A snapshot of Robo

AT the height of the popularity of photo contests in Cebu a few years back, a nurse with neither formal training nor background in photography, decided to give it a shot.

His only goal: to stand out.

“I tried to be different,” he said. “Although we had only one theme for our shots, I tried to stay away from common subjects I expected others would use.”

And stand out he did. He was awarded grand winner in his very first photo contest, incidentally hosted by Sun.Star Cebu, and consistently placed in the ones he joined thereafter. Today the name Robo Formacion remains to stand out in Cebu’s photography community, a respected name known for creative pieces in wedding, debuts, conceptual shoots and fashion editorials.

A self-made man, Robo recalled that whatever cash he won in those contests—some of which were of national scale—were what he used to buy and upgrade his camera equipment. He joined nearly every month and eventually he and his wife Caroline started approaching event organizers, hoping to catch a professional gig. Robo’s first professional project came in the form of a wedding gig in a far-off municipality; still as a one-man camera team back then.

“I’m proud to say that I got through it the hard way,” he said. “Being nurses, we weren’t familiar with how the industry works; we didn’t know the dos and don’ts. We didn’t even have calling cards when we started. But both of us helped each other to get to where we are now.”

Now Robo, alongside Caroline, works with a staff of four and runs his own studio in Guadalupe. He has worked with top fashion designers and make-up artists, and has done wedding and engagement projects in Singapore and Indonesia. His photos—praised for its fusion of simplicity and elegance—have also been splashed on local newspapers and magazines as well as on marketing collaterals for five-star hotels and commercial establishments.

But weddings remain to be his forte, saying “What I love about weddings is that it’s a combination of all: landscape, portrait and photojournalism. The challenge is what got me interested in it.”

Robo’s keen eye in photography is both learned skill and at the same time something innate, a trait that he got from his late father, a military colonel who was also really into the craft before. “He was always seen with a camera in hand,” Robo said.

And his dad must be really proud knowing how Robo, only 27, has thrived and has been recognized for the profession. But despite having reached such stature, Robo is far from stopping and believes in the importance of continuously learning the craft. “Be humble and hardworking, and be hungry for knowledge,” he advises to budding photographers. “Learn and hone your originality so you will grow and not get left behind.”

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