Ati Child by Mykl Mabalay

Wednesday, 11th July 2007

Ati Child

by Mykl Mabalay

Ati Tribe, Boracay Island, Philippines.

Equipment: Canon 350D

Mykl Mabalay

Flickr photos

16 Comments

kml Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 2:15 am
Very expressive and full of emotion. You did a beautiful job with this!
Anurag Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 7:34 am
Great shot, almost a cliche.
Mansi Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 7:59 am
stunning!
beautiful child, so well captured…
great color and composition
Eli Shams Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 11:14 am
What a moving portrait ! His eyes talk to me about miserable conditions. The monotone strenghen the image.
Maha Hawashin Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Hope this photo make many people think how blessed they are!!
Joanne Stewart Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
How sad…I’d like to get this baby in a nice warm bubble bath. Makes me feel very fortunate to be living in the USA. Your portrait captures the sadness in his face. God bless you.
Bobbi Bryant Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
captures the poor children of the world and touches the deepest part of my heart… i love the above comment about a nice warm bubble bath for the child, god bless the children…
Pieter -sAner- van der Horst Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
POV & DOF are excellent. Exposure is perfect too. This is a very touching photograph.
Eileen Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I think it is a very sweet picture. But I don’t see a poor face as much as a shy face. We in America think we know what everyone else needs. The natives of Boracay Island have lived their lives without our bubble baths for ever. We need to understand that our western world is not what everyone needs. Let us not forget my people the native americans. BUT THEN ITS ONLY MY OPINION
Eileen Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
My eight year old grandson says he looks like he didn’t want his picture taken. But he says he likes the picture very much.
Sarah Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
I agree with Eileen on this. This child does not look starved or sad. He looks curious and shy. You know that most of the world is living fine without Western technology and our conveniences. Americans are fairly wealthy and quite lazy compared to the rest of the world. I am an American, a white American, and I think America thinks too highly of itself. The whole world is not in need of us and what we have. He has chubby cheeks… he’s doing alright. I bet he ran off to play with some neighbors after this picture was taken. He’s being shy to the [probably] foreign photographer.
Pauline Jones Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
When I was a kid living in a London slum I hated being clean. I didn’t have adult concerns and always assumed that the next meal would be on the table. This picture gives me mixed feelings because my parents were able to work their way out of difficult conditions; I had a good education and never had to worry about healthcare. I agree that we westerners can be a little too smug when it comes to our way of life but I still wonder if this child has the basics.
Paul Indigo Says:
July 11th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Very touching image. The eyes tell a story.
Mykl Mabalay Says:
July 12th, 2007 at 1:38 am
thank you very much for all your comments.

modernization and encroachments to their settlement are the main reasons why this tribe is being threatened now. IMHO, if we want to help them we should just let them be– free to till their own land, fish from the seas, and to raise their children the way their ancestors did for hundreds of years before us.
Anurag Says:
July 12th, 2007 at 8:17 am
I believe that we should not “just let them be” Rather we should make available to them - Modern education so that they are more aware of the world around them and the possibilities that exist. After that it is their choice, how they choose to live. Changes in life are inevetible and necessary.
Jon Says:
July 13th, 2007 at 6:56 am
lovely light and well composed.
gorgeous eyes!