Photo shop

There seems to be something about photography which captures more than the mere eye-fancy of Filipinos. From chronicling life events attached to the seven Holy Sacraments to making our supposedly cute household pets pose for our wallets, our race blatantly includes casual paparazzi among the country’s national pastimes. However, flipping from the amateur world of household picture albums to the professional area of glossy magazines, top caliber photo shoots clearly require much more than some loaded film, eager subjects, and photogenic air in between. Luckily, with the help of a meticulous magazine crew, a prodigy lensman, and two cross-continental soap opera stars, I attempted to put on print the three dimensional nuances of such a one-dimensional realm.

Bare Essentials

Creating a cover or insert spread that will stick out like a gold thumb in the magazine stand is never easy. Literally competing against a sea of beautiful faces, the editorial team, most especially of a new magazine, is posed with the unique dilemma of soliciting the interest and hopefully, the subscription of the increasingly fickle Philippine reader market. Already approaching its fourth issue, Bare Magazine, is quickly getting its share of the limelight as an upscale Details type glossy with a human table of contents including local models, socialites, and movie stars. From the use of white page borders, minimalist lay-outs of text, and visually drowning images, the printed work clearly aims to push several envelopes in a sometimes cookie-cutter magazine industry. For the December issue, while many competitors rehash used Christmas ball decors for their shoots, the glossy plans to render a more offbeat visual interpretation of the holiday season. Editor-in Chief, Philip Cu-Unjieng begins, "The issue will revolve around the theme the City of Angels, which is a non-traditional Christmas theme. For the cover, we will literally have two angels with Angel Jacob and Angel Aquino. Inset, we will also be featuring Mikaela Lagdameo as a cherubim, Rich Herrera as an arch angel, Diana Van Walsum as angel of mercy, Jen Rosendhal as a fallen angel, and…" Philip's explanation is suddenly interrupted by two bodies clad in bathrobes, crossing the hotel room carpet with their exposed feet. I seem to vaguely recognize the blond-haired Caucasian man and dark Latina-looking female from watching reportage of GMA Front Page from the night before. From short term recall, the duo from Argentina and the Philippines, respectively, are currently filming a new telenovela that will be aired by the same network, beginning next year.

With the eventual cool down of the skin heated air into normal hotel room temperature, Philip resumes, "This particular photo spread will play on the idea of celestial divine beings. Our creative director, Luis Espiritu came up with the concept which is somewhat like Ghost meets City of Angels. Segundo Cernadas here is a guardian angel while Izza Calzado remains almost oblivious to his presence. In the sequence of the story, the guardian angel noticeably begins to develop feelings for his ward. It is a difficult shoot since on top of catching the right emotions, post-production has to be done with the pictures to create the right twist."

Developing The Roles

Capturing that elusive twist, whenever and in whatever form that may appear, is the job of the photographer. With a life mileage of only 28 years and a portfolio of covers, fashion editorials, and other printed permutations, Xander Angeles, is getting top exposure as a lensman in the country. For this particular photographic endeavor, he'll need to strain his skilled eye as well as his four other bodily senses to magically transform the ordinary subjects into the supposedly inter-dimensional couple caught under the white linen sheets of a five-star hotel room. "Technically and creatively, it's challenging because the effect of being a ghost has to be achieved, on top of creating a story within a picture and directing the emotions of the models," Xander narrates. "Also, a lot of people think that it's just a matter of getting a camera and beautiful models, but just as importantly, you need a good concept, message, and creative team with good assistants. In photography, the little details can define everything," he adds.

Such little details, which can earn either the accolade or annoyance of the reader, include seemingly petty things such as the angling of the model’s chin, the folding of the clothes, and the choice of cosmetic add-ons. These trivialities are within the very serious realms of the art director, stylist, and make-up artist. Although such activities should technically be performed by three separate people, they are often left to the multi-tasking skills of only one person. With the cosmetic credentials of a gazillion photo shoots as well as a beauty column in Youngstar Magazine, Chechel Joson is the lucky girl charged to fill these three shoes with her two feet. "As the art director, I collaborate with the photographer to determine the concept of the shoot and the body symmetry of the models while as the stylist, I also need to bring the clothes and accessories to match," Chechel distinguishes. "Moreover, through makeup, you can make the model look old or young or transform bad skin to picture perfect skin. As the concept is about angels, I had to put a lot of glimmer on Segundo’s body," she says.

Pose Prose

Speaking of the Latin American devil, Segundo, this time clad in glitter, among a few other things, graciously helps the undergarment-strapped Izza step out from bed which has already been embossed from their tossing and turning during the shoot. Still slightly perspiring from the soft heat of the artificial lighting, the duo takes a break to share some brief words on posing in front of such a high caliber production.

Y Style: So how many photo shoots have you guys done so far?

Izza: Well, I've had several already, but it’s the first time that I'm doing a quite sensual one.

Segundo: Actually, it's my first pictorial here in Asia. However, I've done a lot of pictorials for several soap operas in Argentina and a cigarettes advertisement in Chile.

Y Style: From your vantage point as a model, what are the elements of a good photoshoot?

Izza: For a great shoot, you’ll definitely need the right make up, lights, and photographer. You should also have a good rapport with your co-subject. Lastly, you yourself need be confident.

Segundo: I have also observed that you work very professionally here in the Philippines. Filipinos are very good with lights and take enough time for each shot. With a relaxed atmosphere on the set, I too can relax while trying to give what the photographer wants from me.

Zooming away from the four walls of the hotel room, each shoot like the one above clearly revolves around a dynamic interaction which is never completely captured in photographic paper. Beyond the print out of the models and the photographer's name, the knowledge of the entire creative team, from the guy who folds the clothes to the girl who sprinkles the glitter, actually leads to a greater appreciation of the finished product. It's just a matter of staring long enough at that professional glossy picture with the right amateur lens as a reader.

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E-mail the author at mybubbleboy@ hotmail.com.