Hersley-Ven Casero Finds the Poetry of Everyday Life in Dumaguete

In his long-running photo series Catch A Moment, the Dumaguete photographer captures the fleeting encounters, quiet streets, and unexpected beauty of his hometown.

On the coast of Negros facing the Bohol Sea, students and artists gather in the classrooms and galleries of Dumaguete; within the studios and cafés that line Hibbard Avenue and the historical Calle Real. As the home to Asia’s oldest creative writing program, the city is awash with poets and novelists, eager to tell their stories through language, imagery, and form.

Stepping outside these spaces, photographer Hersley-Ven Casero finds his stories among the city’s side streets, neighborhoods, public markets, and shorelines. In his ongoing project of two decades, Catch A Moment, his daily photowalks become a chance to stumble upon organic human encounters, and allow the roads he’s walked across for years to reveal new characters.

“Dumaguete is often described through its landmarks or reputation, but I believe a city is really defined by its everyday life,” the visual artist says. “I am drawn to those brief moments that often go unnoticed, when people, light, movement, and place unexpectedly come together.”

Born, raised, and based in the Negros capital, Casero sees his role as a witness, waiting for his images to take shape as he wanders around, watching for those moments that only exist for a few seconds before disappearing. “There is a certain feeling when everything falls into place. The light is right, the gestures connect, and for a brief instant everything makes sense.”

The project serves as an archive of the locals’ memories, but more so the city’s. The scenes that flow as naturally as the waves, occurring beneath our awareness. Casero expresses, “I want people to experience Dumaguete through the small moments that happen between destinations,” when the stories we seek aren’t on the horizon but are right in front of us, ready to catch.