Photographer #308: Jake Verzosa

Jake Verzosa, 1979, Republic of the Philippines, is a successful commercial and editorial photographer based in Manila. Amongst his clients are McDonalds and Nike. Due to these commisions he has been able to travel around Southeast Asia and work on his personal, documentary photography. Recently he has photographed elderly women in the Cordillera mountain range of the Philippines. They are the last women that have the traditional tattoos that hold values of women's strength and fortitude. Due to the influence of western interpretations of aesthetics the perception of beauty has changed amongst the younger generation. Earlier, during his travels, he was already photographing various indigenous peoples throughout Southeast Asia, resulting in the project Communal Identity. The following images come from the series The Last Tattooed Women of Kalinga, Communal Identity and Manila's Railside.

Website: www.jakeverzosa.com

Photographer #272: Veejay Villafranca

Vicente Jaime Villafranca, 1982, better known as Veejay, is a photojournalist from the Republic of the Philippines. His work focuses primarily on youth culture and its progression and/or regression, on Filipino faith practices and fanaticism and on the concept of reserved space for ethnic tribes. With his story Marked he became the first Asian to receive the Ian Parry Scholarship grant in 2008. Marked tells the story of gang members in Manila who made a living with drugs, pickpocketing and theft. He follows the members in their attempt to find a life outside of crime, violence and drugs that have become a part of life in Baseco, one of the biggest slums in Manila. His work has been exhibited in various places in Europe and Asia. Veejay is represented by Getty Global Assignments. The following images come from the stories Marked, A Race Divided and Creatures of Habit.

Website: www.veejayvillafranca.com