Photographer of the Week

Lester Garcia - To Cure and to Capture -

By YUGEL LOSORATA–

A urologist by profession, Lester Garcia is an achiever even by doctors’ standards. For one, he is currently the chairman of East Avenue Medical Center’s Department of Urology. He finished medicine at the University of Santo Tomas back in 1971. From then on, he’s been adding feathers to his cap – having well-handled posts at the urology sections of leading hospitals such as St. Luke’s and Rizal Medical Center.

Achievers like Lester more often can’t keep themselves excelling in just one field. That’s where photography comes in and it’s where science transcends to art in the world of this medical doctor.

“My interest in photography dates back to the era of Leica M4s and Nikon F2s. I took photos of everything that I saw from ants to big animals, from urban to rural scenes, from babies to adults, as well as from plants to trees,” says the doctor-lensman who already won a 2nd prize plum in an international photo competition.

A member of the American Urological Association, this serious hobbyist has extended his expertise outside the borders of medical profession and into the wonders of phogtography. His artistic interest led him to going out of the city and shoot landscapes which he loves to capture. Nature challenges him to put together in one image the elements he sees in the environment which are blended in the final photograph with aesthetic sense.

Sunrise, according to Lester who is a lifetime member of the Philippine Medical Association, brings radiance the moment it comes out of the mountains. How amazing that a man of science has a sweet tongue for poetry. He adds that the rising sun “outlines the graceful slopes of the hills, accenting the power of the sea with the wonderful colors of the sky.”

In line with the kind of day-job he has, Lester’s pictures are like cures to the eyesores of environment. Whatever attracts his attention becomes an antidote to negative vibes like death, ugliness, and darkness. Various subjects have become his masterpieces as a person with a camera: a flower, an insect, an obejct, and a person.

Asked what makes a photograph beyond just a picture, he said, “A photograph I cannot get my eyes from. It grabs you whatever the intent. Its image is effective because it evokes emotion, projects good aesthetic sense, and preferably is original in concept. The image may or may not follow the normal forms of composition but definitely should be free from technical flaws.”

Those words are from a man who is not expected to be artistic but he is one. He plainly categorizes himself as mere hobbyist. Yet his work suggests that he can try going commercial; besides he has all the credentials to prove so.

He has won in photo contests and is part of a group of medical practitioners who found digitial technology so amazing that conceiving a photo club should be done. The idea became a circle of urologists-photographers interestingly called “SILIP” - an acronym for Specialista sa Ihi Laging Interesado sa Paglitrato.

Though he started toiling with photography through film-based technology, the Internet revolution has transformed him into a digital SLR user. He is now also a member of BetterPhoto.com. and Photo.net.

The 2006 vice chairman for Philippine Board of Urology shares, “I like color in my landscapes because images come more alive especially now that we have photo programs for post-processing digital images taken with the DSLRs. Black-and-white photography has always been a more difficult medium to master in the earlier days but now, conversion of digital color images to black and white is just one click in the keyboard.

“Still, B&W remains a challenge – to come up with an excellent black-and-white image with all the tonality of the black and white range.”

Coping with challenges has been a part of Lester’s routine. His medical work deals with focusing on the urinary tracts of males and females. Urologists are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological disorder, thus, they usually deal with body organs that include kidneys, urinary bladder, and urethra.

As a urologist, Lester has undergone different trainings and many-time officers of organizations. He trained for Urodynamics at the Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio four years ago. Some other posts he held were: secretary-general for Federation of ASEAN Urological Association (FAUA), president for Philippine Urological Association Inc. (2002-2003), and president for Philippine Society for the Study of the Aging Male (2005-2006).

The connection between being a doctor and a photographer is always there for Lester. He points out,”Like in medicine wherein one needs to be updated with the current trends, digital photography needs to be embraced and accepted as an advancement. Though personally, I have not shelved my film cameras and continue to shoot with my medium format and 4 x 5 film camera every now and then.”

Two experiences he won’t forget were pictures of a novice who still had to prove something. “When my friends in photography saw my first batch of developed transparency films,” he remembered, “they told me that I didn’t come up with any good image.”

His first photoshoot (in the Ilocos Region) had him shot six rolls of transparency films without a single ‘acceptable’ image.

That was then. Now he’s healing the world not just with his knowledge of urology, but also with his talent to provide others’ eyes their yearning for great visual sense.