When photographer Mark Nicdao first saw the email from a Getty Museum curator, he thought it wasn’t real. The email was from its curator of photography, Paul Martineau, who asked for Nicdao’s portfolio as part of Martineau’s efforts to look at the works of photographers from Asia for possible acquisition. He let the email sit in his inbox for a couple of days until his friend, the fashion designer Puey Quiñones, asked if there was someone from the Getty Museum who emailed him.
“[Puey] asked, ’Can you answer? He’s waiting for your reply.’ I go, holy shit. Okay.”
The curator asked for a 20-page portfolio featuring his definitive work, which is a lot to ask from Nicdao, who has been a photographer since 2003. His work isn’t just fashion and celebrity portraits. He’s captured still lifes, commercial work, landscapes, personal work, and everything in between. Nicdao, who got his first stint in the industry with an internship with photographer Francis Abraham, asked Martineau if he could give him time, and the curator agreed.
But more work got in the way.
At the time, Nicdao was preparing for his show in Asia Now in Paris, where he lived for two months and produced 11 artworks. What was initially an exhibition of three artists, including him, became a solo show. This busyness meant he submitted his definitive compilation of works after five months, on July 4th — which is a holiday in the United States. Two weeks later, Martineau had selected seven of his images, and Nicdao proceeded with all the technical and logistical work: Choosing the photo paper for printing, making test prints, tracking FedEx, framing. He recounts each step being as grueling as the last with each print being checked by five of the Getty Museum’s curators for any imperfections.
After being so close to dropping the project altogether, after numerous prints he tirelessly worked on were sent back, Nicdao was relieved to have completed it.
“It’s so insane. But I guess that’s how it is, ’di ba?”
In the end, five photographs were chosen: three from the “Flow” series from Quiñones’ show in 2008, featuring journalist Queenmelo Esguerra, actresses Nancy Castiglione and KC Concepcion, an unpublished photograph for the portfolio of model Jo Ann Bitagcol in 2008, and a photo from actress Iza Calzado’s cover editorial for Rogue Magazine in 2012.
Here, Nicdao discusses the importance of these images in his career, the thrilling work that makes the photographs come to life, and how the process of the Getty acquisition was, in a way, therapy.
As the photographer, what are the things you find unique about these photographs?
There was something in them [from that time in my career]. [In Jo Ann’s photo], the backdrop of that? ’Yong parang Mayon Volcano [painted behind her]? It was in an abandoned school. So I go, “Wait, let’s shoot Jo Ann here.” So, it’s a concrete wall na hand-painted siguro ng studyante. Medyo malaki siya pero kasya na si Jo Ann. I said, “Wait, guys. Last, let’s have a shot here.” Tapos, I just shot it. I think I had a small flash just to show a painterly effect. After that shot, “Okay, yes, I think this is the one.”
When we were shooting it, [I did it with] Michael Salientes, the stylist, and it wasn’t really for any publication. We just wanted to do a new portfolio.
What about the “Flow” series?
Puey asked me for that collection. That time, twice a day pa ako mag-shoot. So, what makes it special is [that] I was in a rush during that time. There’s no time to think about what makes it special to me. And someone saw [something in them].
’Yong kay Iza… were you at that shoot?
No, I didn’t join Rogue until 2013.
We really thought about it — me, Migs [Lugtu, art director], Guel [Mari, creative director], and Mela [Lopa, managing editor] — on what the story should be like because her role [in the TV show Beauty Queen] at the time was parang beauty queen. Why don’t we make it like some extreme makeover — like, not making her human anymore because she has to be so perfect. Some machines had to be like installed on her. I just saw that X-ray in the shoot. I couldn’t remember whose X-ray it was. But I said, “I want to shoot it, and then I’ll superimpose it on Iza’s bare face.”
You just saw someone’s X-ray… there’s a certain magic to random moments like that.
Yeah, I mean, everything else was planned, but when I saw the X-ray, I went, “Wow, okay, I think this should be the opener.” We had five nurses in black so, clearly, it’s a fantasy. It’s like a [Stanley] Kubrick or David Lynch movie It’s nice to be around people who love movies because it’s easy [for] looking for references. Like “Oh, remember the scene!” I remember the movie, remember the character…
I know that you love films. So, in the other four photos, how did your love for cinema manifest in those works?
I don’t want to say it’s always in its literal sense. Let’s say, for example, the “Flow” series could be a dancing scene. You know the movie They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Where they’re non-stop dancing… or the TV commercial of that Prada perfume where she was dancing in a Latin club? Or when I see a dress, I say, okay, let’s do this. Those are all inside my head, [and] I don’t have to explain.
You collaborate with a lot of people constantly throughout the years. What do you love about working with subjects like Iza and KC, and stylists like Michael and Pam [Quiñones]?
This is the thing. I don’t have any problems working with new people, but working with si Michael, si Pam, si Liz [Uy], LA [Consing Lopez]. Sa akin, it always excites me because it’s different when you’re doing portraits like this or magazine shoots. It’s fun, but also, it can [lead to] many things. You’re discovering, “Oh okay, this is how I want to work pala.” You get to learn a lot. You’re not on a plateau. And that’s what I like about working with them. It’s always, “Okay, how do we bring this up on another level?” At least that time. Now, it’s not like before.
One thing I really love most, aside from all of you guys there with the same mindset, is that it’s the best job. You’re doing the best job in the world because, I mean, I don’t know what else to do. I don’t know how to be an accountant or a good bartender. Parang sa akin, “Wow, this is fun.” A lot of people think it’s super glamorous. Yes, it is. But work is work, and it involves a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of everything. That’s what makes it exciting. That’s what made me love it and made me want it even more every single time. But with this work especially you guys — the people I see, the people in the industry — I love it so much.
What were some of the challenging things you encountered when you were starting your career, and at a very young age?
We have a Western way of looking at things. Kasi even Singapore, Vietnam… they’ll see your work and they’ll think you’re Western. Pero hindi, you’re Asian pala. When they see you’re Asian, they look at what you can do differently. There’s already a big question mark. So that’s the hardship. Also, you being a Filipino photographer working with an international team, when they see you, it’s like, “What? That’s him?”
“When I was starting, fuck, I [was at my] happiest. Everything was just ‘Wow! Nothing can ruin anything.’ But once you get into the work, you become super hungry. Then you realize na nakalimutan mo, pagod na pagod ka [na pala] and you don’t even know where you are.”
Has this happened to you a lot?
Oh, yeah. Especially the regional projects like shoots in India, Thailand, Hong Kong, or Singapore. They’ll measure you up. “Oh, what kind of camera are you using? Are you renting or do you own it?” Those are the questions, mostly. So, fine.
Yong meetings ang pinaka-grueling because they’ll see how you’re gonna solve a problem. And as a photographer, you’re the problem solver. If you can’t solve a problem, patay ka. They’ll see you are an amateur. So, you always have to be well equipped. It’s so important to — without sounding arrogant or too doormat — have the balance of trust, backed up by what you’ve produced. Ano ba ‘yong nangyari sa shoot? Maganda ba? Are [the clients] happy?
Or minsan din parang, “Oh, masyado kang mabulaklak magsalita. Okay, let’s see in the shoot.” Nagsalita ka pero ‘yong output naman… patay. So, you need both. You can’t just be silent tapos parang uninterested ka naman. It’s a balance of things.
Is there a relationship with another photographer or artist that’s been invaluable to your career?
Neal Oshima, Jun De Leon, all these amazing photographers who came before us. I’ve seen their works and without them, I don’t think our photography here would be as valued. That’s my main foundation: Before you break the rules, you have to know the rules. And you need to respect the craft. You have to respect everyone, especially the people before you. You can’t just walk in and say, “Oh yeah, I’m a big shot. I’m the newest big shot.” Yuck. [Laughs]
If I can start [my career again] without showing my face, I think mas okay if people will just see the images, not knowing anything about who I am. But,
I guess that won’t be possible. A big part of this work is the personal and the professional.
Was your presence in your work an influence because you photographed celebrities?
No, because I can’t relate to celebrities. Their life is totally different from mine. I’m always surrounded by them, but I’m just a mere observer. I got famous because of the people I’m shooting. All these love teams, all these superstars, all these, like, great talents, athletes… When you work with them, people will say, “Oh, who photographed this?” And they’ll see my name. But for me, the most important thing is also my privacy. I don’t want anyone talking about [or showing] my personal life. Right now, I know it’s impossible not to, especially with social media and how it’s the new currency [of] relevance. But that’s not the reason why I became a photographer. I became a photographer because I love the whole ritual of being in a studio, being in a location, trying to figure out where to shoot someone, where the model is going to stumble upon the perfect lighting… It’s different from being a photojournalist who goes on location waiting for the perfect time, the perfect moment of a perfect scene, and they don’t prepare; they wait. With photographers like me and the studio, we prep everything.
But it doesn’t mean na I’m too self-important [Laughs]. I’m not a scientist or a doctor. I’m not saving lives.
Would you have worked as a photojournalist?
Yeah, I wanted to be. Maybe it was around 2012 when I suddenly wanted to quit. I thought it’ was going to be easy to just go on a mission. I want to be in the middle of a conflict area. But parang hindi ko ata ’yon kaya. So, respect talaga [for] everyone who does that.
What about personal relationships with photographers?
Si Jun De Leon, of course. He’s the one who brought us to Japan for the first time. I’ll never forget that. He’s like the most unselfish person. Because instead of him just going alone [on that trip], he took us all. Me, Jake [Versoza], Jo Ann [Bitagcol], and Sarah Black.
Neal, because of Rogue. When I didn’t have a camera, [Jake] would lend me his extra camera if I had some jobs. Louie Aguinaldo would lend me his lights before. Paolo Pineda, of course. We were in the same wave. Si Jake, Pao, si Sarah, si Jo Ann…
How do you think your work has evolved since the photos were chosen for Getty?
Before, I could say I was really immature and a brat. Too much inside my bubble kind of thing. There’s so much ego. Now, parang, my God, I can’t even look at myself from before. That’s how it is. My maturity came in, maybe, when I was just in my late thirties, when real things happened. Well, a lot of real things happened when I was younger. But, I would say it was a lot of resentment, always inside resentments. And once you have that, it just explodes one day. And you’re just sick of everything. Then you go down to your lowest. If you get out of it, that’s when you realize, “Oh shit.”
When I was starting, fuck, I [was at my] happiest. Everything was just “Wow!” Nothing can ruin anything. But once you get into the work, you become super hungry. Then you realize na nakalimutan mo, pagod na pagod ka [na pala] and you don’t even know where you are. I think, I would say, emotionally, as a photographer, I am much, much, much more in my spiritual mode. Because technically, it didn’t change. Well, right now, technically, it’s much easier because all the technology is available. So, that’s great.
But right now, since you have everything, and being a photographer is a super saturated job, it’s so hard to… First of all, the attitude for me is don’t compete with others, just compete with the last work you did. Forget the noise coming from outside. You’ll only have your work as your gauge of success. So, I would say the maturity that I gained right now, even if I didn’t have the Getty acquisition, is way, way up from where I was, like, 23 years, 24 years. Wow, 24 years! Jesus Christ!
Was the Getty acquisition like a retrospective for you?
It was almost like regressing, and I would sometimes just close my eyes and say, “I don’t want to see this. Oh please. Oh my god.” You know those things — Icky memories. But having to go through 150 hard drives that are 10 TB, 4 TB [in storage size], you’re going back to when you’re starting out and you see how you’re growing. So, that was therapeutic. And thank God, kahit papaano, parang hindi naman ako masyadong nabano [Laughs].
I’m really hard on myself with achievements. So, I think the Getty acquisition was the best gift from the higher beings na, “Hey, don’t forget. You did a lot, ah.”
Yeah, you have such a storied body of work.
Grabe, Getty pa talaga ‘yong mag-remind sa’yo na okay kang photographer, no? Hindi talaga ‘yong mga covers na ginawa mo. Sometimes, I feel, “Ah, dami kong cover. Ganda rin ‘yong cover na to!” Pero then, you go down and say, “Nah, it’s not good enough.” So, this one, yeah, that’s special. That came out from nowhere. Biglang… Just acquired by the Getty Museum!
Hindi ko nga in-imagine yan. I love going to museums. I always go to shows, especially mga masters, or mga Western heroes, or Japanese heroes. That’s where we look. They’re always inside the museums. But I never wished, “Oh, one day, nandiyan ako.”Parang hindi talaga sa’yo. Imposible ‘to.
And the fact that you have a painting practice, ‘di ba?
Isa pa ’yan. I think that helped me become a better photographer. I started in 2019, and lahat ng mga katamaran ko nawala because of painting. Because with painting, you can’t just sit around when you paint.
The difference between photography and painting is [that] after a shoot, okay na. Pwede ka na matulog. With painting, no. Even if you sleep, you have a deadline. You have 15 pieces to finish. When you sleep, you dream of it. You wake up, set up again, paint again. “Oh, ang ganda!” And then the next day, “Putang ina ba’t ganito, anong nangyari? Ba’t ang pangit?” Nag-dry up. “Bakit ganon ‘yong kulay? Bakit nag-pale?”
I’m not saying na I did painting because I know it was going to be easy. I did it because I knew I needed this. In fine arts, we were trained to be multidisciplinary. If you can paint and become a photographer, it’s great. You don’t have to be the best, but it will give you complete satisfaction. It balances things out. Because at some point, photography becomes easy. Because you earn money, you have more time to rest. But painting takes a lot of mental and physical exercises. You can’t be sick. You can’t have arthritis. Hindi ka pwede may backache. Kailangan mag-yoga ka muna bago mag-paint. Kasi ‘pag hindi ka nag-warm up, puta, sakit likod mo doon. Kasi paano mo matatapos ‘yong next piece?
While working on those two shows [in Paris and Venice], I was processing the Getty [submission], para na naman akong back to college. ‘Yong ang daming plates, daming deadlines. But my main goal was, “Nope, I am not going to let this go. I won’t.”
Let’s say for example, wala ka ng budget pang print. Wala ka ng budget to send it to FedEx, wala ka ng pambayad ng extra taxes for sending, ‘di ba? Or wala kang savings. It’s easier for you to quit. So, maybe that’s why I worked so hard from the start to now. For me to have solutions.
“Neal Oshima, Jun De Leon, all these amazing photographers who came before us. I’ve seen their works and without them, I don’t think our photography here would be as valued. That’s my main foundation: Before you break the rules, you have to know the rules. And you need to respect the craft. You have to respect everyone, especially the people before you. You can’t just walk in and say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m a big shot. I’m the newest big shot.’ Yuck.”
How do you think that whole landscape has changed? Kasi ‘di ba medyo less defined na ‘yong role of a photographer now?
Before, how many magazines were there? 30, 40 magazines? When I was starting out, the goal was to have as many covers, as many credits on newspapers. [Get] advertising campaigns. Work, work, work. But you forget na you can’t be all quantity. You need quality. So, in the long run, ganyan ginawa ako, kahit ano. Sige, shooting natin ‘yan.
That’s why when Rogue came in and I was put under contract with them, I realized, okay, since I had the balls to cut other magazines out and not work with them, I needed to prove a point with Rogue. What kind of work are you going to put out? But now, since there are very few and it’s all mostly international titles… I’m getting shoots but also, in my head, I want to see other people. It’s their time and it’s interesting to see how young photographers are, what they’re doing now, and what they’ve seen from the past or their point of view.
Publications right now are much more streamlined [too].
Are they more specific about what they want?
They’re much stricter. Like you can’t just post anything. They need to have their masthead. And that’s the only thing you can post. Before kasi, I post everything. Kahit nga ‘yong mga covers that didn’t make it, lalagyan kong masthead. This is the cover I want. Kupal, ‘di ba? That’s just me being a little bitch that I was before. [Laughs].
I have no complaints. I don’t know about other people’s experience working with publications, but my main goal is to create the right image without being selfish.
