AILYN AGONIA

DOHA DUBAI-based Filipino photographer Joe Chua Agdeppa will be holding a photography workshop titled, ‘PUCAW: Qatar Edition’ at the InterContinental Doha from 8am to 6pm on March 16.

The event will feature lectures on architecture, food, travel, portraiture photography and lighting. The proceeds from the event will go to the less fortunate children in Palawan (a province in the Philippines), through Joe’s personal initiative — the Kids Charity Programme.

Joe, a new talent on the global photography scene, has published and exhibited some of his works in the National Geographic, UK’s leading photography magazine Professional Photographer, Sandford’s London Magazine, the UAE’s Illustrado Magazine and the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel. His Openshoot ‘The Denim Project’ in Dubai was a sold-out.

Recently, he received the top prize for Katara’s Eid 2011 photography competition. He also held an exhibition, a collaboration of W Hotel, Qatar Charity and Economic Group & Print Vault, which was aimed at raising funds for Somalia.

Talking to Qatar Tribune, Joe said, “It was eight years ago when I started doing charity work. But, it was more personal then. In 2010, I thought of expanding the initiative and making use of my photography skills. I’m conducting photography workshops to raise funds. All proceeds will go to my Kids Charity.” “On December 2010, we came up with two beneficiaries, feeding 200 underprivileged children and 50 families of the Batak tribe in Puerto Princesa City. Recently, we were able to feed around 700 kids in Palawan,” Joe added.

Joe’s personal favourite is travel photography. His passion for photography has taken him to countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, Ireland, Iran and Syria. He hopes to conduct more photo shoots in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Korea, Japan and some European nations. “I always advise my students and other photographer-wannabes to take photographs which involve three things — a mission, quality and selfexpression.

Try to get as many critics as you can. Be objective. It’s a good tool of improvement. Always remember humility, trust and style are essential characteristics in photography.

Becoming an able photographer is such a long journey,” Joe said.

Among the Filipino talent’s most sought-after portraitures include ‘Immaculate’ which appeared in Professional Photographer and ‘The Batak’ which appeared in The National Geographic Stock Images.

“The Batak is my signature image.

After climbing two mountains and crossing nine rivers only to reach their tribe, I was lucky to capture the image in a single attempt. It was a mixture of trust and luck. The image is a representation of being a Palaweno, my roots.” Joe said.