Jason Pineda keeps his introduction short. His friends call him “SO.” He makes music videos. By his count, next year will mark 20 years since he became a photographer. Then he adds one more line:
“Pero bano padin hahaha!” [But I’m still a noob, hahaha!]
Get used to that laugh. It shows up in almost every answer he sent us. Jason is a Filipino photographer who works almost entirely with musicians. He loves shooting portraits, he makes music videos, and right now he is on tour with the band FIONA, camera in hand.
If you read our FIONA feature in September, you have already seen his work. Some of the photos in that story are his. This time, we turned the camera around.
Jason Pineda at a glance
- Based in: The Philippines
- Medium: Photography (portraits, gigs, and events) and music videos
- Notable works: FIONA’s “Sinag” music video; photos FIONA feature
- Where to see his work: FIONA Opens the Doors to ROOMS on Excapelabs
Get to know Jason Pineda
- His friends call him “SO.”
- The camera that started it all: a 500D his dad bought and barely used.
- Favorite thing to shoot: portraits.
- Next year marks 20 years as a photographer.
- His toughest challenge, by his own count: two staircases. (Keep reading.)
How did Jason Pineda become a photographer?
He can’t pin down exactly when he started. What he does remember is how much he loved watching live shows back then, and how he and his friends used to put on gigs together.
Then his dad bought a 500D and barely used it. You can probably guess what happened next.
“Ayun dinala ko nalang sa gig HAHAHA! Tapos naadik lang rin ako magshoot!” [So I just brought it to a gig, HAHAHA! Then I got hooked on shooting!]
His musician friends encouraged him to keep at it. Besides, he was already at the gigs anyway. It would have been a waste not to shoot.
If you’ve ever been the friend at every gig, you know that logic. You’re already there. You might as well shoot.
What does Jason Pineda look for in a photo?
Portraits are his favorite. What he is really after is emotion: the energy of the place, whatever is happening at the event, and a bit of storytelling.
Ask him what makes his work different from other photographers’, and he turns it into a joke. Nothing, he says. He’s just like your favorite photographer, only without the skills and without the money.
All these years in, he is still the first to roast himself.
Why hungry bands keep him going
Nearly everyone he works with is a musician, so their stories are what inspire him. Their struggles and how they get through them. The new songs they write.
What gets him most is a band with hunger. He loves rolling with a hardworking band, the kind that really finds a way to get its songs noticed.
“Nakakahawa e. tsaka nakakabata rin.” [It’s contagious. And it keeps you young, too.]
If you’ve ever helped a friend’s band get one more person to hear a song, you know exactly the kind of energy he means.
The “Sinag” video he holds close
We asked Jason to name one project that means a lot to him. He picked the music video for “Sinag” by FIONA.
He loved the whole process of making it. He remembers the interviews, and answers that went straight to the heart. He remembers the performance that direk AJ shot (“direk” is how Filipinos address a director). And he remembers a whole team that was just happy during the shoot.
He is always grateful to FIONA, he says, for giving him the chance to make projects like this. It won’t be the last time he thanks them.
What is it like to work with Jason Pineda?
Some of Jason’s photos ran in our September feature on FIONA, so we asked for the story behind that shoot. He laughed it off. Maybe there’s no need to explain the story, he says.
So what is the story? Look at the photos in FIONA Opens the Doors to ROOMS and see what you find.
What he will share is how easy the work is when the band are already your friends. He thanks FIONA again here, this time for bringing him in while they were still conceptualizing the album that became ROOMS. He knows the stories, so he and the band already knew what they needed for their ideas to meet in the middle right away.
The shoot itself, he says, was almost like just hanging out. Filipinos call that tambay: hanging around with no real agenda. When FIONA told us about making ROOMS, the tambay was among the things they remember most.
What is it like to be a photographer in the Philippines?
First, the hardest part. We asked Jason about the biggest challenge he has faced as a photographer. These days, he says, it’s the stairs: the old stairs at Unknown13 and the stairs at Neutral Grounds. He ends that answer with a “hahaha.”
Yes, the stairs. Unknown13 Pub is a spot we know well. We featured it in 2025 as a live music bar along Katipunan in Quezon City, Metro Manila, in our Unknown13 Pub feature, and again in our AghostO issue.
On the bigger question of shooting in the Philippines, he gets real. It doesn’t matter where you shoot, he says. You just have to choose what you really want to do. Go into weddings or corporate work, and you’ll probably be loaded.
But if that isn’t your path, earning from your shoots isn’t what makes you a photographer. For him, it comes down to this:
“Basta mahal mo lang yung craft.” [As long as you love the craft.]
And of course, he adds, what matters is that you’re happy doing it. And that you’re not a jerk.
Love the craft, be happy doing it, and don’t be a jerk. Not a bad rule for anyone.
What advice does Jason Pineda have for new photographers?
If you are a new photographer or creative still waiting for the right gear or more confidence, his advice is short.
“Gawin nyo lang ng gawin, Work with what you have. At pumili ng circle na yayakap sayo.” [Just keep doing it. Work with what you have. And choose a circle that will embrace you.]
It sounds a lot like his own start: his dad’s barely used 500D, and musician friends who encouraged him.
What’s next for Jason Pineda?
Right now, Jason is on the road, shooting on tour with FIONA. He also has some music videos cooking. And he hopes more people will ask him to make something for them.
So whose music videos are cooking? He can’t say. Not yet.
FAQ
Who is Jason Pineda?
Jason Pineda is a Filipino photographer who also makes music videos. His friends call him “SO.” Next year marks 20 years since he started shooting, and almost all the people he works with are musicians. He loves portraits and capturing the energy of a place. He worked on the music video for FIONA’s “Sinag” and is currently shooting on tour with FIONA.
What is Jason Pineda’s photography style?
Jason Pineda loves shooting portraits. Most of all, he wants to capture emotion and the energy of a place, or whatever is happening at an event, with a bit of storytelling. Most of the people he shoots are musicians, so his ideas come from their stories, their struggles, how they work through them, and the new songs they make.
Where can I see Jason Pineda’s work?
You can see some of Jason Pineda’s photos in our feature “FIONA Opens the Doors to ROOMS,” here on Excapelabs. He also worked on FIONA’s “Sinag” music video, which he named as the project that means a lot to him. He is shooting on tour with FIONA now, and he has more music videos in the works for people he can’t name yet.
Support Jason Pineda
- See his photos: Browse FIONA Opens the Doors to ROOMS on Excapelabs.
- Watch his work: Look up FIONA’s “Sinag” music video, the project he picked as most meaningful.
- See him at work: He is shooting on tour with FIONA. Follow FIONA and their page for tour dates.
- Work with him: Need photos or a music video? He is hoping more people will ask.
- Follow Jason: [ADD JASON’S SOCIAL OR PORTFOLIO LINKS HERE ONCE HE SENDS THEM]
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