ZVCC March Top 5

Zone V Camera Club enthusiastically embraced the challenge posed by this month’s theme, “Faceless Portraits.” Adding a twist, they opted for a 1:1 photo format with no restrictions to color. The submissions showcased a remarkable diversity, ranging from minimalist interpretations to intricate and eclectic compositions.

The Club welcomed three distinguished judges who meticulously evaluated the 66 entries submitted for consideration.

Jinggo Montenejo

Having honed his craft in photography in the United States, Jinggo has captured captivating images of CEOs, heads of state, entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, athletes, and individuals from all walks of life. His work has gained international acclaim, with notable projects undertaken in Vietnam and India. Exhibited at esteemed venues such as the Venice Architectural Biennale in Italy, Jinggo’s photographs reflect his unwavering commitment to professionalism and technical prowess, rooted in his years as an engineer in Silicon Valley.

In 2016, Jinggo earned his Diploma in Visual Journalism from the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism at Ateneo de Manila University. His impressive clientele includes AP Images, Forbes Asia, Ogilvy, Royal Dutch Shell Corporation, and numerous SMEs. Additionally, Jinggo is a regular contributor to prestigious Philippine society and lifestyle publications like Metro Society and Tatler.

Inday Espina-Varona

Inday Espina-Varona, a Manila-born journalist, kickstarted her career at the Visayan Times in Bacolod City before transitioning to national dailies in Manila. Notably, she served as investigative news chief at the Manila Times, where her projects earned awards for shedding light on issues like Filipino children’s tuberculosis and consumer grievances against telecommunication firms.

Her investigative prowess earned her the country’s top journalism prize in 2007 and consistent recognition for her reports. She was also a Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University in 2005-2006.

Inday’s commitment to journalistic independence earned her the prestigious Reporters Without Borders’ Prize for Independence at the 2018 Press Freedom Awards. In the Philippines, she is acclaimed for her coverage of indigenous peoples and the LGBTQ+ community.

Albert Pedrosa

Albert Pedrosa’s journey in photography began during his high school years and continued into college. After a stint of more than ten years in print advertising, he rediscovered his passion for the lens around 2009. Focused on commercial photography, particularly in the vibrant world of fashion, he shares his expertise through columns in SunStar Daily, IMAG photography magazine, and Picture Perfect of Manila Bulletin. As an Adobe Certified Expert and Color Specialist, he brings technical prowess to his art. As a Canon Professional, he also conducts workshops for Canon Imaging Academy. Presently, he operates his studio in Malate, where he engages in both commercial projects and personal creative pursuits.

Here are the top 5 winning entries and read the stories behind these images.

#5 “Incense Sticks Village Worker” by Arlene Donaire

This is an environmental portrait of a female worker in an incense-making village located at the outskirts of Hanoi. The worker is in process of laying out, for drying, the bunch of incense sticks, which had been previously dyed red. The incense sticks are largely used in the buddhist temples.

The incense factory is essentially open to tourists who come to observe the incense-making process and to take photos, so it is fairly easy to request the workers to arrange the incense sticks as desired and for them to pose as models.

The image was shot from an elevated walkway (about 7-8 meters high) that had been constructed around the perimeter of the factory. I climbed up to gain an angled top view and to find my leading lines. I mainly relied on the natural photogenic quality of the bunched up incense sticks, their color red, and the manner in which they were laid out to decide on my composition. The photo was essentially there for the taking really. I just needed to wait for the right body-head-hand gestures of the worker and to make sure not to overexpose the Nón lá  (conical hat) worn by the worker, as it is a crucial part of the characterization. In post-processing I enhanced the red color, contrast, shadows, and clarity to bring out the texture of the scene.

 #4 “Cocooned” by Angela Panlilio 

Shooting a photo without a face at first breath seemed challenging. I was worried that it would come across as cold, devoid of emotion. To counter this, I asked myself, how can I soften, convey emotion, make a faceless image come alive. So I turned to my favorite prop, fabric! I just asked the model to do what she does best. Dance but with light sheer fabric- and dance she did. I just clicked away. I choose this because I liked how she was enveloped into the folds of the fabric, graceful as if it were in a dance as well. Tut folds shielding her face yet not her essence.

#3 “Untitled” by Jed Santos

Location: Boon pring Park, Indonesia

The shot was taken last 2023 when me and fellow zone V members went to a photo tour in east java, Indonesia with tour leader/guide Rarindra Prakasa. In the early morning light, we started shooting the model who was then having a smoke break and was perfect for the occassion as it showed his character nicely. We used a continuous light source and bounced some of it using a gold reflector on the left side. Simple and effective with very little post processing needed to bring the final image to life. Of Course the image I had to choose among this series was the one with the smoke covering his face as the theme is “Faceless Portrait”, this added a touch of mystery to the image which was what I was looking for.

    #2 “Bedouin” by Jeff Dytuco

Location: Morocco

This was one of the images that I really wanted to capture during our recent trip to Morocco. I was already warned that it would be challenging to take people shots, more so close up portraits. I guess I was quite lucky that in the middle of the Sahara Desert, on our way to our camp, we stopped by what looked like just a makeshift tent, and there I saw a real Bedouin. I was really happy when she allowed me to take her photo and even showed me her hands covered with henna. I thought it fits the theme since it is a portrait shot, her face covered, showing only the eyes staring directly to the camera, which to me, was quite dramatic.

#1 “Hand of Faith” by Brian Agana

This is indeed a desperate shot. A last minute attempt to create my second entry. I was thinking of what could be my other image then all of a sudden my mother called me and that’s where I saw an opportunity for an excellent composition. I grabbed our rosary hanging on our altar and asked my mom to hold it tight and raised it in front of her eyes to hide her face.

This was taken using my Fuji XT1 with 50mm lens. I also used a single flash slantly positioned on the right side of the subject.

This is how my winning photo was created…one of my best lucky shots.

Congratulations to all the winners for the month of March!