Project MusmosIts been a while since i'm doing photography already, lalong lalo na ngayon medyo addicted ako into street photography/photojournalism. So I came up with this idea... :D
What is Project Musmos?
I was inspired actually by this blog, 5 Sec Faces: A Collective Portrait ( http://www.dannyst.com/5-sec-faces-a-collective-portrait/ ) by Danny Santos, a Singapore based-Filipino photographer. 5 Sec Faces is a collection of portraits of people roaming around Singapore, specifically in Orchard Road in Singapore (grabe, how much I want I could get there.. haha!).
Anyway, Here’s a description of what 5 Sec Faces. Danny Santos said on his blog:
“Equipped with 2 cameras, a mounting board, and a bit of determination, we walked around Orchard Road, picked out one face after another, and asked if we could take their picture. “It’ll just take 5 seconds” was our usual excuse. Some said no, but most said yes. We did this every saturday for two and a half months, and now we have 446 faces at 5 seconds per face.”
So, what’s difference between 5 Sec Faces and Project Musmos?
Project Musmos’ objective/goal is so simple: to shoot portrait pictures of street children around Metro Manila (first, then extend it to other parts of the whole Philippines if possible), and (if possible) give them the copy of their picture.
Why Project Musmos?
As a lot of you know, Musmos is a Tagalong term for “innocent children”. Usually, the term is used to describe children who also live up in streets, but actually it can be used also in non-street children.
Another person who inspired me of this project is Bro. Ceci Hojilla. Bro. Ceci is a Lasallian brother, who also is photographer. He loves to take portrait pictures of people whom he met when he travels around and tell them their stories.
This is one of the stories of Bro. Ceci that I can’t really forget:
One time, before he spoke to us in one of Lasalle retreat in Batangas, they stop over to eat breakfast in one of the gotohan in Tagaytay. There’s this old man walking down the street, and he took a picture of him. Afterwards, he showed the picture to the old man, and the old man was very happy when he saw his picture. He then told us during the retreat, that the old man is happy because these are some of the people who sometimes haven’t had a chance to have a picture in their whole life. Even that small picture really means a thousand for them.
Bro Ceci died June 2009 last year and I am really inspired to continue doing his legacy.
My personal advocacy also since then is also helping children, so with this advocacy and Bro Ceci’s came up the Project Musmos. This project might also somewhat help in promoting children’s rights if ever. This project also gives a chance for street children to have a photo of themselves.
So what the plan for Project Musmos?
Actually, this is still a proposal/idea yet, but I’m thinking to start up taking portraits of 50 children for a start (im still thinking if using the natural background or the illustration board like that was used in 5 Sec Faces, maybe both!), then to 100 children, and maybe to 500 and beyond. Suggestion and comments are very much welcome.
*I’m still thinking also I can send this idea to John Chua. (Nako, hindi kayo photographer if you don’t know him). John Chua is partnering with Canon, Phil and is looking for advocacy projects also that Canon can help into, cause I’m thinking maybe Canon can help in printing the pictures, though I’m not a Canon user. I think the Canon Selphy photo printers have its own battery, so it can print the photos directly after the shoot. Hmmmm…
If you’re interested in this idea, I also need photographers to help me out in this project!!!!
