After working as a programmer for two years, he started pursuing photography professionally. His work as a commercial and editorial photographer in his early years has given him a chance to expand his interest, and he began doing personal works documenting local life, youth stories, social issues and shifting cultures around Southeast Asia. His portrait series The Last Tattooed Women of Kalinga took three years to complete, photographing the women in remote villages within the region. The series attracted attention from the world, and Steidl will publish the 2nd edition of the book in the fall in 2017.