West Phillips

RIP Marlon

Added 2020-04-14 20:44:06 +0000 UTC

I just heard the news today that one of my guys I photographed a few years ago in the Philippines has passed. In actuality, he passed away nearly 2 years ago, but unfortunately we had fallen out of touch since then. My last message with him was just a couple months before he died.

I met 20-something Marlon during my last trip to Manila, a trip that was packed with photo shoots and traveling. We had a good shoot and got along really well. After our shoot I treated him to a nice, fattening lunch at one of the big malls near my airbnb where we shot. We tried to make plans to meet again before I left Manila, but the schedule was just too tight and we couldn't make it work. Knowing this now, that saddens me.

Youth is fleeting, as we all know by now. Over the years, it's become more apparent to me that most of my appeal and passion for photographing these usually-younger guys is for this very reason. We all grow up, we all die - but for a brief moment we can be at our peak or at our best. Granted, the argument can be made that our peak may very well be when we are mature and wiser than in our youth, which is probably true. Having the opportunity to meet some of these guys, getting to know them on different levels and then capturing their image and youth - freezing the moment with them - it is special.

Manila, Philippines 2016