Charles Fréger | Queens of Cebu (Sinulog)

Photo © Charles Fréger-All Rights Reserved

I chanced on the work of photographer Charles Fréger whose series of various ethnographic exotic (and not so exotic) communities, rituals and festivals are incredibly colorful. 

Choosing a single portfolio from 55 galleries to feature on this blog was not an easy task, but I finally decided on the Queens of Cebu, since it combines a religious tradition with superb fashion in the Philippines. The photographer describes the Sinulong festival as a mix of Christian and pagan traditions, and a fusion of a Latin carnival and a religious procession. 

The Queens of this annual cultural and religious festival, which is held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City, hold small replicas of the “Santo Nino de Cebu”.  

The Santo Nino de Cebu is a statue of the infant Child Jesus venerated by many Filipino Catholics who believe it to be miraculous. The original is the oldest religious Christian image in the Philippines, and was originally given in 1521 as a baptismal gift by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to Rajah Humabon, the sovereign of Cebu of that time.

One of the main highlights of the festival is the large street parade which lasts for 9 to 12 hours with participants coming from the different towns and cities across the Philippines.  It is these participants that Charles Fréger photographed during a visit to the country.

Charles Fréger is a French based photographer with a Fine Arts photography background. His work is a mixture of contemporary and traditional elements.

Jacob Maentz | The Mansaka

Photo © Jacob Maentz -All Rights Reserved

The Mansaka live in the provinces of Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley in the region of Mindanao in the Philippines. Essentially farming people, they are choosy as to there they cultivate their lands, and seldom encroach on other lands.  Their name means “the first people upstream,” derived from man (“first”) and daya (“upstream or upper portion of a river”).

The Mansaka are known for their distinctive costumes and ornamentation, involving tie-dyed textiles and embroidery. Their farming practices slash and burn cultivation. They live mainly on rice, various tubers, and bananas. Houses, which may contain up to three family units, are organized into kinship-based neighborhoods and always placed within eyesight of each other.

Jacob Maentz documents the lives of the Mansaka in his 'The Mansaka of Compostela Valley' photo story, in which he tells us that the Mansaka; although many are Christians, still embrace many of the traditions and beliefs passed down to them over time.

His lovely portrait of Datu Sucnaan (above) is of one of the last few Balyans or priests of the Mansaka Tribe. I encountered a number of Balians (or Balyans) on the island of Bali, and these, like Datu Sucnaan, are faith healers who are extremely well regarded by the Bali islanders, and who are often the primary go-to for medical treatments instead of hospitals and clinics.

You shouldn't miss Jacob's essay with much larger photographs on Maptia, one of my favorite storytelling platforms. You can find it here.

Jacob Maentz is a documentary and travel photographer based in Cebu, Philippines. He's keenly interested in documenting issues related to the human condition, culture, and humanity’s interactions with the natural world. He has worked with corporations, humanitarian organizations, publishers and advertising agencies and his work appeared on television commercials and billboards to magazine and book covers. Much of his documentary work is represented by Corbis Images.

Aaron Joel Santos | Christs of Cutud

Photo © Aaron Joel Santos-All Rights Reserved

Catholics around the Philippines re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus during Holy Week, and these events draw thousands of people annually who attend them to witness actual crucifixions. The Catholic Church does not approve the crucifixions, and does not endorse them. The media in the Philippines has also turned against the rites, calling them "pagan and barbaric" but still cover them to satisfy the public's interest.

One of the most graphic is the Holy Week re-enactment of Christ’s passion and death in San Pedro Cutud which includes a Passion Play culminating with the actual nailing of at least three penitents to a wooden cross. The Passion Play is a dramatic presentation depicting the Passion of Jesus Christ: his trial, suffering and death, and is a traditional part of Lent in the Catholic tradition.
Christs of Cutud is a photo gallery by Aaron Joel Santos, which depicts one of these gory events. Many of the photographs also show penitents self-flagellating; as a re-enactment of the Flagellation of Christ, an episode in the Passion of Christ prior to Jesus' crucifixion.

I was struck by the similarities with the Day of Ashura that is observed by Shi'a communities worldwide to commemorate the Battle of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, and who self-mortify by flogging themselves on the chest.

Aaron Joel Santos is a  documentary and travel photographer working on assignments across Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and all of Southeast Asia. He is represented by Novus Select in the United States and Noi Pictures in Vietnam. He is also part of the Wonderful Machine roster, and sells his stock photography through Aurora Photos and Glasshouse Images.

His clients include The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, The Wall Street Journal, The Globe & Mail, The Boston Globe, The Telegraph, Ink Publishing, the International Labor Organization, and numerous others. He also works for commercial and corporate clients such as Vespa, Apple, M Gallery Hotels, Six Senses Resorts, Hyatt, and Indochina Capital.

France Leclerc | Nomads In Ladakh

Photo © France Leclerc-All Rights Reserved


"I have always been a traveler and a wanderer. Travel for me is not about vacations; it is my way to learn about a world that I care deeply about."

Here's the latest from a peripatetic photographer, who's unflinchingly merging ethno-photography, pictorial anthropology and travel photography together in interesting and informative blog posts and galleries.

France Leclerc has been everywhere, and puts other seasoned travel photographers to shame in terms of their geographical coverage. Let me try to list where she's been: India (including Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Assam, Nagaland, Maha Kumbh Mela, Kolkata and Varanasi of course), Philippines,  Myanmar, Ethiopia's Omo Valley, Namibia, Cambodia, and yes, even Paris.

Based in Chicago (when she's not on the road), she developed a passion for photographing the more remote regions of the world, and sharing her experiences visually and in her writings. A self-taught photographer, she describes herself as a traveler and wanderer, and is turned by photographing people...not just portraits but what she calls 'snippets' of their lives...sort of environmental portraits that tell stories about the people.

Her latest blog entry is Nomads in Ladakh; about the Changpa (also called Champa), a semi-nomadic Tibetan people she encountered whilst traveling in the Rupshu valley, a high altitude desert in the southeast of Ladakh. They are high altitude pastoralists, raising mainly yaks and goats. Though only 100 miles or so from Leh, the Rupshu valley is only accessible by driving many hours and travel over the Tangla La at an altitude of over 17, 000 feet.

Mostly a color photographer, France seems to have adopted the monochromatic look for her latest work of Ladakh. Let's see if that trend continues.

Kurt William Kamka | Plain Manila

Photo © Kurt William Kamka - All Rights Reserved

There are some photographers who espouse the notion that they must be invisible when shooting in the streets for their images to be successful, candid and "in the moment"...but there are also others who have no such compunctions. To me, I've got my feet firmly planted on both sides of the "aisle" provided the photograph tells a story.

Plain Manila is a collection of over 50 monochromes of the daily life in this gigantic Asian metropolis by Kurt William Kamka who, through these images, shows the people and provides us with a sense of the place, as if we roamed its back streets. As the photographer himself puts it, he sought to document "the day-to-day complexities of community life in the barrios of Manila".

Despite my frequent travels in Southeast Asia, I confess not knowing much of Manila, other than it's one of the most high-density cities in the world; even denser than Kolkata...which is a surprise. Perhaps I ought to remedy this shortcoming, and extend the trajectory of my travels to include the Philippines.

Kurt William Kamka is a commercial, documentary, street, non-profit and NGO photographer who relocated to Asia in 2011. Currently based in Manila, he document his view on the human condition.
His photos have been shown in the Leica gallery in Singapore, multiple locations in Manila and in Chicago. He has worked in advertising for some of the largest global brands including P&G, US Bank, Firestone, Bayer, McDonalds, Nikon, Samsung, UCB, Delta Airlines and others. 

Ania Blazejewska | MassKara Festival

Photo © Ania Blazejewska-All Rights Reserved

I initially thought that this photograph was made during the Venice Carnival (which is scheduled to start on February 15 this year), but it wasn't. It was made during the MassKara festival by Ania Blazejewska.

Similar to religions which borrow rituals from each other, the MassKara festival is held each year in the town of Bacolod, Philippines, every third weekend of October. It appears that the festival was born out of a period of extreme crisis for the town. It began in 1980 after a precipitous drop of sugar, and the sinking of a vessel carrying many residents.

The word MassKara is a combination of the words mass (a multitude of people), and the Spanish word for face, "cara". The word maskara is also Filipino for "mask", and are influenced by native Filipino indigenous traditions mixed with the influences of the Carnival of Venice and Rio Carnival.

Ania Blazejewska is a freelance travel photographer based in Manila, the Philippines. Mainly interested in exploring cultural and social themes and loves telling stories about lives of ordinary people all over the world, her work was recognized in various Polish and international photo contests, and her freelance photos and articles were featured in a number of Polish-language travel portals. She has photographed in Cuba, India, Ladakh, Laos, Oman, Morocco, Srl Lanka and Nepal...to mention just a few.

Hannah Reyes | People Of The Sea

Photo © Hannah Reyes-All Rights Reserved

We are all shocked at the loss of life (reported to be in the many thousands) and the devastation in the Philippines caused by Typhoon Haiyan. It was one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded, and it currently continues its path of destruction towards Viet Nam.

I thought I'd feature Hannah Reyes' People of the Sea photo gallery; photographs introducing us to the Bajau, an indigenous ethnic group of maritime Southeast Asia. The Bajau are traditionally from the many islands of the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines, and live a seaborne lifestyle in small wooden sailing vessels.

They've been known as masters of the seasonal currents of the Sulu and South China seas, and it's said that Bajau fishermen can dip their hands in the sea, and judge a current's direction and strength and the time it will take to reach their destination.

The best of the Bajau can sail at night on instinct and are expert free-divers, holding their breath for long periods as they plunge for pearls. They bury their dead in sailboats so the body can navigate to the afterworld.

Hannah Reyes is a travel / documentary photographer currently living in Phnom Penh. Herself from the Philippines, her work appeared in the New York Times' Global Edition, The International Herald Tribune, The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal. 

Francisco Guerrero | The T'boli People

Photo © Francisco Guerrero-All Rights Reserved

I haven't posted much on the Philippines on The Travel Photographer blog...perhaps 2 or 3 posts at the most. It's no intentional fault of mine, but it's just that I haven't come across much travel photography from this lovely country.

In order to redress this, I have now found Francisco Guerrero's work on the T'boli people. The T'boli people live in the southern part of Filipino province of Cotabata, and around lake Sebu. It is estimated that there are between 100,000 and 150,000 T'boli people. They generally practice the primitive way of agriculture "slash and burn" to grow corn, upland rice, vegetables, and root crops; most of which is for their own consumption.

Twenty-five years ago, written T'Boli did not exist, polygamy was more actively practiced, and barter was the principal form of economic exchange. The latter has since been replaced by a money economy. The T'boli culture is tightly connected with nature, and their dances mimic the action of animals such as monkeys and birds, and their music is played on a variety of musical instruments, and is a form of connection to their ancestors and a source of ancient wisdom.

Francisco Guerrero is based in Spain and in the Philippines, and holds a degree in Anthropology and Communications from Goldsmiths College, London. His clients include Conde Nast Traveller, Travel and Leisure, Lexus Magazine, Budget Travel, Hemispheres, Afar, Town and Country, Continental Inflight among other publications.

Jake Verzosa | Tattooed Women of Kalinga

Photo © Jake Verzosa. All Rights Reserved

The Province of Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the region of Luzon, and due to
its mountainous terrain and its warrior-culture, its inhabitants, also known as Kalingas, were able to maintain their traditions despite the attempted occupation of the Spaniards, Japanese, and Americans.

Jake Verzosa photographed the last few tattooed women of Kalinga in an effort to preserve this vanishing art through his photographs. For the women of Kalinga, tattoos are not cosmetic, but symbolize women’s strength and fortitude. This traditional tattoo are indigenous body art, and are still practiced following the ancient methods.

According to Wikipedia, the word "tattoo" was brought to Europe by the explorer James Cook, returning in 1771 from his first voyage to Tahiti and New Zealand. In his narrative of the voyage, he refers to an operation called "tattaw" or "tatau". Tattooing has been practiced for centuries in many cultures, particularly in Asia, and spread throughout the world. Japan, Taiwan, Berbers of North Africa, the Hausa people of Northern Nigeria, and Māori of New Zealand have facial tattoos.

For interesting photographs and the back story of the last tattooed women of Kalinga, drop by Verzosa's About page.

Jake Verzosa is a freelance photographer based in Manila. As a fashion and commercial photographer, he has also expanded his craft and traveled extensively around Southeast Asia. He considers his documentaries and portraits as his personal work. His works have been exhibited in Manila, Tokyo, Singapore, Amsterdam and Paris.

Nacho Hernandez: Talking To God

Photo © Nacho Hernandez-All Rights Reserved

Nacho Hernandez is a Spanish freelance photographer currently based in Manila, Philippines. His forte is in documentary, editorial, travel photography and photography with a humanitarian focus, and has photographed on assignment for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and for magazines such as Courrier International and Asian Geographic. He has also worked on assignments for the World Bank and other NGOs.

A graduate from the Washington School of Photography, he studied with Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey, and has a degree in International Relations and Development.

I was drawn to Nacho's photo gallery titled Talking To God, in which he shares the degree of religiosity that permeates the Phillippines, where the majority of the population is Roman Catholic. It is estimated that over 80% of the almost 100 million Filipinos is Catholic, making it one of the largest catholic communities in the world.

Every Holy Week, some men from the city of San Fernando, in the Pampanga province, are crucified (and literally nailed) on Good Friday, while many of the local young men also wander around town flagellating themselves until their backs are raw and bleeding.

Not for the faint of heart, and extremely powerful.

Veejay Villafranca: Fate Above Faith

Photo © Veejay Viilafranca-All Rights Reserved

Vicente Jaime “Veejay” Villafranca is a photojournalist from the Philippines, who worked with Agence France Presse, Reuters, World Picture Network and the United Nations IRIN news wire. He was of the 7 Filipinos to be accepted in the first Asian documentary workshop of the Angkor photography festival in Siem Reap, Cambodia. His project on former gang members won the 2008 Ian Parry Scholarship. His work has been shown in London, Lithuania, Hong Kong, Phnom Pehn, France, Turkey and Manila. He is represented by Getty Global Assignments in London and Melon Rouge in Cambodia.

I particularly liked Veejay's powerful photo essay Fate Above Faith, which documents the faith of half a million people who seek to show their faith in the streets of downtown Manila by venerating the 400-year old relic of the Black Nazarene, which is a life-sized, dark-colored, wooden sculpture of Jesus Christ, and considered miraculous by many Filipino devotees. During this event, the devotees are overwhelmed by their faith and barefooted and dressed in the devotional colors of maroon and gold, surround the relic's carriage, pulling and tugging at the cordon ropes.

Equally impressive is Veejay's photo essay on the Badjao, the indigenous people of the seas who settled on the coasts of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga in the southern part of the Philippines.