By Macel Feliciano
Having another person’s life in one’s hands is one of the most pressure-filled occupations there is. As head and neck surgeon and administrator of a government-owned medical center in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, Dr. June Orosa III faces this kind of pressure every day.
“The decisions I make create a big impact in one’s life that could spell life and death. There can be a lot of frustrations in treating patients with head and neck cancers. Long surgeries coupled with reconstructions is my way of life.It can result to curing the patients or giving them a better quality of life, if death is inevitable,” he explains.
June has dedicated his life to medicine and has a long list of medical credentials.To balance his life and connect to his creative side, he turned to photography as a form of stress reliever and artistic outlet.
“The question of what makes a picture beautiful has been recurring in my mind. So, I started attending photography lectures and workshops under Jo Avila followed by Jun Miranda and Ibarra Deri.My photography further improved through workshops under the world-renowned master photographer Manny Librodo and a host of other photographers.It may be a hobby for me, but I want to give it my best by learning from the best photographers in the country.”
Living in Ilocos Norte has inspired him to take up landscape photography. “One couldn’t help but appreciate what this province has to offer—rom the majestic sunset at the rocky shores of Currimao, the sparkling white beaches of Pagudpud, to the wondrous sand dunes and breathtaking waterfalls of Burgos—indeed a landscape photographer’s haven.”
He learned how to shoot people through the colorful street dances at town fiestas in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. “I see beauty in people not only in figures or bodies but also in emotions, textures, highlights, shadows, and ultimately the soul—a way of expressing or communicating to the viewer through the subject.”
An effective photograph for June is one that touches the viewer. “It talks, tells a story, stirs emotions, and commands one to do something. A good picture is the photographer’s medium to connect with the viewer. Presently, my photography is a celebration of the beauty of the human face and body. The face can send thousands of messages based on one’s experience or emotions. The body’s orientation and presentation celebrate the triumph of the human form to achieve the highest aesthetics.”
June belongs to Ilocos-based camera club, The Ilocandia Photographic Society (TIPS), created eight years ago. “Though we have different styles and leanings, the group is continuously bonded by photography. We have done several photo exhibits in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur with different themes, from landscape, travel, portraits, to nudes. We also teach the basics of photography to different groups to promote the appreciation of the craft. The use of the craft to promote tourism, help the indigents through proceeds, and teach the old and the young could be considered a great honor for me.”
His images have caught the attention of a couple of publications and organizations. “My photographs have been featured in iMag and Digital Photographer Philippines, and winners in various Medical Society photography contests.”
Asked what his ultimate goal as a visual artist, he answers, “I want to publish a photobook not only of portraits but also the drama of illness, and of life and death.”
The best thing about being a photographer for June is that “one can express himself without words. Emotions and beauty are both beyond words and a photographer is able to touch your heart and inner being.”
June states his deepest views on photography as “a reflection of how one see the world. It quenches the thirst of constantly communing with another being. It is a legacy and one’s treasure.”