At a young age, Akira Liwanag already knew that he wanted — to follow in the footsteps of his father, international photojournalist Luis Liwanag.

“I’m my father’s biggest fan,’’ Akira enthuses.

He knows that his father, who takes photos for the international news wire agencies Associated Press and Agence France Presse, is a tough act to follow. But Akira is very keen on continuing his father’s legacy by starting in the here and now, making a name for himself, slowly but surely.

FIRST SNAPSHOT

Akira, named after the great Japanese cinematographer and filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, was eight years old when he took his first snapshot using his father’s camera. “He then gave me a box-type camera and so I started documenting our life in Kuwait. My dad was based there at that time,” says the 17-year old budding lensman.

At 12, he started taking photography seriously, joining school and district photo competitions, where he bested older and more experienced students and photographers.

“My dad started teaching me when I was in grade 5. Nakita niyang mahilig nga akong mag-shoot, so sinasama nya ako sa mga coverages. He also encouraged me to join competitions,” he relates.

Akira says that so far, his most memorable experience was when he first took pictures in black and white. “Memorable sa akin yung first roll ko ng black and white film sa Chinatown, I was 15. It was my first time to shoot in black and white. Tapos kami ni dad ang nag-develop. When I finally saw the pictures, ang ganda nya. Iba talaga ang effect pag black and white,” he exclaims.

Last year, he represented the country in the ASEAN Youth Camp held at Yogyakarta, Indonesia.  He also attended several workshops including the Angkor Photography Workshop in Siem Reap, Cambodia under the tutelage of magnum photographer Antoine D’ Agata.

Today, Akira is probably the youngest professional photographer in the country, with an impressive portfolio that already includes snapshots of rallies, politicians, and celebrities, as well as gritty images of ordinary people on the streets.

“I love doing street and human interest photography,” he says. “These types of subject have a certain effect on me. Kapag nakikita mo yung buhay nila, kung ano yung meron ka na wala sila, nakakabigat sa damdamin na wala silang magawa sa kalagayan nila. And the only thing you can do as a photojournalist is to tell their story to other people through your photos, and hope that it affects them too.”

Aside from doing his own photo assignments for the school paper and Newsbreak Magazine, he also assists his father in his shoots, whether it be rubbing elbows with leaders of the land, or taking shots of the children at the Baseco Compound, or even capturing romantic weddings through their lens.

FUTURE FILMMAKER

Akira is looking forward to graduating this month from Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science and Technology High School so he could seriously pursue his other interest, which is filmmaking.

His first attempt in digital filmmaking earned him rave reviews for his cinematography work on the short film “Red” under a workshop by Ramon Bautista at the University of the Philippines Film Institute.

Aside from that, he is also just another regular kid who skateboards on his free time, takes taekwondo classes (he’s a brown belter), and plays the lead guitars with his band.

But as of now, he is looking forward to more photography gigs. After all, aside from getting paid for his work, he gets to have a chance to work side by said the best lensman he has ever known — his dad.

“He pays well, but more than the money, it is the quality time that I spend with my father which I enjoy the most,’’ he ends.