Limiters of the Pupil photo shoot

what?!

oh my goodness, I am about to photograph Pupil and the studio's receptionist tells me that I have only 3 strobes--and no tech assistant!

what?!

now how am I going to set up my lights? who's gonna pull down the backdrop? two of the strobes were fitted with softbox modifiers, don't you have a beauty dish? she says i can request for another modifier. but who's going to attach it to the lights? I can't do that. "Kasi usually merong kasamang assistant ang mga photographer na pumupunta dito." Ganun? But aren't studios supposed to have a tech guy on hand??? Geez, no reflectors, no decent posing chair, no light meter, no TV monitor, no computer... the studio i used before had all these on hand. I even had to ask her for the remote trigger for the lights. ah yes, siguro photographers usually bring their own remotes. sus. pero sabi sa website niyo you had all these plus the tech guy... "Ay di pa namin na-update yung website."

No use arguing with her, I had to make the most out of what i had... i wanted to have a butterfly lighting setup with a dark background, shet... the extension cords were too short, I couldn't move the lights to the center, di abot. o siya, 2-light setup na lang using the softbox and the white background.

so as I was setting up, in panic mode, guess who arrives first. ELY.

waaah! screams without sound. I come up to him and we discuss the shoot for a while. I knew they wanted something different, he says we should do portraits. I wanted that too, I wanted them to look cool and angas, not cute and pretty boy. now how to do that with a softbox and white background? think Rolling Stone mag, I tell myself.

Ms. Day and the rest of the band arrive--Wendell, Dok and Yan. I only manage to welcome them with quick hellos and then Ely says he's ready for his solos so the shoot begins.






Pupil is very easy to work with, they are very nice, no rock star ere at all. Actually that made it more difficult kasi they looked so KIND in the photos, I wanted 'angas.' They did pose better in the group shots, mas angas hehe. They are a band after all so they are better posing as Pupil than in their solos.

Ely is totally not hard to photograph, he looks great from any angle. And he is rock star personified, it exudes from him naturally, no effort at all. kahit na tumayo lang siya. It's up to the photographer to capture it, it's just there.




3 hours later we're done. not really the shoot I had in mind but all's well. I wanted them to look serious but not too intense like some emo/metal band. They were classy and mature, not pretty and boyish. I wanted them too look edgy and mysterious, I do hope I get another chance to shoot them again--thank you Ely, Dok, Wendell, Yan and Ms. Day for this!--but next time i will bring my own lights! =)

PUPIL “LIMITERS OF THE INFINITY POOL” OUT NOW!

The long wait is over.

PUPIL, with guitarist and frontman Ely Buendia, lead guitarist Yan Yuzon, bassist Dok Sergio and drummer Wendell Garcia, shake up the neighbourhood of established notions yet again with its newest album, Limiters of the Infinity Pool.

Pupil has always been known for reinvention and inspires yet again with their latest album. Limiters shows the band furthering its musical progression with strong songs from all members that redefine their sound. The album is a brilliant attempt to change today’s musical complacency – through the infinity pool that overspills with their genius in challenging the norms of Filipino music, creating something bigger that shows the music scene the confidence to go beyond its limits.