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'The happiness on their faces pulled me back to my own childhood': Mark Linel Padecio’s best phone picture
The Filipino photographer was delighted to see his usually serious daughter getting muddy with her young cousin
TL;DR
- Mark Linel Padecio lives in Danao City, Cebu, Philippines, where family life follows a rhythm of schedules, studies, and screens.
- His 10-year-old daughter, Xianthee, is described as a diligent and serious student, rarely showing smiles.
- The family owns a small farm that was visited after a rainfall ended a drought, highlighting the hardship caused by dry rivers and crop failures.
- Xianthee was found playing in mud with her five-year-old cousin, Zack, who is described as a child of the countryside living a simpler, slower life closer to nature.
- Padecio, initially planning to pull his daughter away, paused upon seeing their authentic happiness and decided to photograph the moment instead.