Artful Compositions

Photographer of the Week: Roger Singson

By Maan D’Asis Pamaran

It was his corporate job that led to his exposure to some of the best creative minds in the industry and eventually started Roger Singson’s own photography journey.

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“As a former brand marketer of food products of big corporations, I was exposed to commercial photography for promotions and advertising. I also worked and collaborated with creative directors and professional TV, print ad, food photographers. This was where I got interested in photography by observing their work,” he shares.

Since then he enjoyed taking his own photos, with focus on food, product, macro, and candid photography. “My favorite themes are street life, music, dance, or anything candid. I like images which tell a story or something that can elicit emotions and moods from the viewer. Aside from following the basic shooting rules, the picture should be able to achieve the photographer’s objective, whether it is to sell a product, evoke emotion -- or no emotion -- or tell a story.”

A member of Framed Shots Camera Club, Roger does not pursue joining competitions, but is rather content with having his work appreciated. He has another artful aspect that he promotes instead, and that is his music, which is available on his own Spotify playlist and Youtube channel.

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“I would like to think myself as a musician first and a photographer, second. I like taking images of musicians, dancers in the street or on stage.  They make the pictures alive! Like my photos, they are well appreciated,” he says.

He has taken on meaningful projects such as a challenging musical interpretation of photos and digital artworks of noted lensman Edwin S. Loyola with “What’s on Your Mind: The Dark Themes” and “I Love Earth: A Musical Journey” on Spotify. “Music and photography are symbiotic arts.  One inspires the other,” he explains. 

He practices the principle of finding beauty in simplicity. “To be able to capture a moment you like and share it with people -- for me, it is a privilege. My goal is to take photos that really matter. It is not to say that I’m not into artsy stuff, but I’d rather make photos which have meaning and greater impact. The effect should transcend the image itself.”

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He is an industrial engineering graduate of the University of the Philippines Diliman, and with his training, he emphasizes the importance of efficiency. “One must learn the basics of speed, aperture, ISO, metering, composition, etc. and how they affect one another to achieve the image you want vs. trial and error, so you minimize wastage. And of course, another factor is that the subject is cooperating.”

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One of his most memorable photo shoots was a rather raw one. “It was a nude session held by the Framed Shots Camera Club. It was my first time to attend this kind of a session and the experience made me realize that a nude body, without malice, can be treated as an exquisite art form.”

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While enjoying his other art form that is music, he is just as invested in his lens work and explains its importance in culture. “Photography is a medium where you can visually show people an emotion, or share a story that would make an impact to the viewer. It is one of the highly accessible art forms.”

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