A photo essay by Filipino photographer Ezra Acayan featuring images of the eruption of Taal Volcano has been featured on TIME Magazine.
Acayan’s “What I Saw Photographing the Taal Volcano Eruption in the Philippines” was published online on the TIME magazine website this January 16 and is the photographer’s first feature on the popular American publication.
In his essay, the photographer details what had happened behind the camera as he took the photographs and describes what he had undergone to take the photos, such as driving 90 minutes from his home to Talisay and withstanding muddy rain in Tagaytay.
In between his haunting photos of the disaster, Acayan mentions witnessing both devastation and desperation as he passed dead animals on the road and people returning to their ruined homes. As a photographer who had taken photos of the eruption of Mount Mayon in 2018, he adds that his experience in that disaster was useful to him.
Acayan is a documentary photographer best known for his work on social issues and human rights. In 2018, he had received accolades from LensCulture in their Emerging Talents Awards for his collection “Duterte’s War on Drugs is Not Over”. He has been covering this issue since 2016 and his pieces from this project have been exhibited in the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva for two years, as well as other venues for honoring photojournalism.
He is based in Manila and has been affiliated with multiple European publications, such as Reuters, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, and the French Society magazine; and NGOs that are concerned with human welfare and health.
The recent eruption of Taal Volcano has proven devastating, and Cavite has been declared in a state of calamity on January 15. About 30,000 people have been displaced from their homes situated around the volcano, and the area has been called uninhabitable by local and international volcanologists, who await another eruption.
Several groups immediately began sending help and relief goods for the victims of the Taal Volcano eruption. From NGOs and state agencies and businesses to schools, citizens throughout the country have sent donations, conducted rescue missions, and more.
Globe has even encouraged subscribers to donate reward points to Rise Against Hunger, an organization that distributes meal packs to evacuees.
For those still seeking refuge and others who wish to send help, Google Philippines has provided a consolidated map of evacuation centers, relief centers, as well as animal shelters.
PLEASE CONTINUE SENDING HELP to the victims of the Taal Volcano eruption.
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