D Dipasupil – Photographer for Getty Images

March 31, 2011 aceboy81 0 Comments

D Dipasupil was born in Bronx, NY and relocated to New Jersey at a young age. An avid track & field competitor, she was a state champion in hurdles in high school.

Dipasupil began a degree in Electronics Engineering Technology at The College of New Jersey for two years, but changed paths to study Audio Production & Recording Engineering at The Center for the Media Arts in NYC. Upon completing a degree, she held a variety of positions including a performing musician and a retail Loss Prevention detective and investigator for Macy’s. She also held positions in the Information Technology (IT) field, having worked for the United Parcel Service from 1990 to 1997, IT sales with Compaq Computer Corporation (now Hewlett-Packard) from 1997 to 2004, eventually moving to Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and was responsible for the Business Development of the Wall Street community and Financial Services Industry from 2004 to 2008.

Dipasupil found her way into freelance photography in 2008 and began covering sports and news. In 2009, she began covering entertainment as a NYC paparazzo. In the fall of 2010, she became a contributing entertainment photographer at Getty Images.

Dipasupil is a proud (and recently public) male to female transsexual, and the parent of two boys, Kyle, 9 and Aidan, 4.

My parents were born in the Philippines, but I also have some Chinese, Brazilian, and Spanish in my blood. Two years ago I summoned up the courage to make a life changing decision to be true to myself. I’ve switched genders, now live as female, and couldn’t be happier.

D Dipasupil

ASIANCE: What is your background, education and ethnicity?

D: I’m 44 years old and the proud parent of two wonderful boys (4 and 9 years old). I was born in Bronx, New York and grew up in Emerson, New Jersey. My parents were born in the Philippines, but I also have some Chinese, Brazilian, and Spanish in my blood. I studied Electronics Engineering Technology at The College of New Jersey, but never completed my degree. Two years ago I summoned up the courage to make a life changing decision to be true to myself. I’ve switched genders, now live as female, and couldn’t be happier. I am a transsexual woman and proud.

ASIANCE: Wow! Congratulations! Was there any memorable event or story from photographing which sticks out in your mind?

D: In the short time I’ve been shooting editorial entertainment work, I’ve photographed many celebrities in various industries. Every event and image has it’s own little story. A recent assignment involving designer Timo Weiland was very memorable. Upon arriving early to photograph backstage at their Fall 2011 fashion presentation at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC, I had no idea who was who. Usually I do a little research before a shoot, but wasn’t able to do so this time. The first person I struck up a conversation with just happened to be Timo Weiland’s mother Allison. We had a nice discussion and she introduced me to designers Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein. As busy as they were preparing for their presentation, they were very gracious to take the time to meet me. The presentation was impressive and I managed to snap a few shots of figure skater/TV personality Johnny Weir, Cobra Starship lead singer Gabe Saporta, and NFL player George Wilson. Great people, great clothes, great experience. I hope to have more shoots like that in the future.

ASIANCE: Who or what is the most lucrative “get” right now?

D: That’s definitely a moving target, but images of Blake Lively, Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Anniston always seem to be in demand. For me, an image I shot in late 2010 of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher has been my most lucrative. There’s no shortage of photographs of those two, but I was fortunate enough to have captured an image that was important to someone. Glad I could deliver.

ASIANCE: If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be doing?

D: Before making the move to photography full-time, I spent many years working in the computer industry working for companies like United Parcel Service, Hewlett-Packard, and Advanced Micro Devices. I still love technology, but my other love has always been music. As a musician (drums/guitar/keyboards), I’d love to be a drummer in a touring band. Traveling and playing music for a living would be a dream.

ASIANCE: How did you get your start in photography?

b>D:I was introduced to photography at an early age by my dad. It was a hobby we shared for many years and I will always cherish those memories. Growing up, I was always the person friends and family turned to for a photograph. From a professional perspective, I broke into editorial photography work a couple years ago (via an ad on
Craigslist) and had some good success. It wasn’t until Summer 2010 when I met Getty Images Managing Editor Parky Lee while I was shooting Justin Timberlake on a movie set in New York City. One thing lead to another and here I am today contributing editorial entertainment images to Getty Images. Right place, right time. I’m grateful.

It was a pleasure being up close and personal with Asian celebrities like Celicia Cheung, Daniel Wu, Zhang Hanyu, and Qu Ying.

D Dipasupil

ASIANCE: What Asian celebrity or public figure do you most admire and like to photograph?

D: In Fall 2010, I had the opportunity to photograph the 1st New York Chinese Film Festival Tribute Gala Dinner. It was a pleasure being up close and personal with Asian celebrities like Celicia Cheung, Daniel Wu, Zhang Hanyu, and Qu Ying. I look forward to photographing more Asian celebrities in the future.

From a public figure perspective I admire and enjoy photographing LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) activists and politicians.

Capturing imagery of their passion and determination in the quest for equal rights is inspiring, energizing, and very personal to me.

ASIANCE: What are some of the challenges faced in fashion photography?

D: I think the rapid advances in technology, in particular high-definition video capable digital SLR’s, iPhones, iPads, etc., and keeping up with the media’s demand for web and multimedia-centric content poses challenges for still photographers in all industries.

There will always be a market for still images, but how much will video infringe on that marketplace? More importantly, how will that effect the pricing of still imagery (which always seems to be on the decline)? At every event I shoot it’s now common to see many videographers using iPhones, Flips, and DSLR’s to capture video content. Awareness of emerging technologies and being able to adapt to the changes will be critical for all.