A few days ago I got an offer to from a big advertising agency here in Manila. They said that they wanted to use some of my photos for the promotion of Cinemanila. I was open to the idea since I believe in Cinemanila’s potential to help out emerging filmmakers develop and share their stories. They sent me the drafts and I was shocked with what they wanted to do. Here are the samples they wanted to do.
I felt totally appalled the moment I saw their proposal. Why? They utterly took the subjects and their situations out of context. It definitely did not give justice to the realities that the photographs carried. Their plight is not material for any poster or any marketing schemes. I was very offended, not just as a photographer but also as somebody who was there to interact with them. I saw how heartless and insensitive the world of advertising could be.
I took these photographs and posted them on my pages because they elicited strong emotions which drew me to take it. Not because I wanted to make money out of it; not because I wanted to win awards nor for it to be a testament to my skills as a photographer. Hell no. But because these images called me and struck a certain sentiment. And that’s what I hope I could share.
Making money is a rational inevitability in today’s world. Especially in photography. I could just imagine how I would be so flattered to get an offer like this and an opportunity to get published if I was still in the stages of being naive as a young and starting photographer. We should not be swayed with such things even if the pay is tempting. In my opinion as somebody who is still very much starting out, this practice of documentary and photojournalism should have the subjects be the champions of our work. It shouldn’t be about the egos, the claim to fame, awards or anything else. Not even the by-line. Content should be given supreme importance. One can call me being such an idealist, but hey - there’s no price on being able to sleep with a clear conscience at the end of the day.
I felt totally appalled the moment I saw their proposal. Why? They utterly took the subjects and their situations out of context. It definitely did not give justice to the realities that the photographs carried. Their plight is not material for any poster or any marketing schemes. I was very offended, not just as a photographer but also as somebody who was there to interact with them. I saw how heartless and insensitive the world of advertising could be.
I took these photographs and posted them on my pages because they elicited strong emotions which drew me to take it. Not because I wanted to make money out of it; not because I wanted to win awards nor for it to be a testament to my skills as a photographer. Hell no. But because these images called me and struck a certain sentiment. And that’s what I hope I could share.
Making money is a rational inevitability in today’s world. Especially in photography. I could just imagine how I would be so flattered to get an offer like this and an opportunity to get published if I was still in the stages of being naive as a young and starting photographer. We should not be swayed with such things even if the pay is tempting. In my opinion as somebody who is still very much starting out, this practice of documentary and photojournalism should have the subjects be the champions of our work. It shouldn’t be about the egos, the claim to fame, awards or anything else. Not even the by-line. Content should be given supreme importance. One can call me being such an idealist, but hey - there’s no price on being able to sleep with a clear conscience at the end of the day.
