Every now and then a project comes up that I get really excited about. When I was asked to photograph the newest Philippine World Heritage Site, Mount Hamiguitan, I knew right away that this would be an amazing project to work on The post Mount Hamiguitan World Heritage Book Project first appeared on Jacob Maentz ..read more

I had the opportunity over the past couple of months to mentor and coach the participants of the Air Asia Travel Photographer 2016 competition. This was a great opportunity for me to connect with some younger photographers who are just starting with their journey into photography. The post Judging Air Asia’s Travel Photographer Competition first appeared on Jacob Maentz ..read more

Since September of last year, I have been fortunate to be part of a program that many hotels are starting to adopt into their CSR efforts. Soap For Hope is an initiative based on the simple idea that used soap collected from hotels can be recycled into fresh soap bars and distributed to underprivileged local communities. The post Soap For Hope – CSR with the Hospitality Industry first appeared on Jacob Maentz ..read more

A couple of months ago I added a Phantom 3 quadcopter to my collection of tools as a photographer. It has been wonderful learning to fly this and being able to use it as another creative tool. I have been exploring both photos and video with the quadcopter, but I must say that learning video with it has been awesome. My family was recently in town and with visitors comes some travel. We stayed around Cebu during their vacation and I got in as much flying time as I could. I try to approach video in the same way I take photos, focusing on strong natural light to create mood and emotion. The post ..read more

Here are the first two installments from Project Katutubo in Tawi-Tawi. Thanks again to The EXTRA MILE Productions for producing these. There are still more in the works and some exciting plans for a longer version. In the first episode I shoot the geometrical patterns and colors of a Tepo, a mat made from pandan leaves, as well as the Sama-Bajau who diligently weaves it. The second episode was taking while visiting a seaside village in Sanga-Sanga. Here we chanced upon a young Bajau-Sama bride who was to be wed that evening. The post First Two Video Episodes from Tawi-Tawi first appeared on J ..read more

I arrived into Iloilo City on a sunny afternoon with my camera bag and a rough plan as to where I would be going. My research gave me some promising leads, but going on a trip like this is always full of unknowns and surprises. The post The Ati & Tumandok People of Panay Island first appeared on Jacob Maentz ..read more

One week prior to my departure to Tawi-Tawi I received an email from the US Embassy in Manila. “U.S. citizens should continue to defer non-essential travel to the Sulu Archipelago, due to the high threat of kidnapping of international travelers and violence linked to insurgency and terrorism there.” The post Tawi-Tawi – Into the Sulu Archipelago first appeared on Jacob Maentz ..read more

I had the privilege of being a guest judge on the finale of History Channel's Photo Face-Off Season 2. It aired in Asia at the end of October. My first big appearance on TV and it was a lot of fun. I helped judge the second of three challenges in the finale. The post Guest Judge on History’s Photo Face-Off first appeared on Jacob Maentz ..read more

Last month I teamed up with The EXTRA MILE Productions who documented my trip to Tawi-Tawi, the southern most province in the Philippines. This is a place I had always wanted to visit, but because of certain security issues it took some planning to make a trip happen. More than three years on since we started this project on Kickstarter we are still going strong with plans to continue this important work. The post New Video Reel from Tawi-Tawi first appeared on Jacob Maentz ..read more

I thought I would spend some time and put together my highlights from 2014 in photos. I’ve never done this before, but I haven’t done many blog posts this year and therefore thought I should get another one in before the year ends. At times this year was extremely busy and at other times I was able to do more of the behind the scenes work that always seems to pile up. I had some firsts this year, including my first solo exhibit, and I took on more commissioned work than in previous years. The post Highlights from a Steady Year first appeared on Jacob Maentz ..read more