Reginald James Lorico of Borongan City made rounds in the international photography scene as he clinched the highly sought-after Sony World Photography Award for the Philippines this year with his entry, “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”.
The Sony World Photography Awards selects one to three winners from each participating country or region for its annual National and Regional Awards. This year, the SWPA jury composed of renowned international photographers hailed Lorico’s work as the best among all entries from the Philippines, making him the only SWPA recipient from the country.
According to Lorico, his photo takes reference from the classic Sci-Fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey, specifically its opening sequence where a mysterious black slab called the monolith is revealed by the light of the rising moon. In Lorico’s photo, a high-rise building in the middle of a metropolitan landscape is illuminated by sunlight in an almost identical manner to the said movie scene, compelling him to click on the shutter to immortalize the moment.
“The way the sunlit building struck me was that, it’s the same with how the monolith in the film made its presence known to the characters. The characters were often surprised when the monolith showed itself. And in the same manner, that was how the scene [in the photo] unfolded, [and] that compelled me to take the shot.”
The photograph’s title, on the other hand, is a nod to the film’s opening score, Richard Strauss’ Sprach Zarathustra. As a musician himself, Lorico’s piece does not only reflect his love for photography and classic films, but also his love for music.
Categorized under travel photography, the photo was taken in Tehran, Iran, where the prophet Zarathustra, whose name is used in the photo’s title and the abovementioned musical score, founded Zoroastrianism, the oldest monotheistic religion in the world. For RJ, the overlapping references in his photo made it even more meaningful.
“I think what drove it home as well is that Zarathustra is the founder of Zoroastrianism, the world’s oldest monotheistic religion. It was founded in Iran and the photo was shot in Iran. So I think it was a full-circle moment. It’s really layered with many references.” said Lorico.
Lorico is a full-time government employee who does photography as a hobby. He began joining competitions in 2013 and has since garnered many accolades for his chosen art form. Like any other artist, he had humble beginnings, starting only with cameras lent by his classmates in college. With the equipment he borrowed, he joined and won local festival photography competitions, including Borongan’s own Padul-ong Festival photography contest and that of the Sinulog Festival in Cebu.
The SWPA is not Lorico’s first international recognition in the field of photography. In 2014, one of his photos was selected as a finalist in the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards (HIPA), one of the world’s biggest photography contests based in Dubai. Two years later, he was named finalist and week two winner of the Volcom Asia-Pacific Region Photo Contest in Bangkok, Thailand.
Locally, RJ Lorico is the first Boronganon to ever claim an international award in photography. For him, the SWPA is a significant win for Boronganons, as it is a testament to our ability to match world-class talent.
“I think the significance of my winning is that it shows that Boronganons can dream big and actually make it happen. When I join competitions I do not expect to win all the time. But it’s the drive to strive for a win that keeps me going. I’ve joined many contests and I don’t always win. But again it’s the drive to dream big, to achieve seemingly impossible things. And I hope Boronganons can also take from that, they can also stand toe to toe with anyone in the country, and even the world.”
When asked about how Boronganons can enrich their talent in photography, Lorico says that Borongan’s beautiful landscapes and rich culture are ideal inspirations for developing one’s eye.
“One of the things that I take inspiration from are the beautiful landscapes of our city, our province. I think it was very influential in developing my eye, so to speak. And so for Boronganons who are artistically inclined, I highly suggest that you take time to get to know our hometown, its traditions, and culture and try to fuse it with your own ideas because I think that’s how you can come up with art that can compete with the rest of the world or art that can last the test of time. Prior to living in Borongan, I was living in Manila, and I tried to come home every quarter just to take inspiration from our place. That’s one of the key influences in this journey. So I highly suggest they also try the same thing.”
Lorico’s photo is set to be displayed at the Sony World Photography Exhibition in Somerset House, London, this coming April.
Photo Credit:
(L) RJ Lorico’s “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”
(R) Photo of RJ Lorico by John Austria of Sino Pinas
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