Art & Mariben {Day After}
SHOT ON LOCATION //
BETHEL BEACH, ZAMBOANGA CITY PHILIPPINES
The pictures are devoid of blunt romanticism. Instead there is a touch of somberness, but for all the gloominess, moments of romantic hope darts across the series of photos. The impression it leaves goes much deeper.
With every project, comes a new course. We took the step away from the meticulously planned photo shoot to the calculated snapshot. We must have wanted to rebel against the quick-flash shutterbug alacrity of the glossy portrait world, as all of these images show a slow, steady, calm of imperfection. The couple is captured during moments of exhalation, relaxation, set against Zamboanga’s brooding backgrounds with soft, matte lighting that brings to mind the luminescent brush of the Dutch painters.
The location is a stone’s throw away from the groom’s place. This is where he’d spend his lull afternoons way back then. A receptive setting displaying a place of exclusion. One grazing look at the place seemed to relax us, or any viewer for that matter - helping us to recover from the damages of the day. You see one of those significant/insignificant moments resurface from deep within your memories (right Art?). 
But look for no narrative - we gather an impression solely from what we see. The images are in the tradition of allegory.
Thank you Art and Mariben, a second look at you teaches us more.
