Hello! Please introduce yourself.
Hi! I'm Paul, a passionate landscape photographer with
a thirst for travel and a desire to reach and explore the
remote corners of the Philippine archipelago.
Filipino travelers, and at the same time, undertake it for
a greater purpose.
At the end of the day, you need a purpose in life to
keep moving. Our mission was to give solar lights to the
communities living in the far-flung areas of the country. The
roadtrip took us 10 months to complete and was riddled with
quite a number of challenges along the road as expected.
How you fall in love with photography? What
made you pursue it as career?
It all started during college in UST (2007). I was
appointed by the UST secretary general to be the
quadricentennial photographer, and my task was to
cover all the events that will transpire during the 400-
year celebration of my alma mater. After I accomplished
my assignment, right after graduation, I went solo
backpacking to the islands of Batanes. That journey
became a turning point for me and led me to where I am
now. I was enraptured and in awe of the raw beauty of the
place, that something like this existed in the country, and
I was eager to document it with photography. That visit
was able to help me develop a unique vision and approach
towards landscape photography that I still adhere to now.
Aside from the advocacy, what else do you want to
accomplish with the project?
Explore the Philippines with a purpose. We want to help
inspire a new breed of local travelers who are not just in it
for the sights and scenes, but are also responsible enough to
appreciate and respect local culture and practices, as well as
acknowledge the issues faced by the places they visit, and if
able, help and bring attention to their plight.
Self-portrait
Opposite page: Batanes, 2012
What about landscape photography attracts
you? How would you describe your approach to
photographing landscapes and nature?
The journey, the people you meet, who will often
touch your soul with their stories and experiences, and
the fleeting moments with Mother Nature that will
make you appreciate life and what it is all about. I would
describe my approach as raw and real.
You were part of the Philippine Road Trip
project in 2016, along with Alfie Agunoy and
Francis Sta. Romana, where you aimed to travel to
as much of the Philippines as possible on a 45-year
old Volkswagen Kombi, and of course, document
the whole experience with photography. What
inspired the project?
The project was inspired by the thriving travel
culture in the Philippines. We wanted to go on an
expedition that could inspire the future generation of
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