Jilson Tiu is an independent professional photographer and photojournalist based in the Philippines. His work focuses on social and environmental issues.
Photography is both food for the soul and bread-and-butter for Tiu, who considers himself a journeyman in the trade. He shoots for editorial and commercial work, and contributes photos and stories to digital and print media locally and abroad.
You’ll find Jilson’s varying perspectives in life on Instagram, from street scenes to the rural idyll. Wherever he roams, Jilson seeks to define the word “density” in a photograph.
In what ways does nature inspire or inform your work?
Life thrives in the light and in the dark. This full spectrum of light provided by nature — as seen in any environment’s varying degrees of lightness and darkness — inspires how I photograph the world around me. Natural light inspires my visual narratives, from the magnificent sunsets that warm my photos to the raging cold storms that devastate our homes.
Alongside this, environmental impact informs my body of work and gives it its sobering voice. I capture the impact of destructive human behaviors that supposedly champion progress. My photographs often show how, with our changing climate, nature viciously takes back from humanity but also gives back a thousand fold. Especially in our cities, this give-and-take and the intentions behind them compel me to shoot man-made density in the day-to-day.
What does it mean to you to be part of a thriving ecosystem?
To be responsible for and aware of every action you make. To play your role in co-existing and know what it takes to make life and living better for you and others.
