the stories of his life

One of the things I enjoy most about photography is the ability to capture ephemeral moments in time. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to capture an image that captivates your soul and tugs at your heart. On one such occasion, I was blessed with such an experience.

On a recent trip to the Philippines in 2008, I happen to see this man outside the San Francisco Church in downtown Naga City. He was a beggar who sat outside the church gates with arms outstretched, seeking alms from the passers-by. I found it rather interesting that people didn’t even acknowledge nor looked at him as if he wasn’t there at all. I suppose after a while, we become unsympathetic to these unfortunate souls. What struck me about his man was the fact that he didn’t even look people in the eye when he was asking for spare, loose change.

While we were at church, I leaned over to my cousin and said, “I would like to photograph him. Do you think he would mind?” Soon after mass was over, with P20 ($0.42) in hand, I walked over with my cousin to make the request. With an ever slight hint of hesitation, he agreed. He probably thought that this bit of inconvenience was well worth the money. P20 would go a long way. Like before, he wouldn’t look me in the eye. He would simply look down to the ground, watching people’s feet pass him by. It was sad. But my luck was still at my side as I was able to capture this one frame of him actually looking at the camera. I took 5 frames and this image was the fifth. I suppose I could have chosen to take more shots but I wavered and took a step back.

Walking back to the hotel, my dad asked me why I was taking photos of this man. “I saw his eyes briefly and I knew at that point that I had to capture an image of this man before it was too late”. Too late for what? I’m uncertain but what I was certain about is the fact that even in his silence, this man had so many stories to be told. The stories of his life – written in all over his face.