An elevation to fine art photography at Camera Club of the PHL's ‘Wallables’

"I came up with a philosophy: which is to create an exhibit that will elevate the club from the rest," said Mondoñedo. "I came up with the word 'Wallable' specifically to indicate that a picture selected is something you would hang on a wall, and that tells you many things."

 

Collecting around 300 photos from CCP members, Mondoñedo sought the expertise of art curators Jay Amante and Jun Villalon to initially shortlist photos that pass their respective criteria of fine art. He then passed the complete collection to Lao Lianben for the final cut.

 

"Lao Lainben is an abstract painter, he is in a different caliber, he doesn't even know how to shoot, but he is known for his paintings and I wanted someone like him in the same caliber as Antonio Luz, Ben Cab, and all the others, to authenticate (the photos fine art quality), kasi may mata sila eh," explained Mondoñedo.

 

It is the first time that CCP had their photos assessed by an artist from another medium, he added.

 

Used to a culture of competitive photography, CCP's president wanted to inspire his members to aspire not just for winnable but for wallable photographs, which will reinforce the elite stamp of the country's oldest photography club.

 

Talking to GMA News Online, Mondoñedo reminded that photography is expression. Improving in the craft needs constant practice to train the eye in "seeing what others do not see."

 

"To create an image, one must be able to see, observe, and to connect. When you connect the three, that means your emotions are all in it: the symmetry of the scenes, the composition, the way the subjects laid out in the scene," tipped the two-time CCP Master Photographer awardee. "Most importantly, there must be a message being given by the photo."

 

   

"But if a person or photographer concentrates only on one element, nine out of 10 times he will come up with a good photo," said Mondoñedo, who started shooting when he was in high school.

 

The "debacle" of photographers is trying to squeeze in too many elements in the photo, he said. "Photography to me is subtractive, as painting is additive." 

 

"When you go out and shoot, you must, and this is just my philosophy, try to concentrate on only on your subject and try to eliminate all the other disturbances because then your viewer is confused on what you're trying to present."

 

Asked on his favorite pieces from the exhibit, Mondoñedo pointed to a black and white shot of an old gun as one of them. 

 

 

 

"It is totally different from the pictures that are in here, yet it brings a lot of message. Not of criminality or violence, but a message of art in a sense that this is one gun that you probably will not have seen, will not see anywhere," he explained. "I think it's the kind of picture that when you hang in a corridor, you will really stop and look at it and ask questions. When a photo evokes question then to me it's an interesting photo."

 

The varied selection of Lao Lianben is a clash of painting and photography, two forms of art with respective aesthetics that merge in this exhibit by the Camera Club of the Philippines. With “Wallables,” Mondoñedo wants to promote photos as art pieces, with potential value in the market as a sign that "you are doing something good."

 

"I will not pay for something I'm not going to hang, "I'm not paying for something I won't enjoy." he told media in a separate interview. "(CCP members) can create those (fine art) images. All they have to do is shy away from the norm and experience a new line of photography. — KDM, GMA News

 

Camera Club of the Philippines' "WALLABLES: The Lao Lianben Selection" is open for viewing and purchase at the NOW Gallery+Auctions, Eco Plaza, in Chino Roces Extn., Makati. The exhibit will run until December 28.