MANILA, Philippines - Let me make this clear from the very start: Mark Nicdao and Pam Quiñones are not in any way a romantic couple. They are what you call a “working couple” — two creative souls on the same wavelength who met at the start of their careers and hit it off well together. Sparks flew, and the resulting collaborations have given birth to a whole new wave of groundbreaking work that we see in editorials, billboards, print ads — the canvases that make up pop culture as we see it.
The master lensman that is Mark Nicdao has always been open and compatible with working with other stylists, as with Pam, a fashion editor-turned-stylist who is at the top of her game. “We just connect and the enthusiasm is pushed and the energy goes up,” they speak of the way their minds meet. Somehow life had a way of bringing the two together to bring the best out of each other.
I guess real-life couples have so much to learn from these two, which is exactly our point in doing this Phil STAR Supreme shoot. The best relationships don’t have to be romantic. You can be the best of partners and not have to be romantic. You should be with a person who makes you achieve and be the best version of yourself that you can be and you don’t have to be “in a relationship” to do great things together. That and more, Mark Nicdao and Pam Quiñones have proven to be possible. So let them be our inspiration for this Valentine’s season and beyond. ? ?
Don’t believe me? Read on and feel the sparks between two people in love with what they do together. Who knows? You might learn a thing or two on how to make your relationship work. I know I did.
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Interview by Cai Subijano
SUPREME: What was it like working together at first?
Pam Quiñones: In the first shoot that we did, with Carmina (Villarroel), it was something that, you know, you can’t really explain, but it was just like, we clicked right then and there. It was so effortless. I didn’t feel like I had to tip-toe around him because what I see in the photograph that I wanted to edit out, he sees it also. When I say it, he goes, “Yeah, actually. You’re right.” So it was like that from the get-go.
S: How has working together made you two better at what you do, respectively?
Mark Nicdao: Whenever I went to shoots before, I didn’t notice any styling, I didn’t notice any makeup or anything. But the first time I worked with Pam, I saw that there was more potential to my photography when there’s great styling. I saw colors, I saw layers, which I never saw before. I mean, of course, I’d worked with a lot of stylists, but Pam’s different in some way, I guess. And Pam knows how to f--king pose! Like hell.
PQ: I used to actually tell the models how to pose.
MN: Yeah, and for me, that’s an extra. Like, another helping hand in the shoot.
PQ: And we came from really different backgrounds. He has interests, he has knowledge about so many things that I don’t have that when he shares (them) with me, I feel like he’s enriching my knowledge about things. So I’m actually learning a lot from him.
S: How do you guys fight?
PQ: There was a certain issue that we had, like we had a fight and we didn’t talk to each other for a while and then...
MN: She didn’t want to talk to me.
PQ: But that time, he was like, “We really have to talk, Pam. We have to sort things out. I have very, very few close friends from the industry and this is one of those things that I wanna keep,” which for me was really an eye-opener.
MN: There are things that I really keep in this industry. Like, people whom I can talk to and who I know I can trust. And I saw that in her. She would give me advice and she wouldn’t give me bullsh-t. I’m not the easiest person to deal with, actually. That’s why I treasure my friends.
PQ: That’s true. He’s not.
S: Is there a particular collaboration that you two are most proud of?
PQ: I think our Paris shoot with Anne for Rogue magazine because there was no one else there, except for him, me, the makeup artist, Robbie (Piñera), Miguel (Mari), and Anne. And it felt so effortless. Everyone was helping each other, everyone was multi-tasking, even Anne was multi-tasking. So for me, that was really special because that doesn’t really happen a lot and what made it even more special (was) the fact that we shot it in Paris and that it had a three-cover exposure and that...
MN: It turned out f--king amazing.
PQ: I don’t know if it’s my best shoot to date, but it feels like it is.
MN: Yeah, like thinking of the aesthetics of the local designer plus an international scene, it’s just the feeling that you wanted. It’s there in the photo and it was magical!
S: What do you tell people who are convinced that you guys are going to be end up together eventually?
MN: I’m in a relationship right now. Pam is single and dating, but if I’m gonna be an outsider looking at Pam and Mark, I would think, “Oh, they’re super close. They look like they’re together.” But it’s hard to find someone who will mesh with you well, who you might marry one day… yuck! No, but, whatever, I mean, I don’t mind.
PQ: I think people think that because we have so many things in common. They think,“Ba’t di nalang kayo?” But it can never be that because we realized that this is a really good friendship that we wanna keep. We don’t wanna mess with that.
MN: For me, the great thing about this relationship is the worst thing: We’re friends. That’s the best thing and the worst thing.
S: Can you stand being in a relationship knowing that either Mark or Pam doesn’t approve of your significant other?
PQ: When I date someone, it’s so important for me that Mark and Robbie (Piñera), my really good friends from work, like them. For me, friends are so important. I feel like they’re family talaga.
MN: That’s one thing with me naman. I can go on in a relationship even if people (are) against it. They’re gonna accept it no matter what. They’re my friends.
S: Anything else you guys want to add?
MN: We’re not together, guys. We’re not. We’re just really, really good friends. Pam is super single and...
PQ: Super!
MN: And she’s a great f--king person, she’s amazing, gorgeous, long-legged. (laughs) Smart, witty, and available.
PQ: Parang classified ad!
MN: Tama. And me? Sorry! Next time nalang. I guess, next lifetime? Naks! (laughs)
PQ: I think, in our past lives, we believe in that. I think we were actually brother and sister.
MN: I go to her house and sleep there for three days.
PQ: It’s like that. Walang awkwardness or anything. Parang you know talaga that it’s just really friendship.