Raquel Bautista
Taking glamorous photos is hardly as easy as saying “cheese” and clicking the camera.
In the realm of professional photography, arduous hours are spent preparing and setting for a shoot. As a visual art, photography’s emotional aspect not only occurs once photos are produced; it also happens during the shoot itself.
The female form has long played an important role in the world of arts. The curves on a woman’s body can ignite an artist’s creativity. The enigmatic appeal of nude artworks plays with the senses of both viewer and the artist. From her smile, shape as well as a simple glance, the influence of a woman’s mystery in art is undeniable.
Some of the world’s greatest artists managed to attain immortality by managing to unravel or at least share the mystique of the female gender to the viewers.
While most artists continue their quest for mastery of the female form in their chosen field, photographer Raquel Bautista uses her mastery and understanding of her gender in order to produce photographic masterpieces.
“I really love working with a female subject. I find it very interesting. The body shape can provoke various emotions. You can also play around with their hair and you can also do a lot with make-up which I’m also into,” shared Bautista.
Mastery of the Female Form
This female photographer has been in the world of glamour or people photography for over nine years. She is best known for photographic works on the female form in a men’s magazine where her artistic passion for poses and producing “sexy” portraits were in full use.
“I love directing people; I like telling them which profile best suits them and how they can achieve it. Aside from photography I also do styling, ako din nag-co conceptualize, and I really enjoy the creative aspect of taking photos,” relayed the female photographer.
Bautista started in the industry back in 1993 when she graduated from the College of the Holy Spirit with a degree in Fine Arts. But her relationship with the camera started way back during her high school years.
“I just love cameras, dati pa bata pa ako. High school pa lang ako nilalaro ko na yung mga camera sa bahay namin. I take photos of what we have there. But I really like shooting mga tao eh, that’s my passion,” said Bautista.
Pursuing her passion for creativity, Bautista also took fashion designing after she graduated in college. The artistically-inclined lady shutterbug also studied Interior Design and Photography at the Academy of Arts in San Francisco.
Shooting provocative portraits
“Sexy is being confident. I’ve dealt with a lot of sexy models pero they always have a lot of insecurities. Being sexy is how a person can show the world that kahit meron kang imperfections, you’re still confident enough to pose and know that you are beautiful. I find that very sexy,” relays Bautista.
But before she clicks her camera, Bautista acknowledges the need to have good rapport with her subject before she can produce the perfect picture. In fact, it is her talent to relate to female models that she considers one of her biggest assets. After all, it’s this talent that led her to the industry.
“After graduating, sumama lang ako in one of their photo shoots. Then one time they were having a hard time making the model pose, ang ginawa ko, ako kumausap dun sa model. Then dun na nag-start. That’s when I realized my talent when it comes to communicating with the models. After that binigyan na nila ako ng mga projects,” recalled the photographer.
But the photographer also said that taking artistically provocative portraits is really about having a good relationship with the subject. As a female photographer, she said it’s easy for her to relate with the female models while the models also find it easier when they know that it’s also a woman working behind the camera.
“There are some instances na may nakakasabay akong mga lalaki in workshops where usually ako lang ang babae. Ang napapansin ko most of the time they are more focused on shooting the private parts or nawawala na yung artistic figure ng isang model. But with me, sinasabi ko pa kung which part of their body ang hindi na nila kailangang ipakita,” relayed Bautista.
Sexy Silhouettes
Though there is a thin line between explicit and artistic shots when shooting sexy photos of women, Bautista has always manage to produce photos on the more sensual side.
“I don’t show the more private parts when I shoot. Sometimes, what I do is I paint on the parts that I want to hide or sometimes silhouette tipong pasilip lang. Hindi na kasi sexy ‘yun when you show it all, it’s more artistic kung glimpse lang, ‘yung tipong may mystery pa rin,” said the photographer.
She also added “I don’t put the model’s personalities in the photos, mas nililigaw ko sila. In photography kasi you can act as a different person. For example yung mga simpleng tao, ‘di ko sila kukukunan as simple, I’ll try to make something more special. Then, they will realize na ‘uy kaya ko palang mag project nang ganito.”
As an artist in pursuit of creativity, the female photographer doesn’t always find it easy to produce the perfect sexy shots. But it’s the challenging photo shoot that ignites Bautista’s ingenuity. Such ingenuity was also on full use when she was commissioned to shoot for other magazines aside from men’s magazines.
“May mga mahihirap talagang shoots and sessions, pero pag mas mahirap mas na-cha-challenge ako. ‘Yung joy ko kasi in photography is when models or my subjects realize that they are beautiful. ‘Yun yung happiness ko, to pull out the beauty of the person,” expressed Bautista.
Body of Work
But aside from shooting, styling and conceptualizing photo shoots, Raquel Bautista is also a painter. Expressing herself through colors from various forms of media has always been one of her passions.
According to the artist “painting is more personal, kasi every art and every piece I make is a part of me”.
“There was a time when I really, really wanted to paint. What I did was I combined painting with my photography and people together through body paints,” added Bautista.
Her recent exhibit, entitled “Undaunted” was well attended by friends and art patrons alike. The colors, textures and themes of her works were among the fine characteristics that the viewers enjoyed in her painting.
“Normally I do abstract talaga, inspired by different emotions such as anger which can be the reason for the colors that I use. Before, mas na-iinspire ako mag-work talaga pag galit ako pero now it’s calmer and the subjects of my artworks really vary depending on my mood,” explained the photographer and artist.
But even if she is currently focused more on her “personal” passion which is painting, the artist would like to pursue both passions in the future.
“Painting is quite different since they have two totally different subjects. With painting the subject is always there. It’s always within me, in my emotions and moods as well as the materials. In photography kasi since I’m interested to work with people, it’s hard for me to work right away if I don’t have a subject. But it’s through photography that I gained a lot of friends and respect, aside from being good, maybe it’s because magaling talaga akong makisama,” concluded the femme fatale of people photography. - Article courtesy of Manila Bulletin.
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