a bit of a shock and loads of excitement that he will embark on his first solo exhibit "One Light," running from Oct. 18 to Nov. 2 at the Ayala Museum. "These portraits are a real deviation from what I do as a commercial photographer," he says.

It is titled as such because all the pictures, except for one, were photographed using only a single light source. "This kind of lighting wasn’t consciously set up, even with the commissioned ones," he reveals. Epperson is fascinated with this kind of lighting, how it allows for the interplay with shadows, thereby evoking distinct moods and emotions. Except for two, all the pictures were taken using a film camera. "Digital is perfect for business," he stresses. " But for my personal work, I’m definitely more comfortable using film. It has that certain magic – that element where you don’t know if you have something or not."

"One Light" features more than 55 portraits of a wide list of personalities, from business tycoons to rock musicians to fashion models to movie stars to writers to athletes to ordinary folk. Each photograph runs the gamut of moods, moving from stylish to haunting to quirky to realistic documentary.

"People usually see the fame first before they see the photograph," he says. "My photographs take these same famous persons and make them more human, to try to find something that everyone else can relate to.

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"One Light" opens with cocktails at 6 p.m. on Oct. 18 at the Glass Tower of the Ayala Museum. Show runs until Nov. 2. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 9 a.m. — 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

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The show is sponsored by Epson E.S. Print Media, Oxford Suites Zen Asia.