“Growing up, I always told myself ‘I’m not an artist,’” said the 10-year veteran, who conducted photography workshops on Guam over the weekend.
In the world of photography, Librodo ranks up there among some of the world’s finest, particularly in the area of post-processing images. Librodo, one might argue, is like the Picasso of photographers with his avant-garde approach to digital photography.
Librodo’s work has been the subject of much discussion among novice and veteran photographers alike. He has been conducting workshops all over the world for the last seven years and has received numerous awards for his work.
One might think Librodo has undergone extensive schooling and training for his ability to garner the recognition as a rare gem in an industry that has expanded exponentially in recent years.
No formal training
But, Librodo contends, he’s had no formal training and credits his brother, Jose Librodo, as his mentor who propelled him into photography.
In fact, prior to photography, Librodo was on a much different career path, teaching at an international high school in Bangkok, Thailand.
He would plan his trips ahead of time to coincide with school holidays and only took pictures recreationally. Librodo admitted he was often the subject of the photos and not vice-versa.
“I started to bring a camera along with me and I started to ask people to shoot me. Then eventually, when the Internet became very popular with people sharing their travel photos, I started to shoot other people and posted them online,” said Librodo.
Known for his loyalty to camera-maker Nikon, Librodo said it was his brother who advised him to use Nikon. He lost his very first camera, a Nikon D70, in a cab during one of his trips, which, he says, was a blessing in disguise.
“I brought it with me to school almost every day and I lost it. That was the time for me to upgrade to a newer model. Because I lost it and it was my own personal camera, I told myself that my next one should be free,” said Librodo. “So that gave me enough courage to approach Nikon to sponsor me. They gave me a D3S.”
Art
To rise to prominence in a technologically-advanced era where nearly everyone has access to a camera, Librodo believes it takes a keen eye for art and all its known facets.
“I think right now being a photographer is not just about having a camera,” Librodo said. “I think you need to be an artist, in the sense that you are actually showing art, that you’re actually capturing art — art in terms of color; art in terms of your composition.
“Almost everyone is taking photos, but most of what they are taking are just snapshots. So what would make a picture stand out from the rest of what you see right now? It’s becoming more artistic in your composition and your storytelling.”
And yet, perhaps the most astonishing aspect of Librodo’s use of vivid colors in his photos is artificial lighting, or lack thereof.
“I only shoot with natural light,” explained Librodo. “I don’t know how to use studio lighting.”
Librodo also insists he’s not a technical photographer.
“If you ask me all the technical stuff, I probably could not give you a detailed answer — it just comes naturally for me. I’m more into capturing the moment — the emotion — rather than knowing what the f-stop is and stuff like that,” he said.
Practice
Another important factor to becoming a successful professional photographer, Librodo believes, is constant practice.
“I think art is something that you can learn. I would say a large part of it is something inborn, but you can actually learn it,” said Librodo.
While Librodo yields to his brother as the artist of the family, as his brother is musically, artistically and photographically-inclined, Librodo believes it’s his knack for “art-appreciation” that allowed him to understand what it means to be an artist. He reasoned his talent developed through all his years of observing art, subconsciously burying itself into far corners of his mind, waiting to be released into a realm of opportunities.
“Before photography, I was not into any form of art, but I appreciated beautiful art,” explained Librodo. “Subconsciously, everything became stuck in my head and when I got into photography, everything just flowed spontaneously.
“Sometimes when I shoot, I ask myself, ‘Where did I come up with that, where did it come from?’ I think these are all just subconscious. I think I had been looking at beautiful pictures,” he said. “It’s a gift; and now it’s unlocked.”
