Mandy Navasero: An Iconic Filipina Photographer

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. A meaningful photograph is one that grabs the emotions of the viewer — the picture tugs at the viewer’s heartstrings. Remember, each photograph that we make reflects who we are and the experiences we have had in our lives!

The world of photography would not be as captivating as we know it by today without the amazing works of the world’s most incredible female photographers. Since photography’s inception, women have been drawn to its ability to help them express their thoughts, their emotions, and their narratives. 

Notable female photographers are Annie Leibovitz, known for her dramatic and engaging celebrity portraits; Imogen Cunningham is best known for her botanical photography, though she also produced images of nudes, industrial landscapes, and street scenes; Australian Anne Geddes is most well-known for her photographic work featuring children and babies; Susan Meiselas is well-known for her documentation of human rights issues in Latin America, which were published widely throughout the world.

Then, there’s Mandy Navasero — Philippines’ most iconic female photographer known for her photo safaris highlighting Philippines’ beautiful landscapes; for her artistic and state-of-the-art fashion shoots, advertising and PR campaigns;  collaborating with the World Health Organization for their “Breastfeeding Week” project; working with industry giants such as Globe Telecom and ABS CBN; working on behalf of the Philippine government as the designated photographer of all the House of Representatives are just amongst her many impressive photography portfolio. 

Mandy is the Director for Photography and Communications, Founder and CEO of her own company, MNPS. She  holds a mass communications degree from Philippine Women’s University,  a master’s degree in English from Ateneo de Manila University and is a graduate of Professional Photography Major in Illustrative and Advertising at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California, USA. She is also a fellow columnist at the Inquirer. 

When asked how she captures her subject the way she wants them to look, “I get inspiration from all the movies I’ve seen and all the books I’ve read. Plus, all the technical training I had in a photography course I took at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California helps a lot.  There, we were trained and taught to sharpen our photography skills and express ourselves using the latest tools and techniques, all under the guidance of professional and renowned photographers,” Mandy answered.

Regarding other photographers that influenced her, and how they influenced her thinking, photographing, and career path, Mandy shared, “I was greatly influenced by the images of  Norman Rockwell — I like the energy in his painted images.  I am also fascinated by the soul of Vincent Van Gogh’s  landscape painting. I was inspired by the late, great, Letty Jimenez Magsanoc (former Editor in Chief of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and a highly respected journalist). She was such a generous mentor, and she gave me the opportunity to photograph covers for the Sunday Inquirer.  She taught me how to do my covers the way I want to.”

Photography is often called “the Universal Language” because it can speak to all people, from all over the world, no matter what actual language they may speak. This writer asked Mandy what exactly it is that she wants to say with her photographs, and how was she able to have her photographs to do that. 

“I think  all my images are the result of my lifetime experiences, the people I meet, the places I traveled to, and all the movies I watched. There’s so much freedom in what I do.   I do my assignments with thorough research;  I do intensive research on the subject I am going to photograph. The initial rapport will determine the success of your photo shoots.  I am a fun person, so it is easy for them to project their true feelings while we do the photoshoot,” Mandy answered.

“I’ve always wanted to be an artist, but unfortunately I was never trained to be. My mother taught  my siblings and myself the importance of reading. Our mother believed that when you’re a voracious reader and up to date with the world around you, it is in a way, better than education. I kept myself in school when I was much younger to keep me out of mischief! I love Shakespeare and took all Shakespearean  subjects at the Ateneo de Manila University for my masters — these are part of my photography techniques,” Mandy added. 

One wonders if there’s profit in photography. Mandy muses, “It pays handsomely. But it’s not about the money. What drives me about photography is the deep passion I have for it. I always do my best to come up with respectable work. I always tell my clients, if it’s expensive, you’ll treasure it more. If it’s cheap, you’ll end up throwing it away in the garbage bin.”

This iconic Filipina photographer wouldn’t do a project without her favourite camera gear. “I’ve always been  a Nikon girl! If you want a more extensive range of choices, Nikon is the way to go. Apart from new lens selections, you can also choose older options that are not only reasonable but also have high-quality optics. But do you really want to know my powerful tool? My  brain takes the picture — that’s my software,” enthused Mandy. 

A-ha. The old saying is indeed true: while the camera gear is important, it is the photographer that takes a picture at the end of the day, and not the camera.

There must be something that motivates this photography icon to continue taking pictures — is it economically, politically, intellectually or emotionally? “For myself, it’s all about the intellectual and emotional challenges. However, it is also primarily my bread and butter. I do it for the money since I have four adopted children — three girls and a boy and they all went to exclusive schools,” answered Mandy.

Perhaps the real secret to Mandy Navasero’s success as Philippines’ most revered female photographer is this: she genuinely believes that taking pictures is savouring life intensely — every hundredth of a second. Let us indulge more on Mandy’s works by viewing more photos below, after all, a picture is worth a thousand words!