Music Photography Gave Niña Sandejas an Exciting Life. Now She's Giving Back The Love

(SPOT.ph) Music photography gave Niña Sandejas a life music fans can only dream about. Hanging out with the coolest bands, handed all-access passes to the biggest shows, getting to photograph icons in some of their most intimate moments and glorious wins. It’s like that Almost Famous movie, except in this motion picture, events are told from the POV of a woman, and instead of a notebook and a pen, she’s holding a camera.

Not that Niña wouldn’t have opted for the notebook and pen anyway—she’s always dreamt of becoming a writer. That’s what got her in the music world to begin with. “I made sure that I had an interesting life,” she says, “because I wanted to be a writer.”

Dressed up today in a collared brown dress, a light vest in varying shades of brown, a pair of cat's eye glasses and opaque black stockings, she looks like the grownup version of the quirky, cool girl that might have gotten her the gigs as a stylist in the early 2000s. The one that led to styling rock bands in music videos before she shifted gears and started taking the rock star pictures.

But she also looks very much like the best representation of the hat she’s wearing at the moment. Putting her two talents together--writing and photography—she's become indie publisher under her own imprint called alt164 (the laptop command that creates the "ñ", in case you're wondering). And she's just wrapped up work on a hefty, soon-to-be-launched self-authored book (over 400 pages containing more than 250 photographs) on one of the most influential groups in Philippine music history: Greyhoundz, the alternative metal-rap band who famously paved the way for hip-hop to be welcomed into the rock scene back during the days when hip-hop or rap acts were frowned upon in Manila's rock turfs.

Why Greyhoundz? They have a great story, a story she’s most familiar with. Not only did she follow them around with her camera in the 2000s, from big stages to kubo bars in provinces, fiestas to foreign lands, from almost quitting to finding a new audience—she also married the  bass guitarist, the Niño to her Niña, Niño Avenido. They now have a nine-year-old together, and the book Greyhoundz, says his mother, is partly dedicated to the young boy, their way of inroducing to him the world they used to, and sometimes still, inhabit. It’s also dedicated to the younger generation of Greyhoundz fans who inherited their uncles’ cassettes and CDs and discovered there is this kind of music that is growling and freeing and magnificent all at the same time.

The Greyhoundz book is just the beginning. Niña has in her proverbial baul many more colorful adventures with other bands and other music genres, and so many stories as well as pictures to prove them—she’s covered the music scene for over two decades, after all. And now that’s she’s found her way into the world of books and archiving, she's using them as her tools to give back to the industry that gave her such an exciting life and the musicians that allowed her entry into their private spaces—by making their history known and accessible to future generations.

But first she talks to Spot about being there—finding her own "college" in a radio station, finding her place in the mosh pit, touring with the bands, and half-regretting the private moments that didn't make it to the camera.

Niña Sandejas: I was a stylist for Rivermaya. Rico Blanco got me to style their "Liwanag sa Dilim" music video. In the course of shooting music videos, I was also taking pictures as a hobby. Film pa no’n I remember, and uso yung lomography. I decided later on it's much easier to shoot pictures na lang than to style—and to buy clothes, haha! I got Paul Smith clothes kasi for a Rivermaya video that time. When I returned them, I forgot that one shirt said “dry clean only.” I had it laundered in the Pen—because that’s what people said I should do. I just gave it and wrote “for laundry” and forgot about it. So when the shirt came back it was faded. My entire fee just went to the clothes so I said I’ll just take pictures. I don’t think I’m gonna make a living out of this.

But then, you know, music photography isn't like that far off either in terms of like earning capacity, especially during that time. Kasi what would be the purpose of my images?  Occasionally, bands would say, “You have a picture of us? We need to release something in this newspaper.” And that's the extent of where my photos were going. And then I started a blog in 2003, in LiveJournal, and that's where I placed all my images. And then I had a website that became about my encounters with musicians. I gave up the Livejournal but I saved all the stuff that I wrote.

That’s how I got into photography, because even back then, people didn't really read online. Haha. You have to put an image to catch their attention so that they would read what you wrote. So I had to make my photos better so they would read what I was trying to say.

NS: I was trying to be a writer. That was what I really wanted to do. It just so happened photography was the attention-catching tool. Especially now online, if you want to have people read something you wrote, you have to have a really good image that accompanies it.

I actually like writing more because I have more to say than the photographs, even if my photo coverage was very extensive. Because there are moments you actually don't get to photograph, di ba? Especially when you're hanging out with bands, and then you end up telling stories to each other, or something happens like muntik na kayo maaksidente, or nauntog kayo. There are some things you can’t show in pictures. So I was thinking maybe one day I'll be able to write something. People will be like, “Yeah, we read her work, I think we'll be interested in just her writing without the images.” Hehe.

NS: Mostly. But there's a sequence where I introduce Greyhoundz to people who don't know them. Because I wasn't there in the very beginning, I sequenced the book in a way that I chose a set of images that would kind of encapsulate their origins. Like when they went to Club Dredd during the NU 107 Independence Day Sessions. They were being booed by the crowd because nobody knew them. And they were wearing hip-hop clothes. But NU was rock so the crowd was like, who's this band? And during that time, the mid to late 90s, there was this whole war between hip-hop and metal. Groups would meet in malls tapos magkaka-rambol. So it was a big deal that they got that slot to perform in that show because that was broadcast live on air.

So when they played the three songs they played there, the story that I was told by a lot of people who were there was, and even by the band, the whole room fell silent and then slowly the audience started bobbing their heads.And then after the show, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. Biglang dumaan lang sila sa gitna, as compared to when they entered when the kids didn't want to let them pass, sinisiko sila. They were carrying their own equipment pa. The band didn't have a roadie back then. But after those three songs, that kind of changed the whole landscape of the rock scene in the Philippines because when their songs were broadcast on air, a lot of people heard it.

They recorded a demo, they played it in NU 107, and then suddenly the record labels took notice. They signed their brother bands like Slapshock and Queso. It’s like the K-Pop or P-pop now, like all the labels were suddenly investing in this genre, just when those labels were also investing pa lang on metal. So their sound was being pushed aggressively. Kids took notice. Globally, it’s also what’s happening with bands like Korn which was getting much interest. So after a while came the Platinum awards, the collaboration with FrancisM and Gloc9 called “Koro.” Ganda lang ng timing. It was a Zeitgeist moment. Yun yung intro ng book ko.

NS: It started out as an assignment. Red Horse asked me to document the Muziklaban and Greyhoundz was like one of the main bands kasama ng Slapshock. It just occurred to me that when I publish this I have journeyed from documentarian to girlfriend, a wife, and now a mother. That’s why it’s the book that I needed to put out, especially when I was thinking about what I wanted to write during the pandemic. If I were to leave just one book, I would do this because I needed to show my son what his father is and what his mom did. If something happened, this would be like the most important book.

When I was writing it was so difficult because I kept on shifting roles. How am I going to approach this—as family, as photographer, as reporter? It took many years for me to kind of finally decide I'll just write this as who I am now. I'm not going to shy away from the fact that I'm married to the bass player and that we have a son. My perspective would be just as important and have the same credibility as a reporter’s who just documented them like any other band.

I wrote it in a way that it's like a children's book for adults. So may pagka-mythical yung approach sa kanya. Naisip ko kasi one day, when my son grows up, he would read this. How would he know his uncles and his dad? My son's nine years old. He's autistic and he has a speech and communication disorder. That’s why it’s like a big picture book for kids. Although siyempre meron pa rin mga mosh pit diyan (in the pictures), a little bit of violence. Because it's also not just for my son. It's not a children's book. It’s also for the fans ng Greyhoundz who were there during the time I photographed them 10, 15 years ago. So imagine they would recognize themselves in the pictures, and recognize the places. Papakita nila sa anak nila. ‘That’s your dad! That’s your dad!’

NS: Even if it was not covered by mainstream media, there were still kids who were drawn to this kind of music. If they see this book, maybe kids who haven't heard Greyhoundz, they might say okay this is what I want to be a part of. Kasi what's great about Greyhoundz, they unite people, like they united hip-hop and metal. When they play, there's this entire scene of kids who actually go there for, you know, release. The mosh pit is really some sort of emotional release, a sort of therapy for them. And for me also, even if it’s really really loud, aggressive music, for some reason the opposite happens: it calms me down. Because you just surrender to this full, powerful feeling in front of you and you just accept it. When they growl, when they scream, you just feel it in you, even if you don't know how to scream. I know a lot of mainstream folks easily dismiss it as just noise. That's the stigma, but it goes beyond that. It’s for the kids who want to be with other people who are actually looking for the same thing. That’s why I did the book: for my son, for those who were there. And for those who feel like they're looking for something and they don't know what it looks like and maybe they see this, they’ll be able to acknowledge this is a group I want to be a part of. This is the kind of scene I feel I can resonate with.

NS: True, true, true. I remember my mom said, “Yan ang trabaho mo?” when she saw my images. “But isn't it dangerous?” For me it was not. I’ve been in the mosh pit and people actually pushed me out of the way when they see if I'm going to get hit by a camera or something. So people in the mosh pit are more aware than you think. When somebody falls, the rule is you pick them up. And then if you get hit and somebody acts out kasi nasaktan talaga siya, everybody around them will just raise hands and do the peace sign. Parang they’re just giving you good vibes. 'We're okay, we're okay.' And then, continue. So it's intense, but it's also really amazing to see. Kasi it’s aggression eh, but it's not hate. It's quite the opposite.

NS: My first job was Rivermaya, and The Dawn who was turning 20 years at the time. It was because of the NU 107 radio station crowd that I got introduced to heavier music. I was shooting na but I was also starting as a stylist for The Dawn. And their guitarist Francis Reyes, who was also a DJ at NU, was teaching me the technicals of photography because he was also a photographer. So in a way he became a mentor. I would hang out in NU and everyday you'll see new musicians coming in because they're there for their interview. You're sitting in the lobby and Parokya ni Edgar would come in, Orange and Lemons.  Calla Lily was just starting. Randomly biglang dadating na lang si Ely Buendia. It was my college essentially. Like just all day listening to the radio and then suddenly the musicians who were playing have come to life.

NS: I just look at it as magic. I never saw it as getting starstruck. I didn’t get shy. Kasi I I have a lot of musician friends and I know what it takes for them to become who they are. I see their music as some sort of work, for them to be able to pay their bills because that's what's always the problem. Ako naman, I always think how can I help? So that's how my pictures would come in. I’ll take pictures of them. I'm happy doing that because I get to go to shows for free. They bring me on tour and in exchange I give them my photos for whatever they might be of use for. Also, I get to photograph them! Which is the most awesome part. And practice my photography. Kasi hindi pa naman ako magaling no'n eh, which is so weird because mga subjects mo mga bigatin tapos di ka pa rin magaling.

NS: You have to match all that. Match their energy, their skills, to be able to capture what really happened at the show, what they look like, how it feels. I didn't believe that I was a good writer then so I would wouldn't be able to describe the moment. I just show them through my pictures. I wanted to help them out because if they have more gigs, I have more shows to shoot. It's an economy kasi. Kung wala na silang career wala na akong mashu-shoot. It’s give and take naman talaga.

And then now because of social media, the pictures still help the band because everybody's on Facebook. Yun nga lang, how about the photographers? Music photography is such an important part of the music industry’s economy because it pushes the artist. Like everyday. It’s impossible to see a text post now on social media. It's absolutely vital that you have either a photograph or a video that accompanies a post. And photographs are faster. And it's really open to interpretation versus video which spoon-feed you. I have nothing against video but it's just different. If you see a photo, your interpretation of it might be different from my interpretation. If I see a musician, I see the version of the musician that is in my head and in my heart versus your view of the musician, even if we’re looking at the exact same picture.

We may be in the golden age of music photography but there’s still a lot to be done when it comes to archiving. I know a lot of photographers who has extensive archives of other musicians. It's really sad for all of this to go especially that hard drives and storage, their prices are going up and websites who used to feature all of these collections they disappear.  Is publishing a book cheaper than a hard drive? It might last maybe a hundred more years. Maybe someday, somebody picks up this book and be curious. Oh, this is what happened a century ago. I was laughing at myself when I thought about this because they might say [our time was] so primitive. Kasi nagsusuntukan pa mga tao sa pictures ko, mga wala silang t-shirt.

So if you own the book, you're kind of the keeper of the archive also. I wouldn't rely on storage. Not anymore. And who has our best interests when it comes to like saving images? Ako since music photography is all I know to do, then I'll just start there. I'll try to find a way to publish some more books, para lang even if my house burns down the books are out there. People can remember.  This is the next level of how I can help musicians—the good they did, what part of their story changed history.

NS: Rico Blanco showed me this photo of him as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. It was a black and white image. He had blonde hair. And then he said, you know, I wish more people would take photos of me like this. And I'm like, wait a minute. I feel like that's something I could do. That’s when I tried to kind of take it seriously because I realized this is going to be valuable someday. And if I were to take more photos of him, then he'd appreciate it when he’s older. So from that point on every musician that I photographed, iniisip ko na na parang one day after so and so years he will look back in this image and see how young they were, what stage in their career they were. So it's that kind of mindset na.

When I was 19 nahilig kasi ako mag-collect ng stuff eh: stamps, empty cans of Coke and 7Up from all over the world, because my tita was a flight attendant and she would bring these home to me. There was a point the collection got so many na I started to wonder will this have value someday? That whole collector’s mentality suddenly nag-connect sa akin when Rico showed me that photograph. People will look at the pictures and see themselves in the year 2004, 2005. Parang my soft drink cans in my room na may mga editions.

NS: There was Brutal Grace. Si Grace Guino. She’s in Dubai na now. Maganda din events photography eksena sa UAE. She was the photographer of Pulp Magazine. She’s a couple years older than me so she was ahead. Doon siya sa eksena ng Greyhoundz. And my scene was more mainstream: Session Road, Kitchie Nadal, Rivermaya, The Dawn. Apart from the two of us, I would hear the name of Eddie Boy Escudero, Erik Liongoren. I mentor women photographers now, you might recognize their names. Karen de la Fuente is a student of mine, she's the photographer of IV of Spades now. Iya Forbes is the photographer of Sandwich. They shoot for Karpos/Wonderland. Si Kris Rocha sa Urbandub naman siya.

NS: I announced the workshops back in 2010, because I didn’t like feeling alone. Haha. Sabi ko, parang I don't think I'm the only one who wants to do this. So we started in my house in Malate. It was easy to attract female students because I'm also a female photographer. We have the same visual language, our approach to a male dominated scene. I always tell them I had to work a bit harder, kasi back then, they would always choose a male photographer over a female photographer. Especially on tours kasi if you're a band at apat kayong mga lalake, hirap magdala ng babae because of the logistics. Kailangan may sarili siyang room. There’s not enough budget. Now it's just normal. Bands have budget for that. Requirement na photographers sa crew ng bands because of social media. So that's how I formed a community. Every year I would announce workshops and  nung umpisa we’d go to gigs pa. Sa B-side. Sa 70s. Minsan they’d go with me. Doon na nabuo yun. Dami na namin. Dami na nila nagfo-photos.

NS: I haven't been around because I have been so busy, like setting up a company, going to SEC for the book. I'm not just the writer or photographer. I'm also managing the entire business, apart from being a mom. I need to do it as efficiently as possible. So yun yung inaaral ko ngayon. I can't be like this whole tormented artist because I need to get this out, di ba? FlipTop I'm also going to make a book about it. But when you make a book about a scene that you're so immersed in, eventually distance talaga is required. That's why I jump from one band to another, when I feel like the story has ended. Time for me to take a break. Like when I toured with Kamikazee for their comeback. It was this entire year when we traveled all around the world. We lived together for over two months in 2018.

NS: My husband's very, very supportive of me. My son was only two years old then. Parang wala pa siyang pakialam sa akin. But maybe that was also because of his autism, which we didn't yet know during the time. But then he’s a generally happy kid. But the homesickness and missing my son was horrible. On the other hand, being on tour with the band abroad and being that close to them, like you're living in the same house, is a very rare opportunity. So I said am I going to sit here and say, I miss my son? Or I'm just going to be in the moment and laugh with this band, hang out by the pool and just remember this moment, take photos and say this probably wouldn't happen again.

It was an extensive tour. It was crazy. We went to like 11 cities in the US. If I were to be asked if I would do it again, I'd say no. Kasi ganon siya ka-intense. But that was like a battle that you had to go through for you to help yourself evolve as a person. It really changes you when you go on tour with a band, pag uwi mo you’re not the same. I remember going home that first night and then my husband went inside the room. I literally screamed. Kasi hindi ako sanay na may kasama sa kuwarto for so long. I felt like I was still in the US. There was an adjustment period I had to go through. There's always that dip. You're a rock star for an entire year. You were there and everyone was so happy, every night you'd feel the audience and their vibe is like their lives are being changed. And that's your norm. That was your baseline for like the entire year. And then when you come home, kailangan ko maglaba, hugas ng pinggan. You shift back to your normal self.

NS: Oo naman, and good friends also. Now, even if I don't shoot, like sila Kitchie, sila Barbie [Almalbis], I feel connected to them. I was supposed to fly to London to be with them but some shows got cancelled. We have that kind of relationship because we were in the trenches in the beginning. I think that we appreciate that we spent a particular time together and experienced a really unique series of events na kami magkakasama. That there was this particular moment in time before their breakthrough. ‘Are you going to make it? Are you going to make it? Is your song going to be a hit?' And then it happens. It becomes a hit. Like yung "Wag na Wag Mong Sasabihin." I remember seeing that song written on a white board in Kitchie’s bedroom. Yung lyrics were written in whiteboard marker! I wanted to take a photo of it but because it was such an intimate space, baka hindi pa ready. Dammit, I should have taken a photo of it.

NS: Some of my friends ask me that: bakit ba sobrang devotion mo sa musicians? I guess because I’m Cancer Rising. You have to take care of a space. Meron ka instinct na motherly. But I think mostly because for example, my husband, his livelihood is music. And I've had friends before who I've seen who had to pawn their guitars just to get by. And these are not even unknown bands. You’d see them struggling. It was just not really working out for them. So ikaw when you're sort of enjoying their whole process of making people happy, napapaisip ka: saan nila huhugutin yung drive nila inside of them to be able to help other people if they can’t help themselves? Who’s helping them? Me naman I would just help in my own little ways.

NS: I made sure that I had an interesting life, because I wanted to be a writer. And I didn't know what to write before, and I'm like, you know what? It's because you haven't lived yet. So I made sure to kind of get into places and meet people who were more interesting than me. And then suddenly, because you're in their proximity, your life becomes interesting as well. Suddenly you have your own adventures. All these serendipitous moments or horrible experiences. But even the horrible ones I wouldn't see them as bad, though. It just makes the good ones actually so much better.

All photographs supplied by Nina Sandejas. Sandejas portraits by Con Lauro. Makeup and styling by Maia Abat. For orders of the book Greyhoundz, visit @alt164press on Instagram or @ninasandejas Pre-order price: P4,990.