The Focus Portrait Project

Presenting a special shooting opportunity and challenge for Focus Bulacan members...

As you may have noticed, Focus members don’t have profile photos in their website page. There’s a reason for that : the Focus Portrait Project. What is this project all about?


Focus Portrait Project serves three purposes:
- Provide each participating Focus member their own portrait taken by a fellow-Focus member
- Give members a prime opportunity to test their creativity, imagination, and portrait-photography skills
- Build “cameraderie” among members


How is this done?

We’re sure all of us are familiar with Christmas exchange gifts (monito-monita). Focus Portrait Project will be done almost the same way. The big difference is, we’re not giving out gifts, but giving each other portraits.

1. All Focus members have to join the Project. Exceptions are those who are based abroad.

2. Participating members will have their names included in a lot. Two Focus officers will pick one name each from the lot. The two names that they pick will be paired to become partners/buddies in the Project. The officers will keep on picking two names at a time until all of the names have been picked.

3. The pairing WILL NOT be announced publicly. The officers will privately inform the members who they have been paired with.

4. Each pair has a common task : photograph each other using your own concept, style, and taste. In other words : your partner will be your model, and you will be his/her photographer. Then you will also be his/her model, and he/she will also photograph you. Work both ways.

5. Once you find out who your partner is, we ask that you keep it between the two of you. You then coordinate and talk about how, when, and where you will do the shoot.

6. DO NOT POST the final photos or behind-the-scenes just yet, to keep the suspense. All the photos will be presented during Focus Bulacan’s Christmas Party.

7. All the photos will be put to a vote, with the Top 3 photos to be given special prizes. The Focus Portrait Project will also count toward the point system for our Photographer of the Year competition that will start January of next year.

8. Keep in mind that the photos will be included in the members’ profiles. So do your best to present your fellow Focus members in a good light. Funny or unusual presentation of your fellow member is accepted, as long as it does not demean the individual. Create a portrait that your partner will be proud of.

9. Drawing of names will be held on September 8 after the Singkaban Festival EB. We shall start informing participants about their partners immediately after.

10.  In effect, we have more than three months to do this project (September-December). So schedule with your partner accordingly. Let’s avoid cramming. Three months is a lot of time.

11.  For questions and other concerns, state them in the Facebook comment box below.

Hopefully, everyone gets to join! Good luck and let’s all have fun! =)