Bio

Ariela is a photographer based in Vancouver, BC, on the unceded land of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, her early curiosity for how things work earned her a reputation as a budding chemist.

Although she explored various fields, including Chemistry, her true passion has always been photography. Her love for cameras and gear is profound and for her, film photography perfectly melds science and art.

Ariela has been a devoted photographer since high school, but she began treating photography as an art and mindfulness practice in 2019 with her first film SLR. During the pandemic, taking photos became integral to her daily life: noticing, seeing, and observing. Self-taught in analogue photography, she now owns a diverse camera collection and has set up a small art studio. She also spent time learning black and white print-making methods such as silver gelatin with Philip Grey at Darkroom London, as well as Piezographic inkjet and Malde-Ware platinum-palladium with John Cone at Cone Editions. 

After working in food safety and building a successful food business in Vancouver, she is currently back in school, while working on self-publishing more photo books.  Ariela is also a proud member of the Vancouver Street Photography Collective.

Artist Statement

I'm a young artist from the Philippines, now living in Vancouver. I specialize in documentary and street photography, using film photography as my medium. I capture candid moments to tell stories of people and places. Using photography as a tool for mindfulness, I notice and cherish the beauty of everyday life.

Ultimately, my art is an expression of love for the outside world: the familiar, the foreign, the faces, and the stories that connect us all, crossing boundaries and revealing the shared humanity that unites us.