Standing Still

There are friends who become your chosen family, and then there’s Jose Luis. For as long as I’ve been a portrait photographer, he’s been my muse—an anchor, a mirror, and someone I could photograph endlessly without ever repeating the same moment twice. This shoot was one of those rare, unhindered days: no plan, no pressure, just a morning suspended in golden light after we came home from a rave, too wired to sleep, too alive not to document the moment.

Shot entirely on an uncomplicated Fujifilm X100S—easily my favourite piece of kit and a camera that has genuinely become my creative go-to—these images capture the quiet intensity of platonic male intimacy and the kind of emotional ease that only exists when someone knows you inside and out. There was no styling, makeup, or artificial light. Just a bedroom, a balcony, and the stillness of time moving invisibly between two friends.

The series is rooted in natural light portraiture, but more than that, it’s a study in trust and tenderness. It’s honest, textured, and unfiltered—not in the Instagram sense, but in the way life actually feels when you’re truly seen.

Thematically, this work sits within an ongoing and deeply personal exploration of masculinity, vulnerability, and the beauty of the everyday. As a Filipino-British photographer, I’m drawn to the overlooked intimacy in ordinary moments—the domestic, the imperfect, the emotional undercurrent between people who don’t always need words to connect.

Looking back, this shoot now feels like a love letter to our early twenties and a moment in time that’s gone but still shimmers in memory. Lui’s face has been with me through every creative milestone. Someday, there might be a book. For now, these images remain a touchstone—a reminder of how deeply creativity and friendship can intertwine.