The Head Hunter

OF CONCEPTS AND COSMOS

Manila Bulletin

Thursday, November 16, 2006
Yugel Losorata



He is one who thinks out of the box. He is someone who thinks about complexity. And he is a man diving down towards concepts and flying up into the cosmos. He is a conceptual photographer. And a name called Niccolo Cosme.

For this 28-year-old visual artist, there’s much to photography than clicking the camera shutter or earning from a well-exposed set of pretty but ordinary images. Photography for him is deep art, a medium wherein the mind may fly around, create, and produce. Like how the works of painting artists are valued, camera images are meaningful to life and to the soul.

This belief has transformed Niccolo into a conceptual artist – where everything starts from concept and feelings and ends into magnificent visual results of that concept. He shared, "Conceptual photography is basically a more complex and diverse way to showcase what I have in mind."

No wonder he is much into details, like a perfectionist musician scrutinizing every note in a song’s arrangement. "Details such as hand gestures, movements, colors, facial expressions give me a natural high; they’re really very addictive for me," he emphasized.

The son of premier TV show writer, Director, Caesar Cosme, Niccolo found his calling not with words but with images. It all began when his dad exposed him to photography at a tender age and which later led to a significant event in his young life. In school, he was asked to shoot something wherein he was armed with a press ID. He didn’t become a photojournalist but that was enough for him to pursue the field of photography.

A graduate of Communication Arts at the De La Salle University- Dasmariñas in Cavite, Niccolo believes that photography has given him the freedom to fully express himself and immortalize visualized pictures in his mind as inspired by emotions or significant life’s events. "My mind travels starting from conceptualization up to post- production. Pain and melancholy are my greatest inspirations when it comes to art, may it be visual or music."


Brainstorming

Since conceptual photography is his cup of tea, Niccolo takes a lot of thinking during shoots, either alone or with a group. His style and intricacies have earned him clients from the clothing and events industry which have helped him a lot financially-wise. He related, "Since I do mostly conceptual, it takes a lot of brainstorming either alone or in a group. I usually spend time alone first, and this usually takes a lot of inspiration. I listen to a lot of songs, close my eyes and try to put these small images on my head like a puzzle; until I get a whole picture. Then I present that to clients, and we start a whole new brainstorming from there."

If his dad has the pen which significantly helped ‘Bubble Gang’ still taste sweet after a decade of being chewed by televiewers, Niccolo has the eye to produce images that touch the senses and make artists say that the guy behind the camera is a comrade. For him, ‘the eye’ is really important because even if one has the most expensive tools, if he doesn’t have the eye, it really won’t work. He said, "I believe it’s either innate or it’s something you have to work on. Just like singing, it’s either you can really sing, or you really need to have voice lessons."

The Taurus man

If some people are happy to belong to Scorpio or Virgo signs, Niccolo, whose birthday falls on May 15, is a proud Taurus guy. Some astrological believers think of Taurus people as strong-willed, and he wants to believe he is one. "I have the same birthday with my dad," he revealed, "So we’re probably the same."

His philosophy in life shows he is raring to do things and not be afraid of failing. As a conceptual photographer, he is on the go to explore all the time. He hopes to showcase his talent in the international scene one day and just stay focus on his chosen endeavor. "You’ll get bruised, fall flat on your face and cry. But life is just like that, you should just always stand up and do it all over again… and if someone tells you that you are no good, tell them, ‘so what?’ and move on."

Niccolo will definitely move on, not because he had fallen but because he is on his way up higher.

For more...
http://www.pbase.com/niccolo/cosmos
WWW.NICCOLOCOSME.COM

www.headshotclinic.com

Amada Patria, dolor sin igual, sin amparo,
Ui, querida Filipinas, mi ultimo adios;
Tu ya quidao cun mi tata y todo quien yo caro
Yo di asnda nuay mas esclavo, nuay barbaro,
Donde el fe no ta mata, y donde solo rey el Dios.
"Mi Ultimo Adios en Chavacano-Caviteño"




Create your own visitor map!

Photography Workshop at the Lighthouse studio with Niccolo Cosme

• MTV Philippines Blog on Headshot Clinic One YOUTH
• Living it Up's Project HEADSHOT CLINIC Go Glam photos
• Living It Up's Site
• Project Headshot Clinic featured in Cambodia's G21 Magazine
• FTV Photographer Niccolo Cosme Part 1
• MEGA Magazine-Ready to wear
• beautifulmag.eu mentions niccolo and his works for night visions (book)
• Project Headshot Clinic - One WORLD, Saigon Photo Gallery
• www.headshotclinic.com
• 3 degrees of Niccolo Cosme

In The Night Garden (1 of 3) Iggle Piggle & Upsy Daisy

Tell Me