PAGDIRIWANG PHILIPPINE FESTIVAL
Photography Exhibit

Leia Maminta (Smith) was born in Batangas City, studied at Philippine Science High School and completed her BS Biology at the University of the Philippines. She moved to the US in pursuit of science and completed her PhD in Tumor Cell Biology from Northwestern University. She trained in molecular biology at Washington University and at the National Cancer Institute. She worked in both academic and biotech organizations as a cancer biologist. At the crossroads of her career, she decided to explore her love of photography. She immersed herself in learning more about the history, techniques and business of photography. She received her Photography Certificate from University of Washington and started showing her art at various local venues including Shoreline Arts Festival, Annual Arts of the Terrace (Montlake Terrace), and Northwest Council Camera Clubs (NWCCC). She is an active member of Seattle Photographic Society and the Seattle Working Photographers Alliance. Her photo essays have been awarded first place by NWCCC for two consecutive years. The first one was on “Conversations between Moms and Sons” (2014) and the most recent one was entitled “Love and Laughter: Filipino Families in Washington State” (2015). Leia’s contemporary photography collection of Filipino families were featured at 2015 Pagdiriwang as part of her solo photography exhibit “Larawan” and as part of the Philippine Cultural exhibit at Shoreline Arts Festival (June 2015). More recently, she had an art show with another artist in Manila entitled “Tubig at Ilaw” (Renaissance Gallery, January 2016), featuring her floral photographs. Part of her collection are currently on display at Essence salon in Seattle. She lives in Seattle with her spouse and 2 sons and enjoys traveling with family. To see more of her works, visit www.leiasmithphotography.com.



Artist Statement
Capturing the moment and preserving the memories are my primary motivations in taking photographs. I see amazing images all around us and appreciate the beauty in minute details of life, in the grandeur of nature, and in the warmth of human relationships. A photograph is both art and science to me since it can show the beauty in the details, document the essence of life or the significance of an event. I love to experiment with perspective and colors, and find subjects that may look ordinary and see them in a different light. I found joy in photography, seeing the unexpected and making images that I can share and be enjoyed by others. When making portraits, I find that engaging people in conversation helps to bring out their personalities and to capture the loving relationships within families. The photograph become a cherished memento for each family, and that is truly rewarding for me as an artist.

Iris Dumuk was born in the Philippines. She moved to the United States at the age of eight. She grew up in the desert under the neon lights of fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. She earned a B.A. in Art Photography at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. She returned to Las Vegas and became an editorial photographer, as well as a wedding photographer. Her work has been published in numerous magazines, and she was a regular contributing photographer to Las Vegas Weekly until she moved to Seattle in 2009. Today she is a professional wedding photographer.
Artist Statement
Photography is the way I communicate my unique perspective of the world around me. It is also a way for me to make real the visions in my mind by using light as my medium. My two passions are landscape and fashion photography. In a way, they are similar in that they are both about light, line, texture, and form. Landscape photography is finding the beauty in nature, while fashion photography is to create beauty from nature. My goal is to express myself through creating art inspired by my life experiences. Whether it is documenting aspects of real life or creating imagined scenes, a piece of me is always part of it.