SUBURBAN CARICATURE
Location: Carriedo St., Quiapo, Manila
August 08, 2017
Canon EOS 70D with 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6
photo by renziecardinal
Metro Manila is home to millions of different and varied stories -- making it a good location for street photography. Some are fortunate enough to be shared, but there are more narratives that haven't seen the light of day.
This photo isn't meant to romanticize poverty or submit to the idea called "poverty-porn." Instead, it aims to challenge photographers to deliver the untold stories found outskirts and peripheries of our modern society. Photography, as a tool, wields so much power – far more than what people think it is able. In the quest to deliver this message, I can only hope that this photo would not be drowned into the oblivion that is apathy.
There are eight people here; eight different stories. My words alone can never be enough to encapsulate their own individual journeys. In fact, I don’t intend for them to – that is why this photo exists. There are millions of stories everywhere we look, everywhere we go, just waiting for someone to recognize it. This photo is proof of it. So, one must always ask: "if I don’t, who will?"