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Miguel M. Cortez |
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WEDDING
CELEBRATIONS 2001
Isla Ballroom Convention Centre,
Edsa Shangri - La, Manila
Exhibition Date: 2 September 2001
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DecisiveMoments
Wedding Reportage in Black & White
Text: Romeo J. Santos
The Photographs
Talking about art, said Cézanne, is almost useless. "The
work which brings about progress in one's own craft is
sufficient compensation for not being understood . . ."
he explained. "Get to the heart of what is before you
and continue to express yourself as logically as possible."
The photojournalist Miguel "Mel" Cortez now places before
you this exhibition. Listen. "I consider wedding photography
as another learning experience in documentary photography.
I aim to capture not only the real moments but also the
'hearts' of my subjects," he said. He aims to please you;
most especially, himself. Yes, he has snapped Bresson's
phrase-every photographer of his generation is familiar
with it, if they don't know it by heart-but no, even if
with this collection he admitted to going digital, this
photographic work does not compromise artistically. That
said, I see a turning point. These images, which are for
all to see-artists or philistines; culturati or merchants-builds
on Bresson's phrase. Will Henri Cartier be proud or green?
Mel the photographer invites you to pay attention. I succumb.
These images make many possibilities realizable, regardless
of their digital origin. To Mel, they are his "interpretation
of what wedding photojournalism should be-'real moments'
as captured by a photojournalist's eye." They are not
only decisive, as in Bresson, but also rare for they had
snapped those fleeting moments in weddings. But art is
long.
An artist of integrity, he is at ease with these pictures-at
length, he can explain the whys and hows of selection
to you-from his three-months of experimenting with photographer
Dino Lara in several weddings. I'm also comfortable with
them; his aversion to overworked cliché is apparent in
them. "I want real moments-when I say real, I mean no
'formal' pictures, no choreography, no posing, no staging
and prompting whatsoever-not concocted moments," he said.
"My approach-report the event as it happens, just like
covering it for a newspaper-just like what I would to
do to cover a rally, convention, conflict, or human drama
where scenes are not staged," he concluded.
Collectively, these images have elements that one seeks
to capture everyday of his waking, wakeful moment if he
considers himself a photojournalist worth his salt. These
are also creative journeys-when work pursuits or pursuits
of work become sources of pleasure, which in themselves
are exercises in passionate patience. In fact, they are
extensions of Cortez's professional life. There is continuity
from his work or vocation to self-assignments or private
passion. The photos, with apologies to Cézanne, are very
logical. |
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