Saturday, January 13, 2007

The Lord of Fun and Photography

During the FPC Shooters Night at Tiananmen Bar last December 7, a lot of people were teasing this guy to pose for a model shoot. Amidst the cheers of the eager group, I heard the object of their attention agree with much enthusiasm. That was the first time I met Lord Jit and, at that time, I thought he was kidding when he said yes to their request. But it was, after all, a night of fun, food, and photo camaraderie. The whole crowd went wild when Lord Jit stood up and took the stage. Everybody who was there that night can attest that he stole the show.

As I went through this e-interview, I discovered that, although Lord Jit likes to have fun, he takes his photography seriously.

* * *

Please tell us your full name and then your flickr screen name.
My real name is Jojit Austria Yanga and I use Lord Jit as my flickr screen name. The reason I use Lord Jit is because I love to watch this popular noontime show. There's this male group of studio viewers who love the show "Kurimaw." The celebrities of that show enjoyed and loved that group, so every now and then the hosts greeted them. From there, I started to build my screen name initially as Lord Kurimaw because I feel they need a leader. After using the screen name for such a long time, I found out that there are actually many guys who are also using the same name. So I decided to change, dropped the Kurimaw name, and adding my real nickname, Jit, instead. That's how it all started.

Where do you live at the moment?
Currently, I'm staying in Maybunga, Pasig City.

What is your current occupation?
I work in a Software company as a System Consultant (i.e. in Marketing.)

Leslie

What is your current gear? (camera body/bodies, lenses and flash guns only)
I bought my Nikon D50 kit (with Nikkor 18-55mm lense) last April '06, and I added a Nikon 70-300mm Zoom Lens, and a Nikon 50mm Af/1.8. Last December I bought a SB800 as a gift to myself.

Tell us about your dream gear and why?
My dream gear is a Nikon D200, prime lens, a VR, and studio gear as well. I want to expand and excel in my photography. But I’m thinking of upgrading first to Nikon D80 by April '07.

What’s your favorite photographic subject or subjects?
Mostly, I'm into landscape photography, but now I'm trying to experiment in different things.

Sunrise at the City

What is it about landscape photography that you love? And what kinds of experiments do you do aside from landscape photography?
I love looking at a very calming scene. Whenever I see things / scenes that cool my eyes, it makes me relaxed when I look at it, even for such a long time. I'll take that chance to grab a photo of it, have it printed and hung in on my wall. I got several of them displayed in my house. I like trying fashion or portrait photography. Seeing the true emotions of people makes me see the true meaning of life.

Who inspired you to be into photography?
Mike Serrano inspired me in photography.

When and how did you start taking up photography?
I did basic photography way back in the 1990s using a point and shoot camera, not really caring about the exposure. When I bought my first ever DSLR (Nikon D50) in April of 2006, that's the time I told myself to take my hobby to the next level.

Over the Edge

What’s your photographic ambition?
Ambition in photography? As of this moment, since I'm new, I want to try things first then decide which type of photography I feel I will excel in more.

Aside from photography, what are your other hobbies and interests?
Besides photography, I do love snorkling (thinking of upgrading to diving) and playing video games on my PS2. Although I’m not a book lover, I love to read interesting articles that will feed my mind to help me survive in this world. I also enjoy watching TV, mostly documentaries and cooking shows.

You mentioned that you’re planning to learn diving. Are you interested in taking up underwater photography as well?
Doing underwater photography is not that easy compared to doing landscape photography. There's no re-take here (i.e. in underwater photography). Everything should be as precise as it could be. You should be well-prepared for surprises. I love knowing my capabilities and this is one way to test it.

Lysha

How did you find out about flickr and the FPC group?
Most things I know in photography really came from Mike Serrano, my mentor. Since I'm his apprentice, he’s the one who introduced me to flickr and to the FPC group.

You were a hit during the FPC Shooter’s Night last December 7. Aside from being a photographer, do you also dream of posing in front of the camera? Was that your first shoot as a model?
I never realized that I'll be known in the group. All I wanted to do is just to have fun. As I say most of the time, "Life is short. Try to make most of it -- have fun!" I never dreamed of posing or doing modeling stuff. It was just for the sake of that event. =) I can't remember when the first time I became a "Model Wannabe.” When my friends and I (during our high school days) wanna have fun in front of the camera, we just let it go out.

Floating on Water
featured in PoW! 11th week

You've just been featured in the PoW for this week! How does it feel and how will this affect your future work in photography?
Being featured in PoW is a very rewarding for me. Being recognized for my work inspires me more to do well in my craft. For me, it's one step forward to the next big thing. I am very thankful being a member of FPC. Most of my work are inspired by my fellow members. Seeing how they deliver their excellence makes me follow the same thing.

What message do you want to impart to the other FPC members?
Message I want to impart, well, hmmmmm? Common na yung "world peace" (“World Peace” is so common), so here goes -- "HAVE FUN!!" =)

* * *

A fun-loving guy who continually hones his skills (both behind and in front of the camera) and pursues his dreams…Lord Jit is definitely one photographer to watch out for!

No comments: