Veejay Villafranca

Veejay Villafranca (Vicente Jaime R. Villafranca) is a photographer and adjunct lecturer from the Philippines.

He started his career as a staff photojournalist for the national news magazine Philippines Graphic, before working as a freelance photojournalist with international news wire agencies including Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Thomson-Reuters, World Picture News (WPN), Getty Images and Bloomberg News. He subsequently became a full-time documentary photographer, covering topics such as the evolving Filipino cultural landscape, the effects of displacement on local communities, and the underbelly of gangs and secret societies in the Philippines. 

In 2017, together with MAPA Books, he co-published his first photobook, SIGNOS. Villafranca has exhibited in galleries and museums across France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Japan, the United States, and Singapore. He is the recipient of the 2008 Ian Parry Scholarship grant and took part in the 2013 Joop Swart Masterclass.  


World Press Photo Involvement:
2023 World Press Photo Contest jury member
2021 World Press Photo Contest Southeast Asia regional coordinator
2013 Joop Swart Masterclass participant

Veejay Villafranca on Social Media:
Instagram: @vjvillafranca
Twitter: @vjvillafranca