September 2008 Archives
Another view from the Squatters Alley in Metro Manila that's been cleared of the homeless living there, due to building renovations....I thought it best to keep it in black & white.
Manila, Philippines: a squatters alley resident photographed at 1:33pm
Olympus E-1, Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital: 1/1250s f/2.8 at 14.0mm iso200
Manila, Philippines: a squatters alley resident photographed at 1:33pm
Olympus E-1, Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital: 1/1250s f/2.8 at 14.0mm iso200
Parked in the squatters alley that was recently closed for renovations to those street people who called it home (see it in the post below), this image below always struck me: the colorful 2nd. hand baby stroller, small bicycle and children's doll, along with 2 cardboard mats to sleep on.
Two homeless women with small babies stored all they had in that alley, while the other alley people kept an eye on it.
Out of camera range, if you were looking up the street to the left in the image, you'd see the covered sidewalk where the street people slept & lived, as shown in the image in the post below (same street shot from opposite ends)
Malou is one of the women who owned the small stroller for her daughter MJ, and I saw neither of them when I came back to Manila in June, as others told me that MJ was taken away by the authorities to a childrens home, as her mama was seen by those people as not being able to care for little MJ properly.
Manila Philippines: a squatters alley that has recently been closed to the homeless; 4:57pm
Olympus E-1, Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital: 1/200s f/3.5 at 54.0mm iso200
Two homeless women with small babies stored all they had in that alley, while the other alley people kept an eye on it.
Out of camera range, if you were looking up the street to the left in the image, you'd see the covered sidewalk where the street people slept & lived, as shown in the image in the post below (same street shot from opposite ends)
Malou is one of the women who owned the small stroller for her daughter MJ, and I saw neither of them when I came back to Manila in June, as others told me that MJ was taken away by the authorities to a childrens home, as her mama was seen by those people as not being able to care for little MJ properly.
Manila Philippines: a squatters alley that has recently been closed to the homeless; 4:57pm
Olympus E-1, Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital: 1/200s f/3.5 at 54.0mm iso200
I've photographed the street people before in Metro Manila, and one of many 'squatters alley' that I've shot on before close by my hotel is being rebuilt, and has closed off its sidewalk to the homeless who've called it home for years. (see the sidewalk image on my post from Sept.4, 2008)
Which simply means the homeless just move to another street close by and carry on, and not many will notice.
The particular alley in the top image was home for many people, and a few drug addicts - although I rarely saw the few addicts acting up and imposing on the other Families there, I could still walk daily through the alley and everyone there either knew my name or knew me by sight, and most greeted me - and I them.
The couple in the bottom image had to relocate from the alley, around the corner to in front of Ana's house (the abandoned and crumbling old movie theater where Ana's Momma & Papa are caretakers for its landlord, and hence have a place to stay)
Manila Philippines: a squatters alley, and a homeless couple in front of Ana's dwelling at 11:58am
Olympus E-1, Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital: 1/125s f/5.6 at 14.0mm iso200
The gentleman was being kind to his wife who was resting in their tricycle parked on the sidewalk - he was getting her a drink of water, the water coming from a plastic baggie costing P1, and you bite or poke a hole on the corner of the baggie and have your drink that way, as they can't afford bottled water.
Since the alley was off the larger streets, I always looked at it as a safer place to live & sleep for those who lived there, and now a few have just moved around the corner onto the main drag where it's noisier and vastly more crowded, and more dangerous as now there are many more people walking by those sleeping who have a chance to pick their pockets or steal their food, etc.
I'm interested to see what types of buildings are being built there in the old alley, and if the street people will try to move back there, if sidewalks are built back in, and if those buildings don't have guards who'll chase them away from where they used to sleep - I'll see for myself in Manila this November.
Thanks for reading today,
PJAMES
Which simply means the homeless just move to another street close by and carry on, and not many will notice.
The particular alley in the top image was home for many people, and a few drug addicts - although I rarely saw the few addicts acting up and imposing on the other Families there, I could still walk daily through the alley and everyone there either knew my name or knew me by sight, and most greeted me - and I them.
The couple in the bottom image had to relocate from the alley, around the corner to in front of Ana's house (the abandoned and crumbling old movie theater where Ana's Momma & Papa are caretakers for its landlord, and hence have a place to stay)
Manila Philippines: a squatters alley, and a homeless couple in front of Ana's dwelling at 11:58am
Olympus E-1, Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital: 1/125s f/5.6 at 14.0mm iso200
The gentleman was being kind to his wife who was resting in their tricycle parked on the sidewalk - he was getting her a drink of water, the water coming from a plastic baggie costing P1, and you bite or poke a hole on the corner of the baggie and have your drink that way, as they can't afford bottled water.
Since the alley was off the larger streets, I always looked at it as a safer place to live & sleep for those who lived there, and now a few have just moved around the corner onto the main drag where it's noisier and vastly more crowded, and more dangerous as now there are many more people walking by those sleeping who have a chance to pick their pockets or steal their food, etc.
I'm interested to see what types of buildings are being built there in the old alley, and if the street people will try to move back there, if sidewalks are built back in, and if those buildings don't have guards who'll chase them away from where they used to sleep - I'll see for myself in Manila this November.
Thanks for reading today,
PJAMES
I received a very nice request for 2 images from the STI Foundation in Manila for two of my images to be used for hi-resolution printed materials for a project in Manila, and I replied back with a 50 to 75pct. off heavily discounted licensing fee considering their non profit status (standard practice for preparing hi-res 300dpi images in Photoshop for commercial usage can begin at $100/$150USD per image and go way up from there, so I gave them a nicely discounted quote)
I am hoping for a favorable reply from STI (as opposed to them asking for free stock photography) as the discounted fee I quoted them will provide food & rice for Rosa's Family, as Rosa is the subject of one of the images STI are interested in.
On another note, I was editing an image below of a Manila street person I always see roaming about, but locals have always warned me about his drug addiction and rough persona - especially when he sees me on the street with Rosa's or Ana's Family when I have my camera in my arms, so I've never approached this guy, not has he ever spoken to me.
Manila Philippines, June 11, 2008: roaming through a homeless refuge side street area 8:44am
Olympus E-1, Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital: 1/200s f/5.6 at 14.0mm iso200
When I passed by his sleeping area on day in June, I fired one frame then left - maybe one day when he's sober I can some images of him, he seemed gentle enough on a few occasions in the past.
Most people I know, even the street people in Manila always reply favorably when I want to shoot a few frames, or when I have images to show them, but I do remember to be careful and respectful in the areas I roam in.
Thanks for reading today,
PJAMES
email text of STI's request for permission to use my images:
Sir Paul:
I would like to ask for permission to use two of your photographs
from your pbase account for a video presentation and program posters as your
photos captures the life of out -of-school youths (OSYs) in the Philippines. We
hope that you can send us the following in 300 dpi resolution.
1. 40992652_208K_rosa_breakfast
2. 79666435_qkrT3JNo_P4159155 editbw_filtered
We will provide OSYs free college education but to ensure
that they will stay in school, we will raise funds for their day to day
expenses.
For further clarifications, please get in touch with me at
+63 x-xxx-xxxx or via email: xxxx@xx.net.
I hope you can assist us in our advocacy. Thank you in
advance.
Bambi Asis - Geronimo
5th Floor, 6764 Phil. First Bldg.
Ayala Avenue , Makati City
STI are interested in images from this series with Rosa, when she was homeless in 2005:
