BEHIND THE LENS

CYRUS PANGANIBAN

“I ALWAYS REMIND MYSELF TO MAKE AN EFFORT TO CREATE SOMETHING NEW FOR MY SUBJECT THAT WOULD STILL SHOW HIS/HER REAL SELF. IT HAS TO BE GREAT, AND EVEN AFTER DECADES, THE IMAGE SHOULD STILL SPEAK TO YOU”

While the rest of the young and energetic lot are chasing after the famed fashion holy grail of being published by a magazine, Cyrus Panganiban has successfully steered his focus from what once was to something just as fulfilling, if not more—taking portraits in the corporate arm of society. While it isn’t glamorous, fast-paced, and high-octane as when his name was almost a permanent byline on glossies, he insists that the trade-off has made things easier and distilled. “I get to live life now,” he says in his signature mumble.

“I always dreamt of becoming a Time, Life, and Vanity Fair portrait photographer, that’s why maybe my work is The joy that I experience with my a sitter is always a privilege and the bond that has been made in the process is beyond compare,” he says, parlaying the world he operates on today. “I always remind myself to make an effort to create something new for my subject that would still show his/her real self. It has to be great, and even after decades, the image should still speak to you.”