An Intimate Love Affair

Aug 31, 2020 07:02 PM

Photographer of the Week: Gary Aguilon

By Nap Beltran

Like all of his wedding gigs as a photographer, Gary Aguilon’s passion for photography started in a love story.

**Mt. Pulag Wedding Proposal** *(Gary Aguilon)*

It all started on a trip to Hong Kong with his then fiancée Pam. They wanted to capture the memories of their first foreign trip together so Gary brought with him his point-and-shoot camera. But he found out that shooting at night using his camera was not at all good when it comes to the images he wanted to take.

Call it a whirlwind romance, Gary decided to buy his first DSLR, a Nikon D40, as soon as they got back home from their HK trip. He was excited to see how his pictures turned out. His love affair with his camera started his wedding photography business.

**Elain & Andrew, Melbourne** *(Gary Aguilon)*

**Angela & Romi, Melbourne** *(Gary Aguilon)*

**Mae & JV, Singapore** *(Gary Aguilon)*

Like any brewing romance, it was all about discovery for Gary. He was excited about his new camera and immersed himself in learning more about the craft. He also joined his first camera club, the Sunday Shooters Club. Armed only with a vision together with another photographer, he joined the Art Movement Studios team for commercial photography and studio rental.

His journey as a wedding photographer soon followed. Now, he’s inspired by the works of Guj Tugpalan of Redsheep Photocinema.

His love of movies is another major inspiration as he has always been fascinated by the imagery he finds in classic Hollywood movies. A great movie always tells a good story and this is how he describes his wedding photography style.

“Photography is like a real-life movie that preserves your cherished wedding moments through photographs – elegant yet nothing is staged, scripted or choreographed. My role is to be the wedding couple’s visual storyteller, the one who narrates their wedding story by keeping each memorable moment as real, raw and unfiltered,” shares Gary.

As a visual storyteller, all of his weddings are memorable. His first wedding in 2008 remains a favorite as he described it as a major decision in his life as a photographer, a leap of faith.

From being a commercial photographer to a wedding photographer, a path he remains fully committed to this day.

Gary strongly adheres to the Japanese aesthetic philosophy of wabi sabi, the art of finding beauty in imperfection. He loves the noise, the blur, and saturation in his photographs. He wants his images to capture the story more than anything else, and that sets him apart as a wedding photographer and as a visual artist.

Today, Gary finds himself busy in their coffee shop, Luv A Cuppa (www.facebook.com/luvacuppacafe; Instagram: @luvacuppa_cafe). It has its own love story to tell but he sees the coffee shop as an extension of his photography. This Dabawenyo finds commonality between brewing the perfect cup of coffee and photography. If one follows the golden ratio in brewing, the coffee will be a pleasurable experience. In photography, if one follows the golden ratio or the Fibonacci spiral, your photographs will be pleasing to the eyes.