The budding Hong Kong-based Filipino photographer, who will exhibit his raw and real photographs at the upcoming Millennial Vintage exhibition hosted by Artizians, tells us why this is an event you don’t want to miss:
Music, cigarettes and vodka—the three things that Mherck Dela Cruz believes are essential to creating a great photo. However, bear in mind this is based on his belief that he likes his subjects to be completely comfortable and at ease.
We spoke to the budding photographer ahead of the opening of his Millennial Vintage exhibition, which he’s featured in and which lands in Hong Kong later this month courtesy of Artizians, an emerging online art gallery and creative agency.
See also: 10 Hong Kong Events You Can't Miss In December
Curated by Tiziana des Pallieres, Millenial Vintage is a group exhibition that comes from des Pallieres’ awareness that her generation’s photographers have returned to an old-school aesthetic, with a noticeable rebirth in analogue photography. The featured artists merge contemporary and vintage, and work with the mixed mediums of film and digital photography.
Tell us about yourself and how you first got into photography.
I’m Mherck, I’m from the Phillippines and I’ve been in Hong Kong for the past six years working in different marketing roles. Growing up, I always loved cameras and having my photo taken so my family encouraged me to embrace it and to get behind the lens.
My new hobby led me to pursue a degree at the Fashion Institute of the Phillippines, and the rest is history.
How do you hope to inspire others through your photography?
The intention of my work is always to promote body confidence, self-confidence and beauty in all of its forms, no matter what shape or size.