A good photographer captures the subject but a good subject captures the photographer. I have high regard for photo journalists. They capture the moment for there will never be the same exact moment.
I used to be a camera bug in my younger days. Now that I am retired aside from using my digital camera I sometimes relive the images in my mind. My favorite subjects were kids. I got raw facial expressions from them especially the underprivileged. I found it amazing that they really did not mind their limited options.
Up to this time kids take a swim in the flooded streets and simply enjoy the dirty waters not mindful of the germs or diseases they may get. Free swimming pool, that is all. Children play in the city streets for lack of a neighborhood park. Do they complain? For them it is their playground for the moment.
Those kids in the evacuation centers may seem to take in stride their inconvenient situation. Do you see their resentment? One thing certain is that you will not find them with their toy guns playing police or soldiers shooting at each other. At a very young age they now have a glimpse of how devastating war is. The government sponsored activities for kids help them cope with their difficult situation.
Frame by frame, the facial expressions of kids are not scripted. Their spontaneous reactions show who they are. Whatever comes, you do not even have to say, smile you are on candid camera.
Anybody can create awareness of what is really happening in the neighborhood. Remember that picture taken by a netizen of a child doing her homework while taking advantage of the street light overhead?
Also captured on camera is a child in her school uniform, wearing her black shoes and leaving home. Big steps passed grassy lands then slowed down by muddy paths, the pace got quicker when she reached a bridge. The bridge that connected her barangay to the next where her school is located is broken. The frustration and disappointment on the child’s face should touch the hearts of our corrupt government officials.
When you see a kid sniffing solvent from a plastic bag, do you think beyond the addiction? When a child drags a big sack of recyclable items, do you wish for more investors? Picture a family of 10 sitting on the floor of a makeshift home, sharing three pieces of fried fish, do we blame this on overpopulation?
Will the so-called Golden Age promised by President Duterte change the images I will capture on camera?