Jolens

Last July 12, 2009, I had the opportunity to be invited by Alay Buhay Community Development Foundation, Inc. (ABCDF, Inc) in the anniversary of their project in Pola, Mindoro. The previous day was spent for travel and packing some goods to be distributed to the school children sponsored by the Foundation, plus it was raining, so I had no chance to shoot.

I woke up early the next day to shoot and found these kids playing at the community playground. Bereft of any modern-day and hi-tech toys and gadgets, the kids looked just fine with the traditional toys and games like playing marbles. The memory of my youth versus the lost “tradition” in urban communities motivated me to document this rare playtime when kids still appreciate simple joys while developing their social skills.

Shot in color, with minor “auto” editing in Photoshop CS3, I converted the image to get that timeless appeal. More importantly, the timing is very crucial. Using my 300mm lens, which allows me not to intrude into its rawness, I was just lucky to capture that facial expression. It was worth the wait to get this “magic moment.”