Heart Evangelista in Paris (Jan Levent)

Actress-turned-Paris-based model Heart Evangelista has a roster of photographers in Paris, one of them is Filipino lensman Jan Levent.

“I am not her only photographer, she has a lot. I am just one of the many she has. Miss Heart is very much in demand here in Paris, we do around six shows a day during Paris Fashion Week. I love working with Miss Heart. But I need to move really fast, working for her in six events, I have only 3-5 minutes when she struts the runway or the streets of Paris. So I need to be ready. If you are a newbie in the business and you move slowly, you lose your chance. During the Fashion Week street style, you have to be ready all the time when the VIP arrives, you need to get that perfect shot. Every day there are four to six fashion shows in Paris. What I do for example with Miss Heart, I send her 10 to 20 photos for one event without editing, then we jump to the next event, we do around four to six events in a day," said Jan.

Just listening to the schedule of Heart, I already got tired. And listening to Jan's schedule, I got exhausted. “In between fashion shows, a lot of Filipinos and other nationalities ask me to take the vacation pictures they post on Facebook and Instagram. I charge 250 euros per hour with an unlimited number of shots. I submit that to the client with no edits. Because I charge per hour, I can accept 6-8 clients in a day. But during Paris Fashion Week, I limit my clients because I have other models that I work for as well aside from Miss Heart.”, explains Jan while preparing for our shoot in Jardin du Palais in Paris, a favorite shooting location of Emily in Paris.  Jan started his career here in the Philippines with his mentor, famous photographer Lito Sy. You may contact Jan via his Instagram profile Paris Photographer Jan Levent or www.leventstudio.com.

A wedding in Greece (Images by Leemar Hernandez)

Another photographer getting waves in Europe is Amsterdam-based wedding and events photographer Leemar Hernandez Ritual. His expertise is in weddings and events. I met him during my concert in the Netherlands as he was the official photographer of the event. We did a shoot in Zanse Schans Windmills in the Netherlands and he told me his story. 

“I was a wedding photographer in the Philippines with Nice Print Photo. Our family incurred some debts which I volunteered to pay for so I accepted work here in Europe. Nice Print Photo continued their contract with me as they have clients who do Europe prenups and weddings. Because of my expertise in weddings, other wedding organizers here in Europe have touched base with me so now I do wedding events all over Europe. In the year 2022, I started traveling for work around Europe meeting clients in Greece, France, Belgium, Italy, Norway, and Sweden. I would describe my work as simple, natural, and timeless. I am to create images you will cherish for many years to come. My favorite destinations are Greece and Norway. And now because of Instagram and Facebook, tourists have leveled up and are hiring me for their vacation shoots. Since flights are only 30 euros from Amsterdam to anywhere in Europe, they fly me wherever they are to have a vacation shoot.” 

The author Giselle Sanchez with husband Emil in Zaanse Schans Netherlands

Leemar charges 500 euros per day and you can take him wherever you go. He can also charge per hour for those with a tight budget. You may contact Nice Print Photo if you need Leemar as a wedding photographer. If you need him for a vacation pictorial you may contact him through his Facebook or Instagram – Leemar Hernandez Ritual or LHR Photography.