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Gallery: people of the Philippines

March 16, 2025 / 43 Comments

A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it

Edward Weston

Edward Weston makes an important point. A good portrait photograph is shaped by the connection between two people, photographer and subject. Without that connection the image is at best less interesting, at worst lifeless. When we look at an interesting portrait we discover something about the person portrayed: their life, their character. But we only do so if the photographer has discovered this and brought it out in their image.

In what is a timely challenge for me Ritva asks us to share some portraits for this week’s Lens Artists challenge. My usual approach to people photography is to take candid shots. Quite often I prefer the natural look that these have, but it does mean, I know, that I risk taking and sharing shots of people who would much rather I didn’t and who would have refused had I asked permission.

But there is another reason I tend to take candid shots. In addition to liking a more natural unposed result, I’m not always very confident about asking people to pose. But on our latest trip I found Filipinos so friendly and approachable that I did ask for permission to photograph quite a few of those we met. I also, I confess, did as I quite often do and ‘piggybacked’ on the permission granted by some to my husband, who is always much more confident in asking!

Another advantage of asking is that it can give you an opportunity to strike up a conversation with your subject. One example is the market trader below. We had a fun chat in which we attempted to explain what an Irish leprechaun was!

So here, quite simply, is a gallery of portraits all taken on our Philippines trip and all, unusually for me, with permission! Some may reappear in future posts about the places we visited, and one has already been seen, but I wanted to acknowledge and celebrate the friendliness we encountered there by bringing everybody who posed for me together in this post.

Young policemen on the streets of Manila

School girl in Vigan, Luzon Island

She and her friends (see feature photo) saw my camera and came rushing over asking to be photographed – all they wanted in return was to see the photo, which produced lots of giggles!

Trainee altar servers in Nuestra Senora de la Caridad, Bantay, Luzon Island

School girl in Bangaan, Luzon Island

Our local guide Conchita’s mother in law, Bangaan, Luzon Island

Our lovely main guide Jezzy with her god-daughter (and local guide Conchita’s granddaughter), Bangaan, Luzon Island

Another local guide on the rice terraces of Bangaan, Luzon Island

In the market in Banaue, Luzon Island

Drying rice near Banaue, Luzon Island

Ifugao women at the rice terraces near Banaue, Luzon Island

Shopkeeper in Vigan, Luzon Island (happy for me to photograph her child but didn’t want to show her own face)

In the market in Vigan, Luzon Island

I visited the Philippines in February and March 2025

43 Comments

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