Street Photography in Manila

Binondo was founded in 1594 and is often called the oldest Chinatown in the world. Ongpin Street is its spine, lined with dumpling shops and traditional medicine stores. The side streets are tighter and busier. Roel Hernandez says people here are used to cameras, so you can bring almost anything. Sony Fugaban walked it from golden hour into night and found the lit signs and dragon statues most striking after dusk. Stand at a corner where a queue forms outside a food shop and work the faces and the steam. Traffic squeezes through the narrow lanes, so keep one eye behind you.

The Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene faces Plaza Miranda, and the square around it is a market as much as a shrine. Vendors sell candles and herbal remedies a few steps from people praying. Crown Asia describes it as devotion and haggling tangled together. Fridays are the big devotion day, so the crowds are thickest then. I'd stand at the edge of the plaza and frame worshippers against the stalls. Inside the church, stay quiet and skip flash. On January 9 the Traslacion procession draws enormous crowds; it is a serious crush, not a casual photo walk.

Hidalgo Street runs off Plaza Miranda and is Manila's camera street. Lomography notes the shops selling vintage cameras and the repairmen the local film community knows by name. It is also a street of old houses and small workshops, which gives you people at work framed by doorways. Come in the late morning when shops are open and the street is in partial shade. Ask a repairman if you can shoot his hands at the bench; most photographers here are customers, so the welcome is warmer than in the market. Watch for motorbikes on the narrow road.

Divisoria is the city's giant bargain market, with stalls on the street and malls packed with wholesale goods. The crowd density is extraordinary, and that is the picture: bodies and goods layered under tarps. Early weekday mornings are calmer and the light is lower. The photographer behind I Dreamed Of This shot here with a pocket camera and had no problems, but many travelers warn about snatchers. I'd keep the camera on a wrist strap and move on rather than linger. Don't wander deep into Tondo on your own.

Escolta was Manila's main business street before the war. Buildings like the Regina Building and the First United Building still stand, and the street now has a small creative scene. It is calmer than Binondo next door. Use the facades as a stage: find an ornate doorway or a strip of shade and wait for a single figure to walk into it. Late afternoon light rakes along the fronts nicely. Lomography points out that the Pasig River Ferry ends near here, which is an easy way to arrive. Some buildings are private, so shoot from the street.

The esplanade is a restored riverside walk between Binondo and Intramuros, and Jones Bridge crosses the Pasig right beside it. Lomography recommends it from sunset until dark, when the lamps and bridges light up. People come to walk and take selfies, so you get relaxed subjects. Shoot walkers in silhouette against the sky over the water, or use the bridge railings as leading lines. With a steady surface you can drag the shutter for car trails. The river smells in the heat, and the area empties late, so leave with the crowd.

Intramuros is the old Spanish walled city, with Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church on cobbled streets. Horse drawn calesas and school groups give you subjects against old stone. Roel Hernandez says a full day here works, but notes that some sites restrict cameras while allowing compacts. Weekday afternoons are quieter, and late light on the walls is warm. Try framing a figure through an arch or a gate. It is more touristy than Binondo, so expect touts offering rides. Check signs before shooting inside churches and museums.

Poblacion is the old core of Makati and now its nightlife district. Crown Asia describes neon lit bars and people from all walks of life spilling onto the side streets. It is a night spot, so come after 20:00. Raise your ISO and shoot people lit by bar signs. Stand at an intersection and wait for someone to cross a pool of light. It is a taxi or Grab ride from old Manila, around 30 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. Crowds are drunk and friendly late at night; keep it light and put the camera away if asked.