Fujifilm brings Xyza Bacani home to tell her Cinderella Tale
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Armed with just her Cat-eared headband and a shiny new camera,
Xyza Bacani shares her vision of photography
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Cinderella is a timeless story first published by Charles Perrault in 1697 about a girl down on her luck, but with the flick of a magic wand has
been given the opportunity to turn her life around overnight. (If you’re a fan
of the Disney version, this included the aid of talking mice and a giant kalabasa).
Today, Cinderella has
become an archetype name for someone unrecognized
and unexpectedly achieves recognition or success after a period of obscurity or neglect.
Fast forward to 2014. In a world a lot smaller because of technology, many seem to question if the
validity of the Cinderella tale as something possible a good 300 years later.
Enter Xyza Cruz Bacani, a
Filipino who has been working in Hong Kong as a domestic helper and has recently been recognized for her passion and talent in photography. Her Cinderella story is one that can be told with a modern digital
twist.
Emerging from mere obscurity, it seems that Xyza has grown to become a celebrity in the photography world overnight. With her street photography being featured in the likes of Vogue and The New York Times, and eventually landing in the local news, one could not help but see a Cinderella story in the making. But behind the overnight success, lies years of hard work and perseverance.
With hard work, dedication and sheer love for her craft, Xyza Bacani achieved the fairy tale dream. Instead of glass slippers she has a shiny new camera, and for her ball, a precious spot at the New York Times.
Her fairy Godmother though, came in the form of social
media-connecting her to the world, the insurmountable support of photographers such as Ric Rocamora, Jonathan Van Smith and Gary Tyson, and photo and imaging giant Fujifilm, offering her the pumpkin ride back to her hometown today to
fuel photographers with her inspiring story.
The event brought photographers up close and personal to the Xyza Bacani story. Wearing her cat-eared tiara and standing in front of a crowd of shutterbugs and fans, she shared her photographic vision in her own words.
ON CREATIVITY
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| Street Photography by Xyza Bacani |
As with any person practicing the craft of photography, creativity is the
sugar that is stirred into the coffee. Some want diabetes-inducing sweetness,
while others prefer the more bitter taste. For Xyza, it is something she seeks
when she shoots.
“I hate routine but of course
as a helper, I can’t avoid it”
Her day job entails taking care of 6 kids, which she enjoys every moment
of. But when work becomes routine, she finds ways to exercise her creativity.
Despite her day job, she always makes time for photography, taking at least one picture a day.
DISCIPLINE AND DEDICATION
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| "The more you work hard, the luckier you get" |
Many people who have heard of the Xyza Bacani story online will say that she has been blessed with
luck. But for her, its not just luck, but also having to work hard. In her own simple words, “The more you work hard, the luckier you get.”
Xyza's hard work and dedication came in many variants, from finding time to shoot, to nitpicking every photo.
When working on her photography, she mentioned having to trim off around 50,000 shots into 600 photos for her portfolio. Any
photographer would testify on the difficulty of letting go of one shot shot you love, now try 49,400 of
them.
“We have this Pwede na yan (that will do) Attitude”
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| "That'll do That'll do" |
There are many Filipinos who
have helped elevate the country to its present stature through sheer will and
determination. But there are also many more of us stuck in the plateau that is
mediocrity. Whether we choose to accept it or not, the pwede na yan (that will
do) attitude remains a mainstay in the average Filipino persona. For Xyza, if you want to make it big, you'll have to let kick this habit.
For Xyza, it is hard work and perseverance to get the best shots that brought her talents to the
limelight. The recognition she has for her photography today would have never seen the light
of day, had she not been religiously shooting and posting online and on her
blog, and trying her luck at photo contests.
ON FRIENDSHIP
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| "In photography, we all speak the same language." |
You have to admit that many
of us, have experienced talking to (and to some, actually being!) photo snobs.
These social hipsters contribute nothing to the photography world whatsoever,
seeing themselves too far-off from anyone to touch, with their self-admiration for their skills making them so thick-skinned, it could be used to make world class leather wallets (or world class chicharon).
Xyza Bacani's name is already well-recognized in our local photography community, but she recalls the days when
she was starting out and was bashed by some groups because she didn’t
know about this or that. To her, this shouldn't be the case, as she mentioned, "In photography we all speak the same language, so why
not be nice to newbies?"
For all you know, one day, that newbie may be featured by the New
York Times. (So suck it photo snobs of the world.)
For her, Friendship also plays a big role in Fujifilm's success, citing the imaging company's photo group, XPPH (X-Photographers
Philippines). Apart from her camera that she uses for her street photography, to her, "The best part of Fuji is the group that they created”.
MORE QUOTES FROM XCB
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| "I've been chased by a Chinese person who was trying to hit me with an umbrella." |
On what inspires her to shoot
“I shoot for myself. I enjoy the process of taking photos more than the images.”
“When you shoot, empty the cup. Try not to shoot only based on someone else's photo because it
may not be your vision anymore. You end up shooting their vision instead.”
When compared to Vivian Maier
“I believe the comparison is only based on our day job, when you look at our
photography, you will see that the difference is divided from east to west.”
Ever got into trouble when shooting street?
“I’ve been chased by a chinese person
who was trying to hit me with her umbrella and an Indian guy tried to get my
camera from me. If they don’t want their photo taken, I simply delete it because it is
their right.”
When was your photography first noticed?
“The first time I was noticed was in a photo contest for National Geographic Hong Kong, where I got honorable mention. I've been
joining other contests ever since.”
About shooting
“Enjoy the thing you do, even if it means nothing to
anyone, Enjoy.”
You can learn more about Xyza Bacani and her photography at her blog, xyzabacaniphotography.com
yes, the inspiring X. :)
ReplyDeletehey, this is a very well-written article. :)
Thanks Joemill! Always glad to see a happy reader. If theres any topic you'd want to read about, feel free to give us the heads up. Read on!
DeleteVery inspiring and a really great story of perseverance. I'm happy for her
ReplyDeleteHer story is a reminder that even lady luck gives more more chances to the hard worker.
Delete