1.

FELIX LAUREANO

 the first Filipino photographer

 the first Filipino photo-journalist.
 he opened a photo studio in Iloilo in 1886
 Laureano was 21 when he participated with 40 photographs at the 1887
Exposicion General de Filipinas in Madrid where he received an Honorable
Mention.
 he had participated in the 1888 Universal Exposicion de Barcelona where his
works received Honorable Mention. He travelled in Europe, studied the latest
photography developments in Paris, and attended the 1889 Universal
Exposicion where the Eiffel Tower was launched.
 Back in Barcelona, he received citation at the Exposicion National de Industrias
Artisticas, and was singled out by the newspaper La Vanguardia. Between
December 1892 and 1901, Laureano opened three photo studios there.
 In 1895, Laureano published ‘Recuerdos de Filipinas’ in Barcelona. This is
considered to be the first photo book by a Filipino. The book and his other
photographs were exhibited in the Exposicion Regional de Filipinas, in Manila
that year.
 His works began to be published in 1896, and until the end of that century. His
photographss appeared in La Ilustracion Artistica, La Ilustracion Espanola y
Americana, and Panorama Nacional. Two of his colored photos were published
in an 1899 issue of Album Salon, the first Spanish illustrated magazine in color.
 He could be the first Filipino press photographer, his photographs of the Spanish
warships anchored in Barcelona during the Spanish-American War in Cuba were
commissioned works.

2. EDUARDO MASFERRE

 regarded as the Father of Philippine photography.

 He was a self-taught photographer
 When World War II ended, he opened a photographic studio in Bontoc.
 Masferre's first exhibit was held in Manila in 1982. After a second exhibit in
Manila the next year, his work traveled to Copenhagen (1984) and Tokyo (1986).
 In 1988, his third Manila exhibit was mounted, and the book of his works, E.
Masferre: People of the Philippine Cordillera, was produced. Funding from
Mobil Philippines provided 1,500 copies to Philippine schools, museums, and
libraries. Mobil also funded the touring exhibit of Masferre's works to Baguio,
Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Bacolod.
 In 1989 he was invited to exhibit his works at the world's most prestigious
photographic exhibition: Les Recontres International de La Photographie, in
Arles, southern France. He is the only Filipino to have been accorded this honor.
  In 1990, the Smithsonian Institution purchased 120 of Masferre's original prints,
and exhibited them for six months in the main rotunda of the American National
Museum of Natural History, in Washington DC.

3. PAUL QUIAMBAO

 the official quadricentennial photographer of UST and a former editor of the

school publication The Varsitarian
 His atmospheric pictures of the university’s ancient grounds and buildings were
culled into a book and a photo exhibit, which launched his career in the
Philippines.
 Has founded The Thomasian Photographers Guild.
 In 2006, the Varsitarian photo editor announced an opening for photographers
in the paper. Paul submitted sample works and was immediately taken in. This
was the same year he won in ArtPetron (now Vision Petron).
 On March 9, 2011, Ash Wednesday, the officials of the Guinness World Records
(GWR) watched as UST community of 13, 266 UST students and faculty formed a
human cross and was still for five minutes in prayer. Paul was assigned to
photograph this historic event, which was UST’s concrete collective contribution
to its quadricentennial celebration.
 He first thought of the 400 photos to mark its quadricentennial anniversary.
Entitled “400 Shots to Immortality, Timeless Photographs of the University of
Santo Tomas Towards its Neo-Centennial”.
 Paul holds the distinction of having been awarded with the most Benavidez
trophies – four (out of the five years he has been a student). Two were for his
two grandprize wins in ArtPetron. His third Benavidez award is a collective one,
as he was part of the Varsitarian Quadricentennial coverage as its photo editor.
The fourth is his being the Philippine delegate in the Asean Youth Camp in
Indonesia in 2012.
 Currently, he is part of the forming of Fotomasino, a UST-based Photo club,
initiated together with alumni and more advanced photographer students.

4. XYZA BACANI

 is a Filipina Street and Documentary Photographer based in Hong Kong, she is

particularly interested in the intersection of labour migration and human rights.
 She is one of the Magnum Foundation Photography and Social Justice Fellows in
2015, has exhibited worldwide, and won awards in photography.
 She is also the recipient of a resolution passed by the Philippines House of
Representatives in her honour, HR No.1969.
 Xyza is one of the Asia 21 Young Leaders (Class of 2018), the WMA Commission
grantee in 2017, a Pulitzer Center and an Open Society Moving Walls 2017
grantee.
  She is one of the BBC’s 100 Women of the World 2015, 30 Under 30 Women
Photographers 2016, Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2016, Fujifilm ambassador and
author of the book We Are Like Air.

5. NICCOLO COSME

 Niccolo Cosme's conceptual pictures disrupt and provoke, as well as inspire, as

well as bring hope and reassurance.
 In this collection of photographs titled “Resplendor: The Blinding Light," Niccolo
delves deep into the experiences and aspirations, insights and emotions that
comprise the realities of HIV and migration, particularly for overseas Filipino
workers (OFWs).
 The Resplendor photographs have been exhibited in the Philippines at the
House of Representatives, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Asian Institute
of Management, and at various events supported by the Joint United Nations
Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). 
 Three photographs from the Resplendor collection have been exhibited at the
UN regional center in Bangkok, Thailand. One of Niccolo’s most significant
works, “Pagsubok” (“The Trials”), will soon be installed at the UNAIDS
headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
 In 2011, Niccolo topped the 7th annual PPA (Professional Photographers of
America) Affiliate Asian-Pacific Image Competition in Seoul, Korea with his
artwork "The Brotherhood of Men." The photograph ranked first among more
than 400 entries from different countries that included Australia, New Zealand,
China, Japan and Korea.
 In February 2012, he was one of the recipients of the “Ani ng Dangal” (Harvest
of Honors) awards of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the
Philippines.
 Niccolo is the founder and Creative Director of Headshot Clinic, an electronic
platform which blends photography and social networking for advocacy as well
as commercial purposes.
 Appointed as a goodwill ambassador for Levi’s (Philippines) in 2011, he had
maximized the opportunity to reach a wider audience with messages on HIV
prevention and non-discrimination.
 In July 2012, Niccolo became a goodwill ambassador for the Philippine youth
movement “Project Pagsulong,” which again gives him the opportunity to
encourage and inspire young people to become involved in HIV prevention.