Q: Please introduce yourself: What is your name, where are you from, what do you do?
A: My name is Preschelle Ann Bigueras. Born 1991 in Manila, Philippines and currently dwelling and drifting in the diverse city of Dubai. I’m a photographer, though not by profession, who shoots mostly on film.
Q: What is your relationship with photography, and how did you get into it?
A: It began way back late 2009, I saw online some photos that were shot with a Holga camera and was intrigued by it. I immediately bought myself one and started shooting film. Although I don’t use that camera anymore, I could say that it has a big impact on my photography because I never stopped taking photo since then.
Photography keeps me grounded. It made me conscious of what I see and how I see things, people, and places. It’s part of my everyday life that even I don’t have my camera with me, I always try to look something photographic within my surroundings.
Q: What do you think triggers you to photograph in a certain moment? Is it planned or solely driven by intuition?
A: It’s a mixture of two. While most of the time my style is spontaneous and just trust my gut where it leads me, some subjects require planning and a more considered approach.
Q: What is the story you want your pictures to tell?
A: My photographs depict my perspective of the world around me. They are my visual notes from my observations and unexpected encounters in my daily life. Everything is a possible subject and we just have to look out for the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Q: Which city would you like to visit the most, and why?
A: Baguio city. It’s a small city up north in the Philippines dubbed as the »Summer Capital«. It’s one of the few cool places in the Philippines and it’s where I studied and lived for 4 years. I would describe it as cold and bleak. Lately, I’ve gotten this nostalgic feeling to revisit, reconnect, and photograph the city where my photographic journey began. I photographed differently back then and now I’m interested to recaptured it with my new perspective.
Q: What is your personal relationship to cities, and how do you perceive them as places in general?
A: From the cities where I live and have lived, I always try to form an immense connection to the place. To photograph a city and its people you have to had a sense of notion of them. Cities are sometimes overwhelming and make me anxious especially when I’ve lived there for a long time so I tend to give myself a break and go out from time to time.
Q: What is the driving force behind creation?
A: Self-expression and feeling alive. With everything that I create, there’s always a part of me I put out there.
Q: Which project did you never finish?
A: Temporarily I call it «Al Mamzar Beach» because it’s the place where all the photos were taken. The project is for a slideshow presentation that didn’t push through. I continued photographing the place since it kind of grew on me. I would say that is my favorite place in Dubai, my oasis in the desert. It’s still ongoing and I’m not sure when I’ll finish it, maybe when I leave Dubai for good.
Q: What is that one thing you have never managed to photograph and is now gone for good?
A: All the unexpected moments that I’ve encountered and I didn’t have my camera with me. There are things that will never be the same even when you go back.
Q: If you could travel back/forth in time, what advice would you give your younger/older self?
A: Travel back in time and tell myself to take photography more seriously.
Q: What do you prefer saying: «to take a photograph» or to «make a photograph», and why?
A: «To take a photograph» is the one that I prefer because it suits my photographic style. I see something, I take a photo of it. Whereas, «To make a photograph» is something that I associate more with having a preconceived idea in the creation of the image and being involved in all of the process.
Q: What is the most interesting experience you have had while photographing?
A: I guess I had the most interesting experience not during but after photographing. Some stranger messaged me on Instagram thanking me for showing my art there and that they enjoy seeing what I present. It’s interesting that someone takes interest in my photographs. I’ve just always been taking photos for my own pleasure and never imagined anyone would be thanking me for showing them.
Q: If it wasn’t for photography, what would you be interested in doing instead?
A: I could never really see myself not doing photography, but maybe taking videos since it’s a bit similar to photography somehow.
Q: How would you describe one of your pictures to a blind person?
A: By describing how I felt or what I thought the subject in the photo felt while photographing.
Q: What are you currently working on, and — if there is — what is your next project or journey?
A: Currently, I call this project «Polaroid Postcards from Dubai». Last year, I got back into shooting Polaroids and finally figured out how to make the best out of it. I already shot a few and I’m continuing it these following months since the temperature’s dropping now and Polaroid film produces great colors at this time.
Q: Thank you, Preschelle!
If you have a project that you would like to present on this platform, please feel free to share it using the submission form.
Photography: Preschelle Ann Bigueras (2022)
Location: Dubai, UAE
Q: Please introduce yourself: What is your name, where are you from, what do you do?
A: My name is Preschelle Ann Bigueras. Born 1991 in Manila, Philippines and currently dwelling and drifting in the diverse city of Dubai. I’m a photographer, though not by profession, who shoots mostly on film.
Q: What is your relationship with photography, and how did you get into it?
A: It began way back late 2009, I saw online some photos that were shot with a Holga camera and was intrigued by it. I immediately bought myself one and started shooting film. Although I don’t use that camera anymore, I could say that it has a big impact on my photography because I never stopped taking photo since then.
Photography keeps me grounded. It made me conscious of what I see and how I see things, people, and places. It’s part of my everyday life that even I don’t have my camera with me, I always try to look something photographic within my surroundings.
Q: What do you think triggers you to photograph in a certain moment? Is it planned or solely driven by intuition?
A: It’s a mixture of two. While most of the time my style is spontaneous and just trust my gut where it leads me, some subjects require planning and a more considered approach.
Q: What is the story you want your pictures to tell?
A: My photographs depict my perspective of the world around me. They are my visual notes from my observations and unexpected encounters in my daily life. Everything is a possible subject and we just have to look out for the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Q: Which city would you like to visit the most, and why?
A: Baguio city. It’s a small city up north in the Philippines dubbed as the »Summer Capital«. It’s one of the few cool places in the Philippines and it’s where I studied and lived for 4 years. I would describe it as cold and bleak. Lately, I’ve gotten this nostalgic feeling to revisit, reconnect, and photograph the city where my photographic journey began. I photographed differently back then and now I’m interested to recaptured it with my new perspective.
Q: What is your personal relationship to cities, and how do you perceive them as places in general?
A: From the cities where I live and have lived, I always try to form an immense connection to the place. To photograph a city and its people you have to had a sense of notion of them. Cities are sometimes overwhelming and make me anxious especially when I’ve lived there for a long time so I tend to give myself a break and go out from time to time.
Q: What is the driving force behind creation?
A: Self-expression and feeling alive. With everything that I create, there’s always a part of me I put out there.
Q: Which project did you never finish?
A: Temporarily I call it «Al Mamzar Beach» because it’s the place where all the photos were taken. The project is for a slideshow presentation that didn’t push through. I continued photographing the place since it kind of grew on me. I would say that is my favorite place in Dubai, my oasis in the desert. It’s still ongoing and I’m not sure when I’ll finish it, maybe when I leave Dubai for good.
Q: What is that one thing you have never managed to photograph and is now gone for good?
A: All the unexpected moments that I’ve encountered and I didn’t have my camera with me. There are things that will never be the same even when you go back.
Q: If you could travel back/forth in time, what advice would you give your younger/older self?
A: Travel back in time and tell myself to take photography more seriously.
Q: What do you prefer saying: «to take a photograph» or to «make a photograph», and why?
A: «To take a photograph» is the one that I prefer because it suits my photographic style. I see something, I take a photo of it. Whereas, «To make a photograph» is something that I associate more with having a preconceived idea in the creation of the image and being involved in all of the process.
Q: What is the most interesting experience you have had while photographing?
A: I guess I had the most interesting experience not during but after photographing. Some stranger messaged me on Instagram thanking me for showing my art there and that they enjoy seeing what I present. It’s interesting that someone takes interest in my photographs. I’ve just always been taking photos for my own pleasure and never imagined anyone would be thanking me for showing them.
Q: If it wasn’t for photography, what would you be interested in doing instead?
A: I could never really see myself not doing photography, but maybe taking videos since it’s a bit similar to photography somehow.
Q: How would you describe one of your pictures to a blind person?
A: By describing how I felt or what I thought the subject in the photo felt while photographing.
Q: What are you currently working on, and — if there is — what is your next project or journey?
A: Currently, I call this project «Polaroid Postcards from Dubai». Last year, I got back into shooting Polaroids and finally figured out how to make the best out of it. I already shot a few and I’m continuing it these following months since the temperature’s dropping now and Polaroid film produces great colors at this time.
Q: Thank you, Preschelle!
If you have a project that you would like to present on this platform, please feel free to share it using the submission form.
Photography: Preschelle Ann Bigueras (2022)
Location: Dubai, UAE
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allcitiesarebeautiful.com is a community-driven, cross-disciplinary platform for contemporary documentary photography and literature.
News • Artists • Publishers • Submissions • Newsletter • Press • About • Imprint • RSS
