Magic Liwanag Magic Liwanag

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Making Magic: The secret to a signature photography style

Photographer Magic Liwanag shares tips, tricks and general advice on photography

Shot on OPPO Reno4

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“I think the best tip out there is to just keep shooting and try to learn something new everyday.”

It seems cliche and obvious, but sometimes it’s these exact things that escape us. Asked to share tips on how one can discover a signature photography style, Magic Liwanag’s response in a nutshell is to just do the work.

The advice could have come from anyone, but it helps that it’s from a seasoned pro.

Who is Magic Liwanag? 

Magic Liwanag is a professional photographer who has been shooting lifestyle events for 13 years now. He gained prominence when he started shooting concerts for MTV Philippines and other different promoters.

Shot on OPPO Reno2F

Who has he shot so far? Oh you know, just a few people you might have heard of. Do the names Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and Jennifer Lopez ring any bells?

He’s gone on to shoot other well-known personalities like Zac Efron, Chris Pratt, and Henry Cavill just to name a few. Suffice it to say, he’s done the work and he knows what he’s talking about.

Evolving with the times 

Like most photographers pre-smartphone era, Liwanag started with a DSLR. But as time went on and technology progressed, so did his weapon of choice.

Liwanag now uses a mirrorless camera for work. They’re lighter and smaller but still get the job done. But what if it’s not a job? That’s where smartphones have come in.

Shot on OPPO Reno2

“Smartphones are now catching up in terms of comfort and ease of use. Now, I can just flip out my phone and confidently shoot with OPPO’s camera, “ shared Liwanag.

Shot on OPPO Reno2

“Like when my wife and I traveled, I no longer needed to bring an extra sling bag for my camera, I can now shoot with my phone while we toured around,” shared Liwanag.

Shot on OPPO Reno2

He notes that he does still carry his main camera around all the time. But the convenience of having a smartphone that can shoot in different zoom ranges quickly at your disposal is truly helpful.

Shooting on a smartphone

“Your camera is just a tool, and you are its master. Number one rule: know what you’re using.”

Get intimate with your device of choice and know its strengths and weaknesses. Yet another solid advice from someone who has been at it for years. These days, Liwanag shoots with an OPPO Reno 4. Here, he rattles off what the phone can do.

Magic Liwanag

Shot on OPPO Reno4

“AI Color Portrait lets me be more creative because I know that it separates my subject (makes it colored) and makes the background monotone. Don’t just click and forget, make sure your subject captures the eyes of your viewers.”

Magic Liwanag

Shot on OPPO Reno4

“The Night Flare Portrait mode can help you shoot portraits even in low-light situations. Always remember, and I always say this,  light = photograph. Without light, there will be no photograph. Everything else will follow. Don’t attempt to just shoot in pitch black and assume that you will have a banger portrait.”

“Play with the light.”

Magic Liwanag

Shot on OPPO Reno4

“I love this mode cause even your mobile screen can be the source of light for a nice portrait. It makes all the colors pop as well adding that oomph,” he added.

Liwanag also shared his favorite for video creation: 960fps AI Slow Motion. Capturing 960fps slow-mo video is already amazing on its own, but he found the motion detection feature to be astonishing.

“If you don’t have any subjects, you can take videos of yourself in slow motion, and the 960fps AI Slow Motion of the Reno4 can detect if you start doing your jumps, or even start filming when you start to move.”

Your signature style

Liwanag’s tips are simple: Keep shooting and know your device well. If you keep doing the work, eventually, you’ll learn what it is that will set you apart.

“To get a signature or a personal style, you have to keep experimenting until you find what gives you that spark of excitement.”

For him, it’s “raw live, fast, and light.” The thrill of shooting concerts is what keeps him excited. “You can’t control what’s in front of you. But you can work around it.”

“Don’t just copy what they do. Be a better version of it.”

But it also helps to be versatile and an effective communicator. For shooting portraits, he says it’s best to make the subject feel comfortable. Whether that’s a prominent celebrity or a model just getting started, making the subject feel at ease is paramount.

Magic Liwanag also shared that you can choose to follow people that inspire you. Learn from their style and method of going about things, but… “don’t just copy what they do. Be a better version of it,” he cautions.

Shot on OPPO Reno 10x Zoom

At the end of the day, it all boils down to clocking in those 10,000 hours. “Put in the time to find what your strengths and weaknesses are. Practice, practice, and adapt.”

If you put in the work, that’s when magic happens.

~All photos shot with the OPPO Reno Series~

SEE ALSO: Content creating with the OPPO Reno4

The OPPO Reno4 retails at PhP18,990 available in three color variants Space Black, Galactic Blue, and the newest limited-edition Nebula Purple.

You can get your own via OPPO concept and online stores, partner dealers, and exclusive e-commerce partners Shopee and Lazada. The limited-edition Nebula Purple is available in selected stores only.

You may visit OPPO’s official website at www.oppo.com/ph for more details.


This feature is a collaboration between GadgetMatch and OPPO Philippines.

Hands-On

Apple iPhone 18 Pro Series Hands-on

And everything announced during Apple’s September 2026 Event

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The latest Apple event isn’t just about the shiny new Apple Duo. There’s a lot to talk about!

In this video, we break down everything Apple has announced during their September 2026 keynote.

First, there’s the updated iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. That’s alongside their design and color changes, battery and performance improvements. Even that massive camera upgrade.

There’s even the ANC-infused AirPods 5 alongside the newer Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. Plus, the latest software updates coming to both these wearables.

So, are these worth the upgrade?

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Explainers

Spotlight: Hisense UR8 + RGB MiniLED Explained

The Biggest TV Upgrade in Years?

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TV technology is changing in a way you can’t see. And it starts with how color itself is made.

Hisense’s new RGB MiniLED technology could change the way we see TVs.

Here’s our spotlight on their latest Hisense UR8 offering.

Check out the Hisense UR8 TV: https://bit.ly/4cxo6xl

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Features

How did new CEO John Ternus do for his first Apple event?

Is a new golden age coming for Apple?

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For a brief moment, I thought Tim Cook was refusing to step down as Apple’s CEO.

Apple’s “Surprise and shine” event, which heralded the coming of the foldable iPhone Duo, started bombastically with a montage of cinematic moments spanning different genres. The main point was: “what’s the best way to start an opening scene?”

After what felt like an age, the all-too-familiar voice of Tim Cook came on, perhaps for the very last time. But rather than overstaying his exit as the former CEO, he describes that the perfect opener should be classic, as a car that is, quite symbolically, riding off into the sunset. He then explains that he’s not the main character anymore.

Last shot of Tim Cook at the Surprise and Shine event

“That’s your guy,” he said, before pointing to John Ternus, who steps into frame without an introduction or even a name card. It’s hard to image that this guy is the new face of Apple.

It’s the perfect end to Tim Cook’s tenure and as perfect a start for John Ternus’s.

Moving from an age of crisis to a golden age

After a decade and a half of being the face of the brand, Tim Cook stepped down from his tenure as CEO. He leaves the company in a much better state than when he took over. Thanks to him, the iPhone is now a household item. It’s a ubiquitous phone that draws millions of fans every time a new one comes out every year.

But his tenure didn’t start on a bed of roses. When he took over in 2011, it was in response to Steve Jobs’s failing health, who passed away soon after. He inherited a company constantly threatened by competitors trying to eat into Apple’s slice of the pie.

Indeed, Cook’s tenure was peppered with crises. He had to navigate Trump’s first reign, destructive as it was towards relationships in China. He had to figure out survival during the tempestuous pandemic years. Finally, he had to carefully build a strategy for the dawn of AI.

Cook is, first and foremost, a businessman. While the Jobs era was typified by innovation after innovation, Cook built upwards, turning Apple into a trillion-dollar company. Although we didn’t see a lot of new exciting segments introduced, the company built on what it was already good at, delivering a premium and refined experience.

John Ternus comes at an opportune time. Though the brand will always have a healthy share of diehard fans, Apple must now find the next big thing and rediscover the spice of years past.

A time for AI?

After his nonchalant introduction, Ternus immediately goes on the offensive and describes his vision for Apple Intelligence. Rather than dwell on NPUs, TOPS, and other metrics that a regular user can’t make heads or tails of, he described Apple Intelligence and Siri AI as a personal assistant. Usage versus performance, in other words.

If you’re an AI enthusiast, the renewed push towards Apple Intelligence should give you hope that the iPhone won’t just be a receptacle for other AI software. Rather, it’s building its own. Wherever the AI industry is going, Apple looks like it can keep up.

Now, if you don’t like AI at all, that’s fine, too. Ternus isn’t there just for the AI.

Unlike Jobs or Cook, Ternus comes from a strictly engineering background. In today’s world, hardware complements AI. The software must use NPUs after all. But, when the AI bubble finally pops, Ternus isn’t out of a job. In fact, if his track record is any indication, it’s just getting started.

Or a time for new hardware?

This year is absolutely monumental for Apple. Earlier this year, the company launched the MacBook Neo, its first budget-friendly notebook built for everyone. If you were looking to get into the MacBook lifestyle, now is the perfect time to buy in. A lot of users felt a subtle changing of the guard.

From there, you can feel Ternus’s influence already seeping in. And if it wasn’t obvious back then, it’s more than apparent now.

iPhone Duo

In his first ever “One More Thing,” Ternus started his tenure strong with the introduction of the iPhone Duo. Almost twelve hours since the phone’s announcement, I’ve never seen a more visceral reaction to the launch of a new iPhone.

Whereas most of their annual releases reveled in more incremental improvements that primarily tickled already dedicated fan, the iPhone Duo is something new. Everyone’s talking about it. It’s gotten so crazy that even Samsung, often more nonchalant with its prodding, openly attacked the foldable after teasing the brand to go foldable last year.

Though it’s technically not a new segment, the iPhone Duo is patching up the mistakes of past foldables. Rather than just pasting two screens together, Apple’s take feels like a unified whole, emphasized by an interface that seamlessly changes from folded to unfolded.

Where Tim Cook failed to illicit more than a modest ripple with the Vision Pro, Ternus flew to new heights with the iPhone Duo’s announcement. And the phone isn’t even out yet.

Now, there’s still a chance that the Duo won’t be a hit with sales, especially because of the price. But this is still a strong opener for Ternus.

Who is the main character?

“That’s your guy,” Tim Cook pointed.

I don’t think he was pointing in the right direction. Though the camera cut to Ternus himself, his first outing clearly states that the main character is no longer whoever is handling the reins. His decision to skip an official introduction feels intentional. The main character, after all, is the hardware itself: the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone Duo.

The entire event started with a bold declaration that everything was shot with an iPhone. It ended, in fact, with the same declaration. Channeling their inner Marshall McLuhan, Ternus’s Apple wants you to believe in the iPhone again.

Even as someone who doesn’t use Apple products mainly, I’m stoked to see what the new era will bring to the table. This is an exciting time for Apple. We might be in the first year of a new golden age.

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