Mark Chua

Be it in fashion or concerts, photographer Mark Chua captures the complex elegance of people’s spirits. Born and raised in Manila, the Philippines, Chua moved to San Jose in the mid-’90s, just before becoming an adult. It took two more decades for him to find photography, which happened after he took up shooting family photographs. After a chance opportunity to shoot a hiphop concert, Chua fell in love with photography, and as he says, “It quickly took on a mind of its own.” He plunged into it deeply, shooting photos for fashion mags such as Vogue, street-wear brands like HYPEBEAST, events such as weddings, and more spontaneous street photography. Through this experience, Chua developed a signature style, creating photos—often portraits—that manifest as both crisp and murky, raw and well-defined, expressing people’s unique energy. A member of HANGARX as well as San Jose–based Darkside of the Moon Photography & Design, Chua also enjoys the collaboration process with different creatives. As for what comes next, Chua intends to continue shooting photographs with increasing passion, with the added hope of taking his photography work full-time.

“I like to put my subject in a mind state where it becomes second nature for them to express certain things about themselves, whether it be putting them in an environment where they feel comfortable or even having them almost method act. Even with fashion, that’s important to me, because I believe the audience should feel what the subject is feeling at the time rather than just seeing a pretty face. There should always be emotion involved.” .

Written by Tad Malone Photography by John Agcaoili