A few months ago, the cast and the crew of “Photo Face-Off” visited Manila to film an episode for the show’s fourth season. InterAksyon was granted access on set, as well as the opportunity to interview the show’s resident professional photographer, Justin Mott.
In the show, Justin judges the output of competing amateur photographers who go through a series of photography challenges in their respective countries. He and host Kelly Latimer sweep across six Southeast Asian countries — Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand — in search of the amateur photographer with the outstanding skill and talent, and who deserves to bring home the prizes and the winning title.
Fort Santiago served as the backdrop for one of the challenges of the Pinoy contestants who had to conduct time-pressured fashion photo shoots in selected spots within the area. Manila-based professional photographers Jijo de Guzman and Joseph Pascual served as judges.
In an interview with InterAksyon, Justin shared his views on what sets amateur photographers from the pros.
“I think what makes the difference and how to jump from amateur to pro is you have to start…a lot of photographers get into in ‘cause it’s fun, you just take pictures and it seems a good time. But to make a living you have to shoot things you’re not interested in,” he said.
The Rhode Island-born but now Vietnam-based photographer imparted valuable advice to aspiring shutterbugs.
“The key is to find your own style, your own identity. You have to separate yourself from other photographers. It’s a saturated market. So many photographers out there. So much talent. So you have to find your vision, your style and then you’re gonna learn to sell that style to clients,” he shared.
Although Justin has been living in Vietnam for the last six years, Filipino viewers hold a special place in his heart because of their enthusiastic response to the show. He recalls attending the first History Con last year, saying, “I was so surprised at the number of people that turned out that knew the show or watched the show.”
He continues, “When we didn’t film in the Philippines last year, I got so many emails, so many people asked me about why not. Of all the countries [in Asia], honestly, the Philippines has the audience that has the most passion for photography.”
“They’re the ones that email me, the ones that answer the questions; they’re the ones that wanna be on the show and they’re the ones that let me know about it.”
“I love coming here, I love filming here because of that. I love coming here for History because of that.”
“It’s always so special. We didn’t even film in the Philippines last year. And yet this is still the youngest audience,” he said.
Does he miss his home country? Not entirely.
“I do [miss the United States], but it doesn’t feel like home for me. I miss…my mother is there, my sister is there, a lot of my friends, I grew up there. But I love it here. I love this region. I’m still inspired to shoot here and excited to shoot here,” Justin said.
He returned to the country this month with other stars of History’s shows to grace History Con 2017.
“Photo Face-Off” is the first and the top photography reality competition TV series in Asia, produced by Beach House productions for A+E Networks Asia. The show airs on History.
