A casual observer would pin David Hanson Ong as a shy and quiet guy who would rather watch the action from the sidelines. But give this guy a camera and he evolves into another personality, especially when he is on the job as a wedding photographer. “I’m a schizophrenic!” he confesses. “My personality can change when I’m shooting. I am quiet, reserved when off cam but when I am shooting a couple, all the possible loudness and humor comes out.”

This naughty humor also comes out as the reason why he took up photography in the first place. "It was pure appreciation of the beauty of women! This must be a common psyche of men as part of being attracted to the opposite sex. Is this not a common reason?" he laughs.

"I had this period when I was so eager to take photos of fashion shows, models, and all that stuff. I remember that I went as far as presenting my portfolio to publications to get fashion editorial gigs but eventually, I got assigned to shooting food and situational photos for magazine publications. One thing led to another. So, although I am not purely into shooting fashion, I am still glad that I excelled in other fields of photography like advertising and weddings," he shares.

Like many other professional photographers, all it took was a book to get him hooked. "I started out around 1990 by reading Michael Freeman’s 35mm Handbook. It was my sister’s book stashed away in our library. Then I picked up my dad’s Canon FTQL camera and used it in my trip to China and shot some photos at school. I would be so excited back then with how the results would come out. Sadly, I stopped after graduating from high school. Film was really an issue for me."

Loving the lens

Fortunately, the digital camera came along. "At the advent of the digital age, late 2001, I jumped back into photography. I was practically self-taught in the basics but I also attended classes about lighting with Jay Alonzo. Learning by experience came quick with the steep learning curve that digital technology had to offer as well as having the opportunity on assisting shoots for Jo Avila and Paolo Pineda. They were all kind to me and taught me how to shoot for magazines and advertising," he recalls.

"I was enjoying photography as a hobby around 2002. Later that year, I got my first paid gig shooting food for a calendar. Other gigs eventually came in – co-photographers passed me around Summit Media and I got the opportunity of shooting for different magazine titles. Around 2003, I started shooting as a second photographer for Pat Dy’s wedding events – the rocker who taught me the tricks in a wedding shoot . With all that was happening, I decided to expand my equipment lineup and bought all the lights and lenses that I needed. By 2006, I was doing wedding shoots solo," he adds.

He also took on a big opportunity to expand his business. "My siblings have all settled down, and to use up all that space at home, I turned it into a studio where I shoot editorial and magazine gigs. Bulk of my work is shooting food for Yummy Magazine and some advertising clients. Weddings take the other half. For the small portion, I shoot fashion and other requirements for commercial use. I do shoot other subjects as they come. I do have direct clients from time to time. It’s mostly a referral thing. I only advertise my wedding photography through bridal fairs and online ads. Personally, I would pretty much shoot anything assigned to me and exert the best effort to make the final product excellent. I always see an assigned job as a challenge for me to make the subject beautiful and appealing," he says.

When asked about the perks of being a wedding photographer, he shares, "Travel I guess? But I never really thought of what perks I get out of shooting weddings. What I think about is what I can give to my couples for them to revisit after 25 or 50 years of marriage. I want to be a blessing to my couples when I shoot weddings. Getting a high pay for a gig is the last thing on my mind because at the end of day, I know my images are worth more than what they pay for."

He adds: "True, many people look down on photography as an art easily done by many, especially with digital technology. The common way of thinking is: ‘picture lang yan, wag mo yan gastusan.’ It is sad. Shooting weddings is not easy work. It is hard work as we cover 10- 12 hours, standing, walking around, thinking of what to do and being alert of what’s happening. Worse, it’s not even just about the technical stuff like lighting, correct exposure or the artistic composition. It is about attitude as well – the personality of the photographer and how you interact with the people around you. It takes years to develop the skill. It doesn’t happen overnight."

He cites an example of professionalism on the job when he had this Cebu wedding once where he dressed up in a tight pair of slacks. He ended up splitting his pants when they were doing portraits and he had to squat to take the shot! "I felt so uncomfortable the whole evening, but I simply tucked my polo out instead because it would eat up a lot of time if I changed. Talk about humiliation just for the sake of not missing shots! Good thing it was outdoors, and the place was dark."

No strings attached

For someone who loves to shoot romance, David says that he himself is not a sentimental guy. According to him, he doesn’t have a favorite set of equipment. "I don’t get attached to my equipment. Anything I don’t need, I sell. I don’t really care that much if I used my camera for a memorable event or if I made a lot of money out of it. I don’t get sentimental with them. I have a practical way of thinking. What I love is my Nikon cameras and lenses. It is a brand I believe in and I have faith in. Lastly, I can’t live without my Mac.It runs almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."

David does admit that he has a new object of affection, though. During a recent Hong Kong trip, he dropped the DSLR and brought along a tiny point-and-shoot camera. "I got so envious of Nelwin Uy shooting in lomo and thought of buying one for myself. I end up buying 4 different lomo cameras and used those instead! With these cameras, you tend to see things differently and open up a different way of expressing life. Well that’s another story that can take up the whole space here."