photographing photographers

How do you make portraits of professional photographers? The thought of matching wits with them on making the lighting perfect and setting your cameras to the most foolproof priorities is enough to give one a creak on the neck. That's probably how one would feel when surrounded by the world's top contemporary photographers like last week during the Angkor Photography Festival here.

We had a chance to hang out with the six photographers from the Philippines attending the festival and who are also vying for the festival's top prize - $1,300 cash and a chance to publish their winning photos to the Paris Match Magazine.

While throwing a party for them in the house, we thought of giving them a dose of their own medicine through photographs we probably would never want to have... mugshots!


Charles is a commercial photographer who works for an ad agency in Manila. He literally slept his way to the festival and is perhaps a walking irony for coffee ads. His affairs on the mats made him notorious here.


Carla is a fierce fashion photographer who does editorials for glossies in the Philippines. Well remembered for her emotional spells throughout the festival.


Akira Liwanag made history in the festival as the youngest photographer ever to qualify for a spot in the festival. At seventeen years old and still in high school, this kid who has barely gotten past his puberty is years beyond his age and is amazing with the lens.


Former London resident Sarah Encabo returned to the Philippines to further pursue her passion for photography and is now with Manila Times.


John is this festival's Romeo - breaking the hearts of countless Indian photographers during the festival with his wild antics. This shutterbug is the ultimate pro - on the roll with Reuters, which just happens to be the biggest news agency in the universe.


Candice is perhaps the most socially-relevant photographer in the group who believes that a photo is powerful enough to instill change. But that doesn't mean she can't be the wackiest as well!


Although not part of the festival, Vincent is a shutterbug who can give any Magnum photographer a run for their money.


Don is an avant garde photographer armed with nothing but a camera phone... but beware... his images are as potent as a Nikon D3X could deliver!


The gang before the storm... they are probably all back in the Philippines as of writing while Don, Vincent and I are left back here in the eye of a cyclonic week of countless photoshoots, editing, meetings, and endless work!