MANILA — Celebrity photographer BJ Pascual shared his stressful experience of working with singer Denise Julia during an appearance on Killa Kush’s podcast. When asked about the “worst celeb or model to shoot,” Pascual candidly responded:

“Ito na ‘yung bago kong worst… Nanggigil pa rin ako, as in nanginginig ako ngayon… Ito na nga, this is very recent. Sobrang recent nito. Si Denise Julia.”

Pascual admitted he had heard several negative remarks about Denise before but still decided to take the project to support artists like her.

“I have heard so many bad things about her. So I guess medyo kasalanan ko rin na I still took the job. It was more pa nga of a passion project… At that time I was creatively burned out, and parang looking for something new to do. I was like yes, and I am a fan of her music. Especially queer artists, I love supporting young people,” he shared.

BJ recounted receiving a call from Denise’s team about shooting her album cover.

“I was like sige, game! I was really looking for something new to do.”

To prepare for the shoot, Pascual enlisted the help of friends from the industry, including Princess Barretto, a top set designer, who agreed to work for free, and Lyn Alumno, who handled the styling.

“Ang babayaran na lang nila is manpower and materials. There is no talent fee. This is charity work na,” he explained.

A meeting was held the day before the shoot, which Pascual described as “super chill lang.” His team began preparing and reserved the Gamma Studio, paying the full cost due to the last-minute nature of the shoot.

However, that night, BJ’s manager informed him that Denise’s team wanted to cancel the shoot. Pascual shared his frustration, noting how stressful the situation became, especially since his team had been preparing since 4:00 p.m.

“Girl, this was already 10 p.m. Call time namin (BJ’s team) is 6 a.m. (the next day). Siya (Denise) 8 a.m. How many hours na lang before the shoot? We have been setting the set since 4 p.m.”

Denise’s manager claimed there had been no confirmation for the shoot. Pascual was stunned by this claim.

“Biglang nag-backtrack si manager. Why did I go with everything, wala pa naman daw confirmation. Walang confirmation? Excuse me! This is the day before the shoot. Kayo ang nagpumilit mag-shoot on this day,” he said.

He further revealed that Denise’s team did not want to pay, leaving him to shoulder all the expenses.

To salvage the situation, BJ decided to call Sarah Lahbati, who had been wanting to shoot with him but had no prior opportunity.

“She’s (Sarah) going to split na lang with me ‘yung costs,” Pascual noted.

Pascual expressed regret for the people who worked on the project with him and revealed he never heard from Denise or her team again.

“After that, I never heard from her. No thank you, no sorry, no anything. No, what happened?” he concluded.

📷 BJ Pascual IG, Denise Julia IG