Give us a short background of yourself and what you do.

I’m Lucky So Alabado, founder of DiscoverMNL, a food, travel and lifestyle blog in the Philippines. Graduated Cum Laude with a BS-HRIM major in Hospitality Management degree at De La Salle College of Saint Benilde.

What is photography to you?

‍It’s a form of expression, a way to freeze a moment, a tool to preserve a memory, an integral part of creating history and unfolding stories for generations to come.

What drew you to working in photography? What’s exciting about the industry you work in?

I like to recall moments, places, memories and the people in my life as vividly as possible, and photography does that for me. I initially didn’t do photography for work, it was mainly something that made me happy and came out as an everyday habit until it evolved to what it is now. When DiscoverMNL grew to this now full-time career that I have, taking photos of places, food and the people I meet along the way became more than just a hobby, it turned into something that could support businesses, a way for people to connect and an avenue to reach a bigger audience and the industry I’m involved in now is growing and evolving non-stop, there’s always something new to see, capture, learn, discover and share.

What is a regular work week like for you?

Usually set with meetings, shoots and post-production days in the home office. Some days are dedicated to a full-day shoot or a full-day of editing while others are spent in nearby cities for meetings and project discussions.

“I like to recall moments, places, memories and the people in my life as vividly as possible. and photography does that for me.”

What are some challenges you face in your line of work?

Timings, deadlines, working capacity and sometimes, creative block. Me together with my partner, Waltz Siy, make up the core team of DiscoverMNL where he handles all of the video production side, while I take care of social media, the website, e-mails, project coordination and schedules. There are times when we get overwhelmed with subsequent projects so we always try to make sure to be aware of our commitments and spread our workload efficiently. We also face creative blocks along the way especially when there are similar campaigns, so it helps to step back, read up, go out and see what could help spark inspiration for our content.

Any advice you can give to someone who wants to follow in your steps?

Start now. Keep learning. Stay curious. Don’t be afraid to ask.

In this day and age, learning resources about everything under the sun is widely available online, it just needs you to take action and start loading up on the information you need to get started. Challenge yourself to be better everyday. Find the shooting style that shows your personality the most and keep experimenting and shooting. Have a purpose and let your photos tell the story. Make it a point to have a goal in every shoot, a purpose for every photograph and a meaning behind every shot.