Daniel Roque: Photographer [TCL 13]
The Creative Life is a mini series where I sit with emerging creatives and seasoned professionals to know and share their stories. They show a side of the creative life that we don’t often see: vulnerability, mistakes made, questions about the way their industries work, and lessons they’ve learned, both the painful and the eureka moments.
Daniel Roque was a former classmate of mine when I begun my first trimester as a Literature major at university. He’s a talented designer, artist, and photographer, and has now made a name for himself among national and global audiences. You can find him here, here, and here.
What introduced you to the world of photography, and how did you arrive at where you are today?
I was introduced into photography, initially by way of my parents.
I always had a curiosity with the click of the shutter of our point-and-shoot camera and I wound it up (empty of film) endlessly.
What really brought me to photography was the lack of funds for me to buy a digital camera. I could not afford to buy a digital camera and at the time film/lomography was at its peak, so I decided to go to Hidalgo, Quiapo with the aid of a friend. Later on that friend of mine gave me her digital camera but it was already too late, I was deep in love with the medium.
Who or what inspires you and/or influences your work?
I look up to a lot of photographers, I read up on them, buy their photobooks and try to find whatever works they have online.
I cannot say that they are a direct influence to me. When I shoot, I do not go out with the intention to mimic, but instead I see the image references flash in the back of my head once I am viewing them on my computer.
I guess that I am inspired by the routine, no exhilarating subject or noble cause pushes me on, I can shoot more because I conditioned myself to.
On your creative process: What goes into each photo taken? What comes into play before taking the shot?
Nothing really. I feel that when I take a photo, I simply take it.
The most I do is position myself but beyond that I don’t think about what I am taking a photo of. I am just moved to shoot.
Do you have a piece of work or a project that you consider particularly significant to you?
I feel like I have grown too attached to the four projects I have running right now that I feel upon completion I will not have anything else to anchor me down.
It is like I have invested so much and molded myself around these projects that I cannot break out of it and shoot anything else anymore. It is dedication but it is also trapping myself.
Your upcoming exhibit, Nox., features nine photographers (including yourself) delving into the subject of “death and its promises.” What do you think is necessary to be able to explore and express such a complex subject matter?
You have to think about dying. You have to feel like you are dying in essence or see it in action. If you have really dwelled on it and ran it through your head enough then that will be the only time you can express anything over it. This goes for any subject.
What is your biggest struggle or fear as a photographer? More importantly, how are you able to manage it?
My biggest fear is to one day wake up and feel no more motivation.
Studying photography has made me realize that I cannot do this as a means to put food on the table. I cannot bend over backwards for a client.
Being subjected to a simulation of what it would be like to be a commercial photographer, a photojournalist or a fashion photographer has made me realize this.
I simply take it in stride and know that once I am done I can be whoever I want to be.
Seeing that you’ve taken on several projects and have shared your work with the world, how do you respond to either positive and negative criticism?
I don’t read any of it!
Many creatives struggle with finishing what they’ve started. We get so caught up with an idea, only to falter and lose consistency. What are your best tips to starting and finishing a project?
I may have overdone it but, you have got to do it everyday.
It has to become natural for it to become consistent. If you are forcing yourself to do something day in and day out and you feel uncomfortable every single time then you either drop it entirely or become comfortable with it.
What is the most important thing people should know about you as a photographer and, ultimately, as a creative individual?
Read. Immerse yourself. If I had no access to photobooks, did not find the online avenues I have found then you are not going to get anywhere fumbling in the dark or arrogantly saying that you are your own photographer or your own creative unsituated.
What advice can you give to the aspiring creative starting out?
Just shoot! Just be creative! There is nothing really that you can do but be.
How can the community best support you and your work?
Come to nox. this April 1–3 at NOVA Gallery. Or just follow me on Instagram. A like here and there is always a good boost for anyone with the artist’s struggle.
