OPINION: Ranking my top five favorite VP/Cover of 2019

As an editorial associate for Village Pipol Magazine, it has become one of my responsibilities to create and keep track of the content that we publish online and on our print magazine. I also greatly enjoy coming with the team for celebrity photo shoots for our VP/Cover. This way, if I write the cover story about them, it would revolve around their traits and personalities.

Here are my top five favorite VP/Cover of 2019:

The Village Pipol team shows off the beauty and prowess of prime and supreme artists on VP/Cover. Aside from the story, the composition of the covers also appeals to the viewers’ eye. The photographers, stylists, make-up artists, and hairstylists remain a huge help for the editorial team. They create a persona based on a theme or a trait that we wanted the artist to show.

# 1: Mimiyuuuh & Benedict Cua

They didn’t win VP Choice Awards‘ VP/Cover of the Year for no reason. With Lord Harvey Monteroso writing the cover story titled The Power of Influence, it definitely matched the two’s personalities.

Mimiyuuuh and Benedict Cua‘s comfortability with each other made it possible for some kilig photos that we definitely felt during the shoot. Aside from that, it felt easy and comfortable to work with the two as they joke around with the whole team.

# 2: Julie Anne San Jose

Another one under Lord Harvery Monteroso‘s belt, he came up with the title The Renaissance of Julie Anne San Jose. The whole shoot remained a creative and collaborative effort with the whole team and Julie Anne herself.

She came up with powerful stances with photographer Andrea Beldua as she embodies to become a masterpiece herself. She exudes the aesthetic emotion in the photo shoot that could probably fill up a whole art stockroom.

#3: Kris Bernal

The first-ever cover story that I have ever written, this water-nymph-themed photo shoot became the most challenging one so far. Photographer Raphael Yu even fell into the pool just to get a perfect shot of Kris Bernal without damaging the camera.

During my interview with her, we coined the title She Takes The Lead. When asked what a powerful woman meant, she answered: “A powerful woman is a one-woman team.” This, then, became her tagline for her YouTube channel.

#4: Darren Espanto

As the Generation Z rises, Darren Espanto‘s name continues to grow. Another piece from yours truly, his growth inspired the title Onwards and Upwards. His clean and dapper look made him look mature enough for his high-end status.

The playful composition contrasted his seriousness and his ability to talk with sharp wit and clever perception. Of course, the whole photo shoot envelopes his soul, character, and sensibility as a performer. Even during the interview, I would forget how young he actually is.

#5: Kevin Balot

Kevin Balot‘s cover remains one of the most important that Village Pipol ever released. As a part of the LGBTQ+ Community and a transgender woman, she inspired the title Celebrating Her Truth.

The composition and theme of the photo shoot showed off her femininity. With pink and rainbow as the main hues, she stands out as the center of attention in a positive ray of light.