ACTOR and matinee idol Piolo Pascual is at home in front of and behind the camera.
Pascual, who studied at the Faculty of Arts and Letters in the mid-1990s, takes photographs of the places he’s been in.
His nature photographs were exhibited in SunPIOLOgy, which ran from December 12, 2010 to January 12, 2011 at the Art Hall of The Enterprise Centre in Makati City. The photographs are still on auction on the SunPiology’s website.
“I love nature because it is exciting; it’s a matter of composition,” Pascual told the Varsitarian. “I got to feel better whenever I take photos.”
The exhibition raised funds for the benefit of Hebreo 12:1, a foundation Pascual established with his siblings. It grants scholarships to poor students.
Pascual said he started taking photographs 10 years ago with just a 1-megapixel digital camera.
“The photos were taken from local and international tours,” he said. “I bring my camera wherever I go because beautiful pictures are always waiting to be taken.”
The multi-awarded actor said his shots focus on nature’s exquisite simplicity, capturing different natural sceneries such as logs and lush flora, breaking dawn, a rainbow arching over waterfalls, and even the Chocolate Hills of Bohol.
Pascual said that the most memorable picture he had taken was the immense rainbow on Angkor Wat, Cambodia, which he toured with his mom.
“The scene was just perfect, it gave the feeling that I just can’t explain,” he said.
Moreover, he said that the still photos of sunset and landscapes are his favorites because they give him the feeling of serenity amidst his hectic schedule in show business.
Pascual recently modeled for sculptor Ramon Orlina’s “QuattroMondial,” the monument which was erected last January in commemoration of UST’s 400th anniversary.
Orlina, in an earlier interview, said that he got Pascual as model because he has good physique and he has a strong influence on Filipinos as a famous actor.
“There are a lot of successful Thomasians, but they are not as well-known as Piolo Pascual,” Orlina said. Ana May R. Dela Cruz
