I am so blessed to have been mentored by two of the great photographers in our Club, Mang Rudy de Leon and Emil Davocol.
Mang Rudy, my sponsor, printed all my entries during the film days. Saturday mornings before the first Monday contest. I would go to their house in Philam Life Village in Las Pinas with my wife and our youngest son, who was still breastfeeding from his mom then, in tow. I would pre-select four to six photos for entries earlier that week but would still bring my whole ‘bodega’ because six out of ten, Mang Rudy, after looking at my selection, would blurt, “Wala ka nang iba?”. He would then proceed to tell me that the photo I showed him was either “magulo” or “washed out” or “hindi matalim” or “hindi malinaw ang subject”. But what I dreaded most was when, after going thru my bodega, Mang Rudy would look at me sullenly and say, “Kiko, shoot ka pa!”. That would mean scurrying back home, picking up my camera, asking my wife to drive the car, who would oblige with my sone latched on to her breast most of the way, and go around looking for the right shot. That was how I leanr my photography 101.
From Davoks, my other sponsor, I learned thru observation mainly because he does not talk much. One has to watch and learn. I would hang out in his studio in Mile Long and watch him shoot products. From these I learned perspective and lighting. During On-The-Spots, I would call him a few days before the date and offer him ride just to make sure I will be in his company. Invariably, that meant Davoks, Mang Rudy, the late Waldy Cruz, the late Paul Yan and me ending as a group. I noticed that even if we were just feet apart while shooting, Davoks would come out with amazing photos that I did not see or found remarkable when we were in the field. I realized that he can read light and shadow just like the way a film will record it. I tried to learn this, but I am nowhere near Davoks’ ability.
I owe my Master Photographer Cup (MPC) win to Davoks and Mang Rudy. Around April 2000, I was on top of the MPC leaderboard and in one of our conversations, Davoks told me, “Pag number one ka pa din ng June, pangatawanan mo na!”. And so, I did, with him and Mang Rudy morphing in to my de facto coaches. We discussed what to shoot and how to execute the remaining themes in the contest. They both vetted my entries and asked me to shoot again when these do not pass their scrutiny. But more than this, I felt that they purposely pulled back on their own entries to increase my chances of winning. The will not admit this of course but I know in my heart they did. I felt there was no shame in that because I know that I won the Cup on the shoulders of the two great friends.
Francisco “Kiko” Balagtas won the Master Photographer Cup title in 2000. He was the club president in 1999. This article was published in the April 2018 edition of the Viewfinder.
