Anniversary Feature: PUI Turns 1 Year Old!

9:25 AM All About U 0 Comments

Celebrating an Ultimate Dream
by Chlods Manguerra

Allow me to make this day all about the man who continues to play an integral role in the propagation of Ultimate in the Philippines – T H E one and only, Mr. Don Laczi. As the busy man he is, I’ve been given the privilege of doing PUI’s Anniversary feature and I shall do so with much gusto. For the past year, he has been capturing photos, writing about tournaments, featuring up-and-coming teams and notable personalities, covering charity work done by Ulty players and just basically making a lot of people look BADASS! I am sure I will get an earful from Don for doing this but instead of talking about the wonderful past year we’ve had in PUI, I will share with you how badass Don Laczi is.

Photo & Caption by: Mikokoy Alcantara

Don Laczi is legit.

I have been saving this conversation and I finally found the opportunity to share this:

Hi Chlods!
Instead of giving you a resume, I will just tell you a short story of how I became a photographer. hahaha
Ok here it goes....
It was summer of 2009 in Las Vegas, NV, when I bought my very first point and shoot camera. Reason? Wala lang. Para lang magkaroon ng camera sa America. I used to ride my bicycle a lot. And, during that time, sumasali ako sa mga bike rides around town, charity events and all that stuff and I haven't seen anyone taking photos of the event. So, I decided to take photos instead of riding my bike. I posted some of my very amateurish photos sa Facebook and also at www.bikinglasvegas.com. BikingLasVegas members and Friendshare were the ones who really encouraged me to pursue photography as a career (They used to call me "Cyclazzi" The Paparazzi on a bicycle. hahaha!). 

So after a year, in 2010 I bought my very first DSLR camera. I had no idea what I was doing back then. But, thanks to YouTube and other online websites, natuto akong gumamit ng DSLR. The World Wide Web was my very first mentor in photography. Then, I decided to enroll myself sa New York Institute of Photography (NYIP). It's an online photography school. I learned a lot from NYIP but, unfortunately, dahil sa kahirapan nang mabuhay sa America, I decided to discontinue my studies after a year. But I never stopped shooting. While I was riding my bike around UNLV area I saw the UNLV softball team playing. The next day, I emailed the sports coordinator of the school kung pwede ako magshoot ng softball for free. Luckily they said yes.

Softball really gave me a break in Sports Photography. From then on, I photographed a lot of softball games in UNLV. Nagustuhan nila mga photos that they decided to post my pictures on their school’s website. Like every weekend may pinopost sila na pictures ko. Then, high school softball came. Parang halos every weekend na wala na akong pahinga. 2011 was really the year that I became so busy shooting sports. I was still shooting cycling during that time, and I met Brian Hodes, a well-respected cycling photographer in the States. He gave me a lot of tips and tricks that I’m still using right now. But the one person who really gave me a very big break is Kelley L. Cox. I can call her my real mentor. She shoots for ESPN, Sports Illustrated, San Francisco Giants and other San Francisco pro teams and some colleges around California. She is very honest and helpful in my work. She was also the one who gave me the opportunity to shoot my very first international event - The U.S. Rugby Sevens in Las Vegas NV. After that, I photographed a lot of UNLV softball, baseball, basketball, soccer, track and field, swimming, volleyball and tennis. High School games, like softball, baseball, soccer, football, track and field, cheer leading. The gig goes on and on.... I even photographed some Roller Derby and Quad Rugby (Rugby on a wheelchair. it was so much fun)

Late 2011 when my dad was diagnosed of liver cancer, I moved to New Haven, CT. to take care of him and my mom. But when I got there, my dad still encouraged me to continue my dream. Sabi niya "Nandito ka na, I can give you a call if I need you, but you still have to continue shooting. So get out there!" Masunurin akong bata so, the next day, I sent some emails sa mga schools in Connecticut. Luckily, YALE University answered back and sent me a full season pass in all their sporting events. So I photographed volleyball, soccer, rugby, and field hockey when I was there. New Haven was also a big part of my photography, when I finally had a chance to shoot some pro tennis players for two years. The New Haven Open was also quite an experience.

When I moved back in California for a job in 2012, I was introduced to surfing photography. I fell in love with it. Every weekend nasa Huntington beach ako shooting surfers doing crazy things with a surfboard. And then came the Vans US Open of Surfing. That was the third time that I photographed a pro event. Surfing changed my photography lifestyle. I became who I am right now. When I decided to go back home, December of 2013, my original plan was to travel all over the surf spots here in the Philippines. But, Ultimate came in first, February of 2014. And the rest is history......

Don Laczi is all about passion.
I first heard of Don in Shindig 2014 through Carlo Corpuz who was commenting about his great timing in shooting highlights. I honestly thought Don was an Ultimate player since I’ve never met him and because it seemed like he knew the sport so well that he's able to take really good photos. A lot of people would watch out for his FB posts so that they can grab the photos and have impressive profile shots of them playing Ultimate. (Talking about him making people look badass!) I finally met Don in the 2014 Cabalen Tourney in Pampanga – very shy, very quiet but when he starts talking about Ultimate, he shines. He has traveled to different parts of the Philippines to cover ultimate using partly his own hard-earned savings, his dilapidated MacBook (special thanks to Akira for donating a new laptop) and his set of veteran Nikon cameras. I cannot count anymore the number of times he messaged me and said that he needed to have his camera fixed because he had broken it while shooting Ultimate. When you see his output you’d actually think he has the best gadgets. But I assure you, when I say veteran I mean he uses old gears and clearly his work exudes sheer great talent. We are truly grateful when the invitation to cover a tournament includes a sponsorship for Don’s trip and his accommodations because as the simple and humble man he is, he rarely demands to get paid. When he does, it’s mostly just to cover his expenses for the trip. His dream is to go around the globe capturing Ultimate action, doing it not to earn money, but to show the world how great Ultimate is. Yes, he has fallen madly and deeply in-love with our sport. The WUGC 2016 in London would have been the realization of that dream but Don I'm sure one day you’ll get that just because you deserve it. 



Don Laczi is all about sharing his dream.


Don's dream is to share to the world how great Philippine Ultimate is. His big break came when Karen Carbrera, James Yap and the Boracay Dragons invited Don to go with them to the WCBU 2015 in Dubai to feature the team’s journey. He was shooting alongside the best photographers in the world and had found his rightful place in the international arena. Don had a lot of KILIG moments (Yes kilig is now part of the English dictionary) about how kilig he gets when the likes of Brian Canniff compliments him and his work. He also shared with me that in Dubai, when the Philippines entered the stadium, there was a roaring crowd cheering for the Philippines. He had a hard time taking photos because he had goosebumps and was teary-eyed. He didn't expect he'd be able to capture such a very proud moment for our country. Don first started posting his Ultimate photos via his Facebook page, Don Laczi Photography. He instantly gained a lot of followers who admired his work yet he thought he’d rather start a page that he can share with other Filipino photographers and called it Philippine Ultimate Images. Shortly after, Don asked me to help him think of a catchy by-phrase that will capture the essence of PUI. He believes that PUI should not just be all about on-field action but be equally about the community and decided that #AllAboutU would best fit this idea. He wants to encourage people to share their own captured moments through their own cameras and share their experiences with the rest of the community. PUI is AllAboutU (Ultimate & YOU). 


Don Laczi is #AllAboutU.

The first year of PUI would have not been possible if not for all the people who had given him the opportunity to showcase his talent.

2015
JANUARY: Boracay Open
FEBRUARY: Dragons Training 
MARCH: WCBU 2015 (Dubai), Boracay Ultimate Tournament
APRIL: Paraw Regatta Unleashed 6 (Iloilo)
MAY: Daba-Daba (Davao), Nationals (Bacolod)
JUNE: Huck o Hunyo (Iloilo)
JULY: Daddy's Cup (Iligan)
AUGUST: Shindig 1&2 (Dumaguete)
SEPTEMBER: Banuwa Ku Malaybalay (Bukidnon)
OCTOBER: Cabalen Ultimate Open (Pampanga), 
Sugar Ultimate (Ormoc), Pasa Plato V (Mati)
NOVEMBER: Manila SPIRITS, AOUC 2015 (HongKong)
DECEMBER: Boracay Dragons Christmas Tournament
2016
JANUARY: Sun Soaked Tourney (Vigan)
FEBRUARY: Love Ultimate (Bukidnon)
MARCH: Ultimate Battle Grounds (Dumaguete), Ultimate Apparel Open (Boracay)
APRIL: Boracay Open

 Hopefully this year we can finally go to Palawan, Bohol.

SPECIAL THANKS TO

Aldwin and Jolas of Boon Technical Clothing for providing Don with his first Ulty uniforms, Vim of Double Happiness for our PUI Jerseys and Prizes designed by Tina Resch and Tahor, Daisy and Joey of Mulatto Apparel and Daddy and Dada of Trident Philippines for our PUI caps, Boracay Prints/Ultimate Apparel for the key chains, Double Dragon for the shorts and Wengman Sports for the free jerseys. Thank you for giving us something we can wear and use proudly.

The PUI crew: Nico Primaleon, Taji Pasigna, Chucks Guadalupe, Lucille Raterta and to our newest Film Crew headed by Jessica Resch – Thank you for being a solid support to Don and for sharing your time, talent and hard work.

Karen Cabrera, James Yap and the Boracay Dragons, thank you for giving Don his big break in Ultimate Photography and for continuing to support him and the crew. 

Tim Morrill of Morrill Performance for featuring Don's work in the US Magazine

Buboy and Karen, Tita Christine Pasigna, Joey and Daisy, for your generosity, always welcoming Don into your homes

Cal Lee & the organizers of AOUC 2016, for giving Don his first official paid gig


To our 6,000+ followers who continue to support PUI, thank you so so much!

 Let’s celebrate Don’s 1st year by making this day all about Don. Post your photos of him and your shout out including the hashtag #AllAboutU.


Thank you, Don! Happy 1st Year Anniversary! 

In our 2nd year we promise that there will be more stories to tell, 
more images to share and will definitely still be 
#AllAboutU.



0 comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)