Heinz Bulos: Pictures and Words

I first met Heinz when he was the editor-in-chief of The Web Philippines (later known as Enterprise), one of the earliest publications that covered the early days of the internet in the country. He was also an editor and writer for PC World Philippines and online producer of ITNetCentral, and was the founder and chairperson of the Philippine Web Awards, an annual event that celebrated and recognized excellence in Filipino websites at a time when the internet in the Philippines was still in its infancy.

Through his work as a journalist and event organizer, Heinz chronicled how Filipinos were building their online presence, documenting not only the growth of websites and the technology evolving with it, but also the people and stories behind them. His leadership in these efforts made him one of the key pioneers documenting early Philippine web culture.

NOW INTO Learning and Professional Development

I reconnected again with Heinz during the 2023 Digital Marketing Week Philippines, an industry event organized by Learning Curve. He invited me to speak in one of the sessions (Best Practices on UX and Conversion) — a reminder to me of his enduring role in chronicling the Philippine digital landscape.

Heinz now serves as the President of Brand Stage (formerly Learning Curve), an events agency, conference producer, and training provider that organizes marketing, HR, IT, and personal finance conferences and promotes digital marketing certification courses for professionals and organizations. In this role, he builds on his decades of leadership by shaping initiatives that strengthen skills and foster growth across industries. Heinz also previously held posts in banking, audit, and business systems consulting, including roles at BPI Asset Management and SGV & Co.

His wide-ranging experience across media, events, finance, and corporate training reflects a career defined by versatility and leadership.

Capturing the World Through Photography

Beyond the world of media and learning, I wanted to ask Heinz what it is that he enjoys most. Heinz says he has found another medium of storytelling that he ultimately enjoys: travel photography. His portfolio, which he regularly shares on Instagram, reflects a sharp eye for landscapes, urban textures, and fleeting moments of culture and everyday life.

Among his works are images from Marble Canyon in the Canadian Rockies, Lake Louise in Alberta, Old Town Tallinn in Estonia, Helsinki in Finland, and Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska, among many others.

You’ve traveled and photographed so many cities. When and how did that start? And are there any destinations I missed aside from the ones I’ve skimmed off your IG page?

Heinz: I’ve been traveling on my own since the early 2000s, mostly around Southeast Asia, but only took up travel photography in 2017 when I went around to the U.S. with my family, specifically L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, and Alaska. We got hooked from then on. I haven’t been up-to-date with posting on IG, but I still have tons of unposted photos from our trips to Italy and, most recently, South Korea.

One of your photos from Levi in Finnish Lapland really stood out to me — the one where the snow-covered trees look almost otherworldly under the aurora-lit sky. Is it true you stood for hours in –25°C just to get that shot?

Heinz: Yes. It was brutally cold, but the sky kept shifting and I didn’t want to miss what might unfold. We were standing on a frozen lake, and I set up my tripod to wait for the right moment. The Northern Lights are a hit-or-miss; some nights, they just don’t show up. Some photos don’t come to you — you wait for them. But it was very worth it.

Of all the places you’ve been to and have photographed, which one is your favorite (or two)?

Heinz: That’s hard to choose, but Finland, specifically Helsinki, Lapland (Rovaniemi and Levi), and the cute old town of Porvoo in Finland, are my favorites. I also have to say Italy (Rome, Florence, Tuscany, and Milan) because the architecture and landscapes are beautiful. 

I see you love traveling with your family — they’re in almost all the locations you’ve photographed. Isn’t it challenging to bring kids all the time? Do they complain?

Heinz: It can be, but it also makes the trips richer. They’re blessed because they got to experience early on what I only did as an adult. Traveling with them means adjusting your pace and making sure you plan for kid-friendly activities, but it also means appreciating the simple things you might otherwise take for granted, like playing in the snow.

© Heinz Bulos | Instagram

“You need to be prepared. I bring pegs of the shots I want to take. And I really take the time to set up shots, because I want to capture memories that I can look back on for years.“

Any memorable lessons from traveling with a camera?

Heinz: You need to be prepared. I bring pegs of the shots I want to take. And I really take the time to set up shots, because I want to capture memories that I can look back on for years, which I otherwise would forget. But sometimes, the photo happens when you stop trying to take one. And sometimes the moment isn’t the iconic landmark everyone shoots, but a busker playing to the crowd, locals eating ramen in a back alley, or a grandmother feeding pigeons in front of a cathedral.

Some people frown on taking too many photos and videos on trips or staging shots like an annoying social media influencer. They say you should just be in the moment. But for me, why not do both? 

I immerse myself in the moment – we don’t rush from one place to another just to take a quick photo, as I’ve seen so many tourists on tour buses do. We take in the sights, often for hours, and we try to do what locals do. But I also want to take beautiful travel photos because that’s how I would like to best remember the places we’ve been to and the moments we experienced.

You once sang in a New Wave band, right?

Heinz: (laughs) Yes, in the ’80s! We were very serious about being moody and cool. Music was another outlet — and I guess it shows I’ve always had one foot in the creative world, whatever I was doing.

And what happened to that band? (It’s obvious you never went down that path!)

Heinz: Gone and forgotten! It’s funny because during my freshman year in UP-Diliman, Marcus Adoro (Eraserheads’ drummer) was my classmate. And we talked briefly about our high school bands. Obviously, he ended up becoming part of an iconic band, and I ended up just singing ‘80s songs in videoke bars with my friends.