Spotlight: The Late Bloomer

An old adage goes “age is nothing but a number” and Ronan Capili is one living proof that age won’t dictate just what one can do as long as the dedication is there. When we chatted with him one fine Friday morning for this feature, it was not difficult to see that he is full of life . One cannot help but to imbibe the zest he gives off as you converse. And as a photographer by profession, we asked him which celebrity would he be interested in taking a portrait of. His answer? Robin Williams. But just hold on yet, he answered this with a disclaimer: "This question never crossed my mind because I was never the type who would get starstruck. They're just people to me." And with that, one can tell that he is not here for the superficiality of it all. Ronan's passion is evident point blank.

Now at 32 (but as spontaneous, verbose and animated as ever), Ronan is what we could all consider a late bloomer. He always had that interest in Photography but he pursued Communication Arts in De La Salle University --- still not thinking that photography could be a viable career . He graduated in 2000 and has since started working in different industries. It was not only sometime in 2008 that he entertained the thought of pursuing AB Photography here in Benilde when he found out that the school was ready to cater to its 2nd batch of photography students. "A few years leading to my lightbulb moment, I met people along the way who pursued their passion in life a little later than usual. It helped me to reconsider where I was and where I wanted to go."

That decision to have another run at college life proved to be fruitful as even though he is still studying, Ronan booked the job of being a photo contributor for Philippine Daily Inquirer's 2BU section which gets published every Saturday. The job that he does is very similar to what we at theSDAproject do; however, he is not exclusive to the SDA campus and gets his subjects from wherever his feet may lead him. A big fan of color he takes notice of that someone who stands out in a crowd and just like Scott Schuman of "The Sartorialist", one of his inspirations, captures his subject's untouched emotion and where their personality is the life of his photos.

Aside from photography, he also sidelines in event hosting and choreographing routines for ice skating. This man knows how to segue himself into almost anything and that's just commendable on his part to be able to manage his interests. A rising name because of his huge talent in taking pictures and working the crowd, Ronan acknowledges that studying again at De La Salle- College of Saint Benilde was his best decision for himself to date. "The school lets us be dynamic, creative, relentless and resilient. Something I was looking for in my previous run in college." SDA happens to have students that are already working their way to be part of the creative industry and Ronan Capili certainly epitomizes that mold.

A person who never looked further than one week in his life, Ronan just plans to enjoy the ride willing to accept opportunities may it be in or out of the country after he graduates next year. Ronan could not dictate to himself just what he plans to do next saying that "that's what makes it fun and pressure-free" and we trust him that he will not disappoint. Ronan knows what's best for him and we would all just have to wait and see... how great he would turn out to be. ---theSDAproject

Follow Ronan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/putobumbong