Capturing Magic In The Mundane: Hersley-Ven Casero’s Captivating Street Photography

In today’s world, we’ve grown accustomed to the convenience of having a camera at our fingertips, ready to capture any moment at a whim. But if we pause to reflect, there’s something almost magical about what a camera does—its power to seize a fleeting moment from the unique perspective of an observer, at a precise point in time. It captures a slice of history as it unfolds in a specific place, with a distinct combination of people, animals, and elements, as they exist and interact. Without the camera, these moments would vanish instantly, yet with the press of a button, they are frozen in time, forever preserved within a frame—ready to be shared, studied, enjoyed, or used to communicate a message or truth. These snapshots become part of a visual legacy, passed down through generations.

For street and documentary photographer Hersley-Ven Casero, this magic is anything but ordinary. Based in Dumaguete City, a small coastal town on the island of Negros Oriental in the Philippines, Casero has spent over two decades honing his craft. Yet, the camera remains a source of curiosity, wonder, and experimentation for him. Year by year, he has witnessed his hometown, fondly known as "The City of Gentle People," transform—new faces, new landscapes. As Casero notes, "Nothing stays the same, nothing lasts forever." It is this sense of impermanence that drives him to capture life before it slips away. For him, staying curious and observant reveals the extraordinary in the every day—the magic hidden within the mundane moments of real life.

The photographs in this collection represent those captured instances, glimpses of reality as they unfolded in front of Casero’s ever-curious eye, all part of his larger ongoing series which he calls "CAM", or "Catch a Moment".

More info: Instagram | hersleycasero.com | Facebook | youtube.com

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Whether taken in his backyard of Dumaguete City - a vibrant city deeply connected to its natural resources, heritage, and community, a city thriving with students, creatives, activism, and festivals, all underpinned by a shared spirit of togetherness - or wherever his travels lead him. "Wherever you are, if you take the time to truly observe the world with childlike wonder, magic is constantly unfolding around you within the unrepeatable context of the unique character of a very specific space in time," Casero shared with Bored Panda.

True to his street and documentary style, these images are raw and authentic snapshots of life in its purest form. Each moment, captured in a split second, reflects the magical realism of the everyday. And that, Casero believes, is "the real magic of photography."

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