Well, that’s something men of stills should really be proud of since Romy’s success as a cinematographer started with stills. His popular rise began with him occupying a seat in the gallery of men now considered as pillars of photography. And now that the cinematography job is no longer as frequent as before, he has decided to return to active duty as a photographer; in the process, making his career’s journey come into full circle.

Most Filipino moviegoers have likely encountered Romy’s name either on big screen while reading the credits of a critically acclaimed title or while watching an awards night for movies on TV. But to many photojournalists, he is just the son of Honesto Vitug, the so-called Dean of Photojournalism. In fact, he had to prove himself he was more than the kid of the dean and he could shine on his own. He did.

As his late great father preferred letting him climb the ladder without his name’s assurance, Romy accepted the challenge and took the stairs with sheer hard work and discipline, working for years as apprentice at the then Manila Chronicle. He shared, "My first shots in the job were generally ignored, even by my father. Pero naka-scoop ako minsan. Nakunan ko yung kaso nung nalunod na bata sa reclamation area na ngayo’y Roxas Boulevard na. I caught the image of the lifeless child being carried by police authorities and the immediate reaction of the victim’s mother upon knowing the fate of her child. The following day after my camera witnessed that sad episode, the paper published my shots; then I was called out to the publisher's office. I was commended and made into a regular employee. Napatalon ako sa tuwa!"

As soon as confidence and talent transformed Romy into a visual artist out of his dad’s shadow, he began making a name on his own in the ‘60s. Honors piled up, including 1st prizes from competitions set up by the Art Association of the Philippines, the NPC Elizalde Photo Journalism Award, and Asia Magazine. He became part of what is dubbed as the ‘five pillars’ in the field with Edgar Santiago, Mario Co, Silverio Enriquez, and Joe Gabor. Together they did the famous five-man exhibit at the Gallery Indigo, Mabini, Manila (from October 26 to November 8) in 1969. Yet two years earlier at the same venue, he made history by staging the first one-man photography exhibit in the Philippines.

At least for his personal achievements, the best was yet to come after photography as he entered the world of motion pictures in the '70s. After doing the publicity photos for "Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang," his first break in cinematography came in 1974 when he was tapped by topnotch director Lino Brocka to work on "Tatlo, Dalawa, Isa." His first award, however, arrived two years later in 1977, with the Metro Manila Film Festival Entry called "Mga Bilanggong Birhen."

"I always go and watch movies. Cinematography is more tiring than photography but they’re both dealing with images, the former on motion pictures, the latter on stills. For me, it’s all about images that serve as my breakfast, lunch, and dinner," explained Romy whose trademark "Mao" (Zedong) cap he started wearing after a trip from China.

He recalled that initially, he didn’t want to drop photography and just concentrate on moving pictures. But he remembers an incident that made him become more disciplined as a cinematographer. He reminisced, "Director ko nun si Eddie Garcia who’s dedicated in his work as always. One time I was photo- shooting while a scene was about to be shot. He rushed angrily and asked me to drop my camera kasi we coudn’t afford to make mistakes, mahal ang film rolls in movies, 24 frames per second. After that, lie-low na ako sa photography."

As the movie industry witnessed, Romy garnered several awards in his enduring stint as cinematograher. He took home more than five trophies from prestigious award-giving bodies such as FAMAS, Film Academy of the Philippines, PMPC Star Awards, URIAN Awards, and MMFF. His most notable movies are "Paradise Inn," "Saan Nagtatago Ang Pag-ibig," "Paano Ba Ang Mangarap," and "Kapag Langit Ang Humatol." In 1991, he claimed the first award in the FAMAS Hall of Fame (Circle of Excellence category).

His most recent victory was during the Manila Film Festival in 2003, for the movie "Bertud Ng Putik."

Probably just trying to extend his talent to other areas, he tried directing a movie, "Isang Linggong Pag-ibig" which made it good in the box office. Plus, served as director of photography for some commercials (San Miguel Beer Centennial, Sunsilk, PLDT).

Return to stills

Since the local industry found itself declining, with producers making fewer films than ever, Romy realized it’s time to go back to a passion he set aside in exchange for movie images. A few days ago, he won (through a FUJI YKL raffle) a digital camera, Finepix F710 – the first time he’s owning one. He feels happy reviewing his vault of old photos showing his shots - black-and-white prints that combine good composition with movie-like atmosphere. He's expert in dealing with available light and has a penchant for shooting ‘dolls’ as subjects.

Both in motions and stills, he likes less-colored and simply moving images which breathe calmly. The way he spends the Yuletide season is a reflection of that. He reflected, "I prefer to be in our barrio in Pampanga during Christmas time. You can feel the the Christmas spirit in rural areas, seeing folks cooking puto bumbong and rice cakes, with the swaying bamboos as background."