Lifescapes & Landscapes Exhibit

RHONSON SAMSON NG is a mountaineer, caver, diver and awardwinning photographer whose images are printed in brochures, coffee table books, airport billboards, and tourism materials all over the country. Born in Manila in 1975, he moved to Davao City in 2003 to conquer Mount Apo each year since then. His photos of the majestic peak have been on cover of Mabuhay Magazine twice, and published in Action Asia Magazine. He has worked as the official photographer for the Department of Tourism Region 11, before he went freelance. He has done projects for other tourism regions as well.

An avid trekker and climber who has scaled several challenging peaks around the Philippines and in Kota Kinabalu, Rhonson is also noted for his cave photography. As a diver, one of his underwater fashion images was shortlisted in a popular UK photography contest. His photos are included in DOT's It's More Fun in the Philippines campaign, and the Best of the Best of the Philippines Coffee Table Book. He was also commissioned to shoot exclusively for the coffee table book of San Juan.

Rhonson contributes to local and international publications and has been featured in magazines and TV shows. His most memorable photo exhibit was a first major solo in the Metropolitan Museum featuring the Lumads of Mindanao. He holds the indigenous people close to his heart and aims to preserve the rich but dying culture through his documentaries. He was embraced by the Ovu-Manuvu tribe who christened him “Datu Maumpid”, which means “he who makes beautiful things”.

This adopted Dabawenyo has won in top competitions, recently bagging the grand prize in the conventional category of the Pagcor National Photography Competition 2015. Currently, he conducts photography workshops around Mindanao as a resource speaker for Fujifilm Philippines.

Through the years, he has raised funds (free workshops and exhibits) for his personal advocacy and charity works (Kids of Hope Davao Cancer Foundation). He initiated relief operations for the victims of typhoon Pablo, Sendong, and Yolanda and traveled to devastated areas. He had also risked documenting this year's forest fire in Mount Apo from a chopper and delivered food supplies to firefighter volunteers. Rhonson is among five of Filipino members of the International Environment Photographers Association (IEPA), an organization based in Japan.

Currently he continues to travel and shoot on commission, and has led the documentation team for DOT Davao in the recent Miss Earth 2016 visit to Davao. He is also invited to be one of the resource speakers in the coming PhotoWorld Asia 2017 in Manila.

"Lifescapes and Landscapes: A Travel Documentary by Rhonson Ng” is a collection of sixty five (65) memorable works (several are published) taken from his journey around his beloved country. Despite threat of typhoon Karen, his opening on October 15 was successful in the Solaire Resort and Casino's Shoppes Hallway in Parañaque. The large images of 24x36 inches in size were printed by Fujifilm Philippines. Gracing the event in the ribbon cutting ceremony were Mrs. Eduviges Huang (Chairman of the Federation of Philippine Photographer's Foundation), Maeda Takuya and Nelson Perez of Fujifilm Philippines, Jun Ventura (Eastgate Publishing), Rhonson’s mentor Manolo Araneta, Chia David (Manfrotto), Ariel Murillo (Camera Club of the Phils.), Pablo Beltran (FPPF), James and Maxine Loyola (PLDT Home), as well as Rhonson’s family and relatives.

Among friends from Davao who graced the event were Ian Garcia (M Magazine), Joyce Mariscal, Carlos Munda and family. Those who stayed away from the typhoon came to visit in the next few days.

Rhonson’s photo exhibit will run for a month, until November 15, 2016. He wishes to thank his bestfriend Antoinette Sison-Guevarra who organized the exhibit, Mr. Donato Almeda (Board Director, Solaire) and Ms. Regina Kaimo (Production Manager, Solaire), Mr. Allen Capuyan of MIAA and to former DOT XI Regional Director Ms. Sonia Garcia and the late columnist Roger Layson who opened doors for him by hiring him as photographer for the region in 2003.