This QC Studio Lets You Own Signed Prints by Filipino Photographers at First-Time Collector Prices

(SPOT.ph) Ever saved a photographer's post and wished you could see it up close? Now you can. This Saturday, November 7, a program called Spotlight by Silver Print will be launched at Shutterspace Studio in Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City. A collection of photographs from established names in the local scene—Tom Epperson and Spot contributors Jilson Tiu and JL Javier among them—as well as from emerging talents will be on display and sold for affordable rates. And as promised: you'll be able to hold that photo in your hands before you decide to bring it home.

A pretty cool gesture that brings photography closer to people, as the world marks the bicentenary of the medium.

The program features only original Filipino photography, and here the pictures come in fine art prints, which means every piece is printed with museum-grade pigment inks on acid-free Hahnemühle fine art paper. Each copy is hand-signed by the artist and issued with a certificate of authenticity.

The photographs will be displayed at the studio as A4 prints in a 12 × 12-inch mount stacked in crates for you to flip through like a vinyl bin. Take one home, or order any work as a "print only" in the size you want and this will be ready in 5–10 business days. The photographs are priced for first-time collectors. You can come in and start collecting for the price of P1700 for which you can get an A5 print from an emerging artist.

Spotlight comes from the team behind Shelter Fund, the 2020 lockdown initiative that sold more than 2,000 prints for close to 300 local artists. Back then, every print was made to order and seen only onscreen. Meanwhile, Spotlight brings the photographs into the room, so you can appreciate the paper, the detail and the presence of a real print first. Participating photographers take on zero financial risk, says Jason Quibilan of Shutterspace. Silver Print covers the marketing, the printing and the program itself, so artists just bring their work.

Spotlight is not a pop-up, so it doesn't close after one weekend. It's a living collection with a permanent home, which is Shutterspace—a multi-purpose space for photography. New photographers will keep joining after the launch, which means there will be new photographs to choose from.

Spotlight by Silver Print Open Studio launches this Saturday, November 7, at 2PM. Shutterspace Studio is located at 3/F 175, Citigold Plaza, Katipunan Ave, Project 4, Quezon City. Admission is free but an RSVP is required, so sign up here.