Born and raised in the Philippines, Manila-based cinematographer Tristan S. explores culture and environment as his visual cues to tell stories—both in film and advertising. Being a son of a camera technician, Tristan grew up being surrounded with 35mm film cameras.

He finished his degree in Mass Communications in one of Manila’s prestigious Universities and then took his apprenticeship under a seasoned film production manager, Kints Kintana. Tristan shot his first full length film “Diablo” and won Cinemalaya’s Best Cinematography Award at the age of 22. Three years after, in 2015 he won another award for Best in Cinematography, this time for an advertising film called “Pro Life”, 2015 Kidlat Advertising Awards.

At his young age of 26, Tristan’s exquisite work as a cinematographer for the film was showcased in different renowned international film festivals such as 18th Puchon International Film Festival in Korea and Singapore International Film Festival, for the film Bukas na lang Sapagkat Gabi na (Leave it Tomorrow, For Night has Fallen); and New York International Film Festival, Asian Film Festival Barcelona, Hamburg International Film Festival and Fantasia International Film Festival in Canada, for the film Matangtubig (Town in a Lake).

To date, Tristan has already established his reputation as cinematographer for commercial advertising working with multinational companies.