Photographs are products of their time, but much more they show the mindset of their creator. Manila based Edric Chen’s photographs are somehow different and his inimitable eye unmasks the contrast between emotion and subject. Born in the Philippines the talented artist got his first digital camera in college by his father and he decided to seriously pursue photography at age 27, and has been shooting for the past four years. We are in love and wanted to know a bit more…
Where does your passion for photography come from?
If I were to trace it back to the roots, my passion stems from being put in a box by society. I wanted to express my ideas freely and execute them but everywhere I turned, people would tell me I couldn’t just do that. Society expects us to fit in but if everyone did just that, the world would be boring. I was drawn to photography because the only thing that separated me from breathing life into an idea is the shutter button.
A beautiful image is?
One that shows the essence of the subject.
Describe your style
I’m very drawn to improvisational jazz. I love the idea that any song can be made new with every performance. In almost anything in life, deviation is instantly viewed as failure. It’s not the same with jazz. From what I
know, jazz players are extremely competent at music theory, formally or informally. There are rules, but they are there as guideposts. When it’s time to play, they just let their emotions flow through their hands to
create beautiful music. I aspire to be like them when I make photographs. I have been told that I respect my subjects. People are like jazz standards to me. I have ideas on how to portray them but the actual result is not necessarily based on my initial preparations. My interaction with a person or even with an environment defines the final image.
What do you want to capture with your images?
In any given situation, I believe there is a way to put everything in order. I believe there is a perfect arrangement that brings the essence of the subject into plain view. In other words, I want to capture harmony.
site: theedricchen.com
instagram: instagram.com/edricchen
agency: at-eastjedroot.com
all images by theedricchen.com
