Cebuano student showcases photography skills in Japan

One of Patrick Tillada’s works

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Determination and perseverance drove Patrick Tillada to improve his photography skills in a foreign country at that.

Tillada, a 23-year-old graduating student studying Global Innovation Studies at Toyo University in Japan said that he has always loved taking photos since he was young.

However, he was not able to buy himself good gear until he arrived in Japan in 2019.

He said he made a hard decision to be away from home and took the risk of living alone in Japan as an international student.

“I was able to save some money and then thought of rewarding myself with a camera,” Tillada said after arriving in Japan.

He shared that he bought his camera gear in the middle of 2021 but “had it stocked” for a year because he was busy at school and he could not find people with the same interest as he had.

“I was so lost before that I couldn’t figure what style of photography I fit in and so, I run almost all of them,” Tillada told CDN.

However, Tillada did not let himself lose in the progress and started taking photos in 2022.

He began with event photography, then street photography, landscapes, black and white photography, and finally, portraits and fashion.

“My skills grew tremendously when I started connecting with other photographers here in Tokyo. I would say that I was lucky enough to have friends who introduced me to the community,” said Tillada.

Tillada revealed that it was intimidating at first since he did not know much about directing people, but with the help of his friends as his “most convenient resource,” he was able to do it and he started building from there.

“I was so lost before that I couldn’t figure what style of photography I fit in and so, I run almost all of them,” Tillada told CDN Digital.

He believed that his knowledge about photography “grew tremendously” since November 2022 because that was the time he decided to take his passion seriously.

Consequently, two weeks after that, he did a paid project with an international brand.

“To be honest, it was even overwhelming and surreal how it went so fast,” said Tillada.

At the moment, Tillada said that he works to become a better fashion and portrait photographer.

“I want to be better every time I hold my camera and shot better photos than before,” he shared.

He added that that is to satisfy his wants in life, but more importantly to impress the creative industry with how dedicated and eager he is to be an expert in the field of photography.

Tillada, who hails from Talisay City, also plans to come back to Cebu this year and try to pitch to brands and companies in Cebu and in Metro Manila.

“I want to start it here sa Tokyo as a fashion and editorial photographer. And then binge to other countries and in the Philippines,” he said.

The 23-year-old aspiring photographer also hopes to work in big magazines in the future.

After graduating senior high school from the University of San Jose-Recoletos, he decided to study in Japan since he got a scholarship grant, and also because of expanded opportunities.  /rcg

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