Simplicty Captured in Beauty

Simplicty Captured in Beauty

By Yugel Losorata

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE WEEK

John Paul Relativo

There’s beauty in simplicity. This holds true for John Paul “Jhigz” Relativo as he captures simple things and transform them into splendid images.

He even brings along his camera to shoot nightscapes. There's something about the earth under the moon that he sees worth freezing into lovely pictures of mystery and majesty.

"I love capturing landscape/nightscape because of the visualization perspective in relation to designs," he told Picture Perfect, then elaborated on why he prefers night over day in an almost jocular tone. "I love the feeling and excitement when shooting nightscape because here in Manila it's always ‘bawal dyan sir.’ During nighttime I can take photograph of these ‘bawal’ areas."

He added, "One tip when shooting nightscape is you have to wear black or dark shirt so the guards can't see you." That's a nice shot!

For him, shooting makes him feel inspired and happy. Every shot becomes a "paborito" in its own right and he feels energized in the process. When the right angle and right color combination mix up, a good picture is delivered and his portfolio piles up.

A member of Framed Shots Camera Club (FSCC) since 2009, Jhigz has his share of surprising wins as participant in photo contests. In just his third month as a member of the club, he already won 3rd place in the Photo World Cup inter-club photo competition with the theme "Gloomy

and Gray – Pollution." He also won fifth place in the Aliwan Festival 2011 photo competition. Using his 70-200mm Canon lens, he was chosen as one of the best from the more than 800 entries with his "Festive Warrior" subject.

"I appreciate colored photographs because they’re lively and colorful,” he said, providing another tip, this time as a “day- tripper.” "I like using off -camera flash when I take pictures during daytime because it gives a feeling of warm and natural look on the subject."

Jhigz’s elder brother influenced him a lot in photography, having joined company workshops that shared some basic knowledge about the craft.

Not long after he decided to buy a DSLR camera in 2008 and enrolled at the Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation (FPPF) which immediately taught him basic photography.

This Architectural/Interior designer by day becomes a lensman by night.

As a lensman, he likewise loves taking still-life photos because these give him more leeway in the arrangement of design elements within a composition.

It is in still life that he finds himself creating pictures and not just clicking the shutter.

On the other side, he's also into wedding photography joining Chito Cleofas in some of the latter's coverage. Like all good shooters, he believes there is a story behind every photograph once emotions, feelings, wonder, and beauty come together.

"Becoming a photographer, whether as an amateur or for a living, can be

extremely pleasant," he shared. "It is one of those things where you're in a position to make something and have a record of it for as long as you want to. There are many beneficial aspects to it as a profession and as a hobby.

You can make money out of it and at the same time enjoying yourself while doing it."

In November 2009, Jhigz finally won first place in a Canon-sponsored photo contest with the theme "Architectural Perspective." Two entries he submitted to promote the beautiful Hamilo Coast ended up posted for attraction. That is very much in line with his vision to spend a long life of artistic contribution.

The owner of a StopNshoot photo booth business, Jhigz sees photography as a way of life or to be more poetic about it, “simplicity captured in beauty.”