#fotografíaspotlight © Guj Tungpalan of redsheep Photo & Cinema
Tell us a little bit about yourself, your education, your first job maybe, and how did you start photography?
Yikes. There’s no short version of this.
I would totally understand if you hit me up with a TL;DR. *chuckles*
I’m not exactly hardwired as a visual artist and I consider myself as a late bloomer in photography. I’ve been left-brained for more than half of my life (read: graduated from a Science High School, had a Computer Engineering degree in college and a good six years in a multinational IT company. Nerdy stuff basically, sans the stereotypical glasses). I’ve never used anything fancier than a point and shoot. (Well, I did use a film camera for a high school project, but that’s about it).
October of 2006. I went to Tokyo for a family trip. That was where I bought my first DSLR – a Canon EOS Kiss Digital X (i.e., the Japanese name for an EOS 450D, an entry-level camera). Cliche as it may sound, I fell in love with photography in an instant. In a snap. Quite literally. The colors. The shallow depth of field, which I didn’t know the term yet during that autumn of 2006; it just looked, ummm, better than those taken using a point-and-shoot camera. And this. No more shutter lag. (It was a biggie for me. There was this sort of disconnect when you’re using a point-and-shoot, which was actually more of a point-shoot-bzzzt-and-blink for a little more than a second. You can say good-bye to that moment in time that you wanted to capture.
Now the jump from taking portraits of my colleagues, team outings, office events and whatnot, all the way to wedding photography – that’s the other part of the story. 2007-2008 was when most of my batchmates got married; I attended weddings left and right, bringing my relatively new camera with me. I would take candid photos during weddings, and do pro bono prenups for engaged batchmates – freenups. “Hey Guj, we like your photos better than what our official photographers came up with. Why don’t you try posting these online?” So I made a website with nothing but a few candid photos taken during weddings, that one prenup that I did for a friend, and a few other stuff from weekend projects, such as birthdays and baptisms. Man, it was hard getting my first client (who wasn’t a friend, colleague or a friend of a friend). “How many weddings have you done?” or “Can we see a complete set of a wedding that you did – from dressing up until reception?”. I didn’t have any. Not even an entire wedding because I simply haven’t done any. And me trying to beef up my portfolio by applying as an apprentice photographer in this well-respected and established studio? Denied. I had to wait for a couple who was willing to – *pause for effect* – take a risk. I launched my website on 08.08.08, but it took a few months before the first couple finally took the leap of faith. Funny thing, I was actually their second choice. Which was an honor, since they were considering this team that I really looked up to. The thing is, my rates were like dirt cheap. (C’mon. Who was I anyway? It was my first wedding. And I had a decent paying corporate job. I just wanted to get my first gig.) So January 2, 2009. We covered our first wedding in Tagaytay. (I didn’t know anyone from the wedding industry yet, so it was just me and like four, or five other photographer/hobbyist friends from the office.
*takes a deep breath*
*sips a metaphorical glass of water*
Ok. Moving on.
The real story doesn’t start until a few years later. The early years of redsheep was way way different from what we’re doing now – colors, aesthetics, story-telling, treatment and dynamics, direction (and the lack of it) basically everything. Getting from that point to the destination thing that we’re doing today is another story that I’ll save for another time. *ahem* *utters “workshop” audibly* Man, pre-2014 redsheep was a cringefest and borderline laughable. And I’m not talking about the technical aspects. Not to boast, but I was using serious gear back then (Canon EF L and TS-E lenses and pro bodies). What was it then? My creative voice. And own sense of aesthetics. The lack of them, rather. I was a mere copycat, getting from this style, and from that style, trying to make a fusion dish. Sadly, rotti with prosciutto and sushi doesn’t taste nice, or foie gras sous-vide with avocado and adobo flakes don’t mix and match.
#fotografíaspotlight © Guj Tungpalan of redsheep Photo & Cinema
What do you love most about what you do?
Try to guess.
The travelling? Nope.
The financial aspect? Nah.
Although better-paying than a corporate job, my business model isn’t exactly what one would consider ultimately profitable.
What is it then?
This. (Or *THESE*, rather.)
It’s getting to do what I really love,
exactly how I want to do it,
for people who TOTALLY appreciate every little thing that I do.A dream job is never answered by “where” or “how much”. It’s a matter of “how”, “for whom” and “why”. (A shout-out to all public servants, medical personnel, teachers, and the people who take care of your Spiritual growth. You guys get checks in all these areas.)
Whenever I do my elopements and adventure shoots in El Nido, I don’t – for lack of a better term – “work”. I mean, it doesn’t feel like I’m working. It’s just the three of us (me and the couple), organically and spontaneously enjoying the place, exchanging travel stories, talking about our favorite movies, artists, directors, places to eat – just having a good time with like-minded people. It has even come to a point when they would look at me (ie, directly to the camera which I prefer for them not to) and would rather chat with me than get ready for their ceremony. (I don’t have a shot list and my clients really don’t mind if I take photos of their rings, shoes or gowns.)
And this chill feeling goes beyond the shoot itself, all the way until post prod. Edited highlights video? No revisions. Color processing and grading? Here you go. Musical score?Awww, nice! Our couples fully trust us with all the creative aspects. And I’m making a big deal out of this because this wasn’t the case during my first few years in the industry. Pegs here and there. “Can you be like this?” “Shoot like this?” “Make me look like this?” Working with like-minded clients in an utterly low-stress environment was one of the reasons why I love doing what I do. Redsheep postulate #111-B: a wedding’s fun factor coefficient is inversely proportional to the number of unnecessarily irate Tita’s of Manila present during the event.
What’s the turning point then? Finding my creative voice. And my niche market as well.
“So, how do you guys want to do this?”
“Just do your thing, Guj.”
*ah. music to my ears”
#fotografíaspotlight © Guj Tungpalan of redsheep Photo & Cinema
What or who inspires you? Where do you find inspiration?
My answer to this part is not a popular one:
I find my inspiration OUTSIDE the industry.Hold up. Before you throw your tomatoes and dismiss me as an closed-minded snob, hear me out:
I wasn’t born an artist, unlike most people in the industry that are hardwired for creativity. I get easily swayed by trends in the industry, like what happened to my brand (or lack of it) during my first few years. Imagine: someone getting into the industry from scratch, without a portfolio from shooting for a big shot photographer; someone who never took a single lesson in photography or filmmaking – performing Fourier Transforms, computing derivatives, compiling codes and tackling organic compounds during my intellectually formative years; it’s like throwing a kid in the deep end of the pool, who will instinctively find security in grabbing the nearest, stable thing afloat. Shedding light on the metaphor, it means copying the most established photographers and filmmakers in the industry.
Believe me, I tried. I tried being like Jason. I tried being like Bob. I tried being like Nelwin and the Dagooc brothers.
I tried, but it didn’t work. (Arguably, it might work in the short term, earning you a quick buck and all, but you’ll be known as a “Poor man’s __(studio name here)___” Where’s the artistic fulfillment in that?)
So I had to learn to swim on my own.
And so, I consciously shut out all the dominant voices, so I could find my own creative voice.
*Haha. Sorry. I’ll do it in list form.
Filmmaking & Cinematography
Edgar Wright
Michel Gondry
Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki
Wong Kar-wai
I’m removing Wes Anderson from my list – doesn’t jive well with our brand anymore. Contrived vs Organic. And compared to his early work (pre-Moonrise) he just went “full-on hipster” without substance.Photography
Summer Murdock (beautifully raw and imperfect!!!)
Saul Leiter and Fan Ho (For street photography. The street stuff that you see on IG? They’ve been doing it for decades. Way way ahead of their time.)
Alka Murat @fot.alkamurat (Chances are, you don’t know her. Totally underrated travel photographer on IG).
The guys who post and curate @thinkveryl
Mikiya Takimoto
Ambrosia Magazine (In a Kinfolk world, be an Ambrosia.)Other Influences
Tyler Brûlé (Monocle Magazine)
Dieter Rams (Industrial Designer. Braun. Vistoe.)
Victor Wooten and John Myung (Bass Players – knowing when to play and when not to play is very important even in areas outside playing in a band)
Butch Vig (record producer, aka “Nevermind Man”)
Alex Ross and Jack Kirby (comic book artists)
C.S. Lewis (author)
#fotografíaspotlight © Guj Tungpalan of redsheep Photo & Cinema
What is your favorite camera and lens? Could you tell us a bit about the equipment you use?
When I’m doing photography [only], it’s my 6-year-old Leica M240 – battlescars and all. On paper, any given pro camera out in the market right now outperforms it. But the joy of using my Leica? Utterly satisfying. It’s slow. And that’s a good thing.
When I’m doing cinematography [only], it’s the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. Gives me flexibility when grading in post. It’s color science is far more superior than Sony’s.
When I’m doing both photography and cinematography [which I do most of the time], it’s the Sony A7 III. Nothing fancy. Unlike the Leica, it’s a utility camera with a fun factor close to zero, but I can’t think of a better option if you’re a hybrid shooter. It simply does the job.
Lenses? All Voigtlander Leica-mount fast primes. A good ultra-wide, a very dependable reportage lens and a medium tele. That’s it. Sold all my Pelican 1510s years ago. Everything that I need can fit in a pouch.
#fotografíaspotlight © Guj Tungpalan of redsheep Photo & Cinema
Name an interesting place you’ve ever photographed? Travel destination? Favorite road trip perhaps?
The Great Outdoors? Perhaps Iceland, Lofoten, Norway or South Island, New Zealand. We did a four-day road trip from Christchurch to Queenstown, for an adventure shoot. Need a runner-up answer? Kona, Hawaii, on top of Mauna Kea.
City? Maybe Copenhagen and Stockholm. Swoon over effortlessly cool and aesthetically top-tier Scandinavian stuff, and of course, Tokyo (EVERYTHING’s there: an epicurean food scene, street fashion, kicks, gadgets, geek stuff), and of course, there’s good ol’ Hong Kong. Cheap weekend escape? Ho Chi Minh or Bangkok.
Locally, it’s Siargao and El Nido (IKR! Love that place so much I’d still go there for “non-work” reasons).
#fotografíaspotlight © Guj Tungpalan of redsheep Photo & Cinema
What music do you like to listen when you edit images? And can you name artists?
It’s a hodgepodge. I have the combined taste of a metalhead, a bonafide Tito listening to a local mellow music station on a Sunday night, an OG from South Central – hand signs and all -, a bearded, snobbish yet culturally discerning white male from suburban Portland, and a local jeepney driver plying a Marikina to Cubao route. But I’m primarily a prog person, so that’s essentially Dream Theater and Neal Morse. But it can go all the way growly like Sepultura (*roooooots*). Or thrashy like Metallica (Strictly “Kill”, “Ride”, “Puppets” and “Justice” only). Or virtuoso like Vai.
Oh, but right now, as I am writing this, I just heard “turn your face away from the garish light of day” from Phantom on Spotify. See? Hodgepodge.
#fotografíaspotlight © Guj Tungpalan of redsheep Photo & Cinema
What is your dream photo shoot, dream photo assignment?
To be honest, with all the uncertainty and apprehension going on, I’d be more than happy just to have my regular shoots in El Nido. I’ll never take an El Nido sunset for granted again! But dreaming a little bit bigger, maybe Sapporo or Niseko? Actual falling snow would be an upgrade to snow that’s already on the ground. Then there’s Greenland, Faroe Islands and Patagonia.
Name at least 2-3 Filipino photographers you look up to?
The Dagooc Brothers (Ryan and Randall) and Jake Verzosa, who’s a fellow Pisay alumnus BTW. In the team, there’s Joshua, James, Kristel, Gary and Harold. (You guys wouldn’t be in the team if I didn’t look up to you guys. *fist bump*)
#fotografíaspotlight © Guj Tungpalan of redsheep Photo & Cinema
Do you ever get burned out? If yes, what helps you get back into the creative process?
I would have left the industry a couple of years ago if not for the elopements, intimate destination weddings and adventure shoots that I’m primarily doing now. So how do you burn-out proof yourself? Well, more than creating a superlatively LOW stress work environment (ie, I post the projects that I actually want to do), it’s actually finding a facet of what you really love in what you’re doing.
For me, it’s music – the first thing that I ever was passionate about. I’ve been a musician since I was 11 years old, way way way more than the years spent for photography and filmmaking. Number of formal lessons in music? Two. For photography and filmmaking? Zero.
Photography doesn’t have an outlet for musical expression, eh? So I started doing filmmaking. (You should check out Edgar Wright and Michel Gondry’s works and how they use music as a primary storytelling tool.)
If that wasn’t enough, I wanted to involve music a bit more, so I started doing my own original musical scores for my wedding films. I basically “forced” what I loved into what I was actually doing. (Not that I don’t love photography and filmmaking.)
Shameless plug: https://redsheepphotocinema.com/originalmusic
I also do both photography AND cinematography, which serves as a sorbet to cleanse the creative palate. Or in the vernacular, it’s my “anti-umay pie”. So it’s not Lightroom everyday. Sometimes, it’s color grading with DaVinci Resolve. Then, in other instances, it’s GarageBand (I’m upgrading to Logic Pro X soon).
It’s ultimately a hobby that pays for itself. And a bit more.
#fotografíaspotlight © Guj Tungpalan of redsheep Photo & Cinema
Non-photography related, any other hobbies you love to do?
It used to be music, but I don’t consider it a hobby anymore since I now use it for work. Or “work”, I mean.
I play the bass, but I want to get back to playing the guitar again. I just haven’t found the perfect one: 7-strings, DiMarzio bridge humbuckers, a Floyd Trem, must look like an Ibanez RG but sounds like a Strat (IKR!). And yellow. It must be mustard yellow.
I’m also a casual gamer. Casual. My Xbox One broke down so it’s primarily using the Switch these days. Skyrim. Finished BoTW already. Mortal Kombat 11. Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Warface. (And GTA V, Witcher III and Fallout 4 on the Xbox One). The Battle of Polytopia is a good strategy game for the mobile phone. And board games – like those yellow Haba Board Games for small kids, but we tweak it a little bit by using DC HeroClix tokens.
Couch-potato much, I know. But I spend a considerable amount of time elsewhere, in airports, winding roads and beaches. Staying at home gives me a sense of stability and this nice, warm and fuzzy feeling.
I also collect Gestalten coffee table books, independently published zines (Musotrees, Magazine B, Standart, Ambrosia), Monocle Travel Guides, DC graphic novels and Criterion Collection blu ray disks (Well. Used to.)
#fotografíaspotlight © Guj Tungpalan of redsheep Photo & Cinema
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
Fruits from other islands have a higher resale value. Don’t break rocks or cut down trees. Invest in a bigger inventory space as soon as you can. Try to settle your move-in fee with Tom Nook as early as possible.
Oh wait, you mean photography? Not Animal Crossing? Ohh.
1. Find your voice. I know, I know. I’m mister “Find your voice”, but I really can’t think of anything more fundamental than that. It’s like marching on to battle without knowing your mission. In addition to what I’ve already said earlier, it influences every aspect of your business, from branding, tone all the way down to the finances. I only have three lenses. A really good wide, a reportage lens and a medium tele. Compared to the two Pelicans worth of lenses I used to have in 2012. “I don’t need this lens. This doesn’t “speak” my visual voice.” Or “I don’t need a gimbal or stabilizer.” Because I want my videos to look very raw. “No, I don’t need to buy this plug-in, LUT, preset or transition.” Etc. Etc. If you’re a jazz guitarist, you won’t spend money on an Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff distortion pedal.
2. Found your voice already at this early stage? Good. Now develop your sense of taste – visual taste and sense of aesthetics. Taste trumps technique all the time. That’s corollary to finding your creative voice.
3. Find your niche. Zero in on it. And build your portfolio to back it up. Flashback: 2013. I wanted to make a jump from big city weddings to [exclusively] intimate destination weddings. So that’s me not posting any of my city weddings on my website. It was hard at first – the silence of not posting anything new for months on end was deafening and ego-crushing. But I had to do that. I didn’t want to send mix signals. That’s the direction where I wanted my brand to go. Then one day during a meeting, a client told me “You guys do purely destination weddings, right?” That was a telling sign.
4. You can – directly or indirectly – choose your clients. You can say “No”. It protects you from unnecessary disillusionment. “Man, wedding photography sucks!” or maybe you’re just working on the wrong projects, or working for people who don’t appreciate your craft or you as an artist. Redsheep Rule #128. Never hard sell. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.
5. Organize your portfolio from Day One. When your business is in full swing, you won’t have time, believe me. Keep your five star photos in Lightroom to one or two at most per set. Giving everything a five-star rating is like highlighting everything in your college textbook.
6. Invest. In good, fast glass. Good optics. And dependable storage and media (Never again ——-!). At the end of the day (literally), what’s inside your SD cards are worth far more than all your gear combined. Always have a redundant backup. And, lastly on the tech side, the dynamic range and low-light ISO performance are way more important than the megapixel count.
7. Self-care is important. Sharpen the saw. (Heck Yeah Seven Habits!) Protect yourself from burning out. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Any photography project or discipline would you like to do after the enhanced community quarantine?
Since the lockdown started, I’ve been sorting through my non-wedding portfolio. I’d like to do more headshots, serious portraiture work and commissioned street and travel photography projects. (I’m working on my personal portfolio. Wait for it. In hindsight, I don’t shoot headshots as much as I should. I’m more of an environmental portrait guy.)
Another thing I’d like to pursue? Documentary filmmaking. I worked on our first documentary in Chicago late last year and I would like to do more socio-spiritual projects like that as well.
#fotografíaspotlight © Guj Tungpalan of redsheep Photo & Cinema
Any message to fellow creatives during the pandemic?
Hey there. I know that COVID-19 broke all of us in one way or another. But whenever we’re broken – whenever we’re pushed out of our comfort zone – it’s usually for the better. For growth. For pruning and getting rid of our weeds and excess baggage. Man, as I’ve said earlier, I’ll never take another El Nido sunset for granted again. I was there three days before the Community Quarantine was announced, shooting an elopement. “Nah. I’ll see this sunset again next week. And almost every weekend next month.” And, just like that. All our shoots were either indefinitely postponed or utterly cancelled. Including one in Los Angeles. And to put things in context – March, April and May – summer in the Philippines is our peak season (not December).
But keep your head high because it never ends in brokenness. We are broken to be built up for something better. And always remember, things happen for a reason: either coincidentally by an impersonal universe, or sovereignly orchestrated by a God who loves you dearly (I choose to believe the latter). Oh wait. It’s not rational if it’s coincidental, is it?
It’s also good and healthy to have our needs vs wants compasses to be recalibrated, right? I guess we all now have a deeper sense of what’s REALLY important in life.
Brother/Sister, if you’re hurting, remember this: You are Loved. Deeply loved. You are not alone and you will never be. This shall come to pass.
On the practical side?
Read a book: Fanocracy by David Meerman Scott is on my list right now. I’m re-reading The Screwtape Letters as well.
Study a movie: Not just watch. Noticed how they do framing in Parasite?
Review your portfolio: I went all the way back to 2013. It’s good to learn from your mistakes. And it’s sobering to realize that you weren’t as good as you thought you were.
Spring clean your hard drives: I was able to free up 3TB of space! That’s worth roughly PhP 5,000.
Spring clean your system: backup, reformat and do a clean install.
Learn a new skill or sharpen a rusty one: I practice “Erotomania” on the bass almost everyday. Good thing there’s a 4-string arrangement. #guitargoals
Do the 7-minute workout. There’s an app for that.
Get an indoor plant I guess? I bought a cactus during a grocery run on the first weekend of the community quarantine.
I could go on.
That’s a chock full of unsolicited advice. Haha. Thanks for reading though.
See you guys when all this is done! *fist bump*
#fotografíaspotlight All images © Guj Tungpalan and used with permission. To see more of his work, you may visit his website and follow his Instagram.