Today we’d like to introduce you to Leo Maglalang.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My photography journey started on a trip with my wife to Alaska, that one magical night we saw the Northern Lights and really wished I had a decent camera with me. I started saving up to get my first one, fast forward my birthday and got home with a gift from my wife, you guessed it right, a camera. I was so stoked, I did a backflip. I instantly fell in love with it. I started shooting landscapes, took it to the streets of LA, shot everything to my heart’s content and developed the interest in shooting people.
I started attending workshops, meet up groups and watched countless youtube videos to develop my skills. I have a degree in business management but didn’t really go to photography school, I’m a self-taught photographer, from shooting manually to understanding light I’ve learned everything I know from articles online and watching photographers that I look up to. I had no idea what I was doing but one thing I know is that I’m gonna make it work. I’m still continuously learning every day, I guess it really never ends.
I have never been so passionate about anything my entire life, I used to draw when I was a kid, I was in a band making music from my teen years to adulthood, I guess I did have a creative side with me all along and photography made me realize that. My wife always complains about me having a narcolepsy esp after having a good meal but, talk about an awakening cuz I’m able to stay up much later these days getting fixated on editing images and doing slideshows of projects. I can’t wait for the next project.
Please tell us about your art.
I create dark, moody and nature-inspired images, with vibrant details and dramatic contrast. I try to incorporate these elements whenever possible. I like using strobes and blend it with natural ambient light to create a contrast filled photos that make my subject pop out of the image. I try not to limit myself to just shooting in natural light cuz I wanted control of how the light on my images would turn out when I post-process them.
I’m a portrait photographer transitioning to weddings. Weddings are full of raw emotions and stories waiting to be captured. It really takes a good eye to document these events, It’s quite a challenge but an incredibly rewarding feeling to be able to help show someone’s life celebrations.
As they say “after a wedding, flowers die, food gets eaten, the music fades, guests come and go, wedding dresses doesn’t get worn again, the only thing that remains are photographs. It’s amazing how we can somehow freeze time in a click of the shutter and make that moment live a lifetime. What’s not to love?!
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
It’s a true statement. It can be a negative sometimes but at the same time, isolation in a way helps artists are more creative, a lot of great musicians draw their inspiration from moments of loneliness and they come up with songs with amazing lyrics that everyone can relate to cuz we’ve all been there. In some shape or form that applies to photography too, when I’m shooting landscapes and street I actually prefer working alone, it helps me get in the zone when I’m away with everybody.
I’m actually quite a social introvert, the feeling loneliness doesn’t bother me at all, I easily get distracted so I’d rather be by myself when I’m working, its way easier for me to reflect and get inspiration when there are less distracting elements. Although I’m starting to get better with people now, through this endeavor I’ve developed relationships with complete strangers, something I’ve never think of happening.
Attending workshops and meetups are great ways to find other people with the same interest. Reach out to people through social media to do collab work. Find and connect with people with the same passion that would help you grow and is willing to learn from you too, the last thing you want is someone who doesn’t give value in what you can do and thinks that your ideas are not worth a dime to them.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Please visit my website or Instagram page.
Contact Info:
- Website: leomphoto.com
- Phone: 5105654293
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leo18mphoto/
- Other: https://www.yelp.com/biz/leo-maglalang-photography-azusa?osq=Photographers
Image Credit:
Kelsey Maher, Chloe Garios, Katie Weeks, Liliana Blare, Brian Osorio
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