I'm a Italian photojournalist based in Manila, Philippines, specialising in long-form visual investigations, portraits and global features for print and multimedia platforms. Focused on human storytelling within marginalized groups, I work to explore the lives of those who feel forgotten by society - be that as a result of conflict, social inequalities or simply circumstance. I feel strongly about the ethical responsibilities of a photographer, and work hard to build respectful connections with the subjects of my pictures. Over the past few years, I have documented the teenage girls who fall victim to so-called 'bride kidnapping' in Northern Laos, followed the final months of the Mosul siege in Iraq and reported on the lives of trafficking victims in the sex industry in the Philippines. Other projects are available to view on my website. I have reported extensively across Asia, West Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and have been published in The Washington Post, the Guardian, Marie Claire, ESQUIRE and the Telegraph to name a few. Feel free to contact me with any assignments both in the Philippines and further afield.
2018 - EJC Innovation in Development Reporting grant
Priscilla, 36 years old, was trafficked into Angeles to work in the sex industry when she was 14 years old by a family friend. Nine years ago she gave birth to her daughter Maxine, whose father was an American customer, who regularly beat Priscilla. On one occasion, the American broke one of Priscilla’s front teeth – ending her career in the city’s red light district. Now Priscilla picks up litter for a living, and earns $4 a day. She often has to take Maxine with her because no one of her friends can keep an eye on her. “When I can’t buy food I usually go to McDonald’s with Maxine to take the leftovers that people leave on the table.” Maxine taking selfies.
Anisah’s six years old daughter, Nisha May, finds it difficult to concentrate or sit still. “Her teachers think she has something like ADHD, because she can’t focus and she’s so hyperactive all the time,” says Anisah. “I worry that if I get a job in one of the nightclubs, then I’ll be away from her too much, and her behaviour will get worse. But if I can’t find work soon, then I won’t be able to pay for her to go to school at all, and then she wouldn’t stand a chance. I don’t know what to do.”
For the past three years, 38-year-old Moriel has been a freelancer on Fields Ave- nue. It means she can pick her hours, and her clients – but it makes life more dangerous. STD screenings are no longer free, and men are often abusive. “But I can’t work in the bars any more because there’s too much competition with the youn- ger girls,” she says. “I will do anything it takes to find a customer, but the older I get, the harder it is to make them want me. They want girls who look like children.”