A 20-year-old photographer from General Santos City has turned a girl’s pre-debut shoot into a pictorial that every Ghibli fan would want.

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation company known for its aesthetic works and entertaining storylines like Howl’s moving Castle, Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Whisper of the Heart, and more.

Ric Sherwin, The Debutante – Gwen Mendevil, and makeup artist Jonathan Balaba have taken creativity to a serious level and turned the 2D Ghibli works into what seems like live-action posters. You’d be really mistaken that they are not pre-debut photos.

In an online interview with the photographer, he shared that “the Ghibli inspired shoot was Gwen’s idea, and she asked me if I could pull that kind of photoshoot.” Indeed!

With Nikon D750 and a 120mm lens, Ric was able to capture his muse and the dreamy locations of General Santos City and the humble municipality of Polomok. Guidelines on the implementation of community quarantine were followed during the photoshoot.

The secret? A passion for art and spending several hours watching tutorials on YouTube.

The GenSan-based photographer also shared that his viral craft was mastered through watching tutorials on Youtube. This proves that skills really come from a lot of practice, experience, and listening to other photographers’ tips.