Onin Lorente has photographed top models Alek Wek, Tony Ward, Sven de Vries, Charlene Almarvez and Bhumika Arora; done cover shoots for L’Officiel (Indonesia and India), editorials for Esquire (Singapore), L’Officiel (Thailand, Indonesia, India), L’Optimum and L’Officiel Hommes (Thailand), Men’s Uno (Hong Kong), Harper’s Bazaar and Elle (Vietnam), and commercial works for Charles & Keith, Uniqlo and Bench.
His influences are Peter Lindbergh, Paolo Roversi, Tim Walker and Steven Meisel, while his local idols are Charles Buenconsejo and Steve Tirona. Kate Moss, Sasha Pivovarova, Mariacarla Boscono, Lily Cole, and Ajak Deng are on his list of models he would love to work with.
This 2018, this column will highlight the Filipinos in the fields of fashion, entertainment and beauty who have done great strides on the world stage. Lorente, a Sorsogon native based in London, is our opening, inspiring salvo.
Here’s Lorente, in his own words:
“I curated my own fashion web sites [among them style-anywhere.com, www.oninlorente.com] around 2007, which is about photography, news, trends and models. That is how I started gaining interest in fashion in general.
“Then I began collecting some of my favorite fashion editorials ranging from the works of Peter Lindbergh, Paolo Roversi, Steven Meisel, and Tim Walker, among others. I love their works. Their fashion shoots not only showcase clothes or trends, but they also depict a story, a dream, which I find inspiring and beautiful.
“My interest in photography started with fascination, then learning about it, doing it and keeping the passion for it. It’s a personal realization—one of the signs to figure out your passion is if you dream bigger, you aim higher.
“I was a programmer in the Philippines and in Singapore for multinational companies. When I was a programmer, I didn’t aim for something bigger, like to be a software architect or team manager. But with fashion photography, I dream to shoot for Vogue Italia, French Numero, and W. I dream of becoming one of the most inspiring fashion photographers in the industry.
“I started with DSLR Nikon D40, Nikon D90 and, finally, with Nikon D810. I seldom use them now. I have two analog cameras which I use in most of my shootings: Nikon F90 and German Balda.
“The first photo I took that I really loved is of my grandmother, shot at our home in Sorsogon. She was smiling straight to my camera—with all smiles and the lines in her face prominent. It is sort of a reflection of all her many years, her journey in life.
“I love the entire creative process of fashion photography, and I am hands-on in all aspects. I create the mood board, cast models, organize the team, verify with the stylist to see if we are getting the proper clothes, and scout locations. I make sure that as much as possible, all is aligned to the story/vision, we have planned. And of course, it feels rewarding to see the output. It is one of the best feelings in the world.
“My international break started when I left my programming job in Singapore in 2011 and traveled to fashion capitals—Milan, New York, Paris and London—to cover Fashion Weeks. I wrote for magazines in Asia and also contributed fashion photos. It became a routine every Fashion Week season, and I regularly met fashion editors, fashion PRs and other creatives. It took three years before I got a break to shoot a fashion story for Elle Vietnam in 2014, and four years to have my first cover work for L’Officiel India in 2015.
“Any given month is full of surprises. Last July, I was in Florence for a shoot for Men’s Uno Hong Kong, in Milan for the Men’s Fashion Week and in Paris for an Esquire Singapore shoot. Come August, I was in Los Angeles for the Bench advertising campaign shoot with Riverdale star Cole. After that, I shot for L’Officiel, which took me three hours away from Hamburg, Germany.
“I live most of the time in London with constant traveling around Europe and America. It helps to be in the fashion capitals where the real industry is happening—the most inspiring magazines and creatives, and the top models. But the Philippines is still my home country.
“Oh, the struggle is real and the industry is not for the weak of heart. It took years, a lot of patience, resourcefulness, hard work and resilience. I had so many disappointments and rejections. They strengthen my character and also widen my understanding of people. It made me a better person.
“Up until now, it is tough. There are so many great creatives. “The main challenge for me is the limitation of having a Philippine passport. I have to have a visa always ready. If not, I may lose the opportunity to shoot. It would have been easier, less complicated, if I’m a US or European passport-holder. “Sometimes, I tell myself that life is unfair. But it is what it is. Face the challenge, pursue the dream, and enjoy the journey and learn as much as I can—that’s what I’m doing now.”