10/07/2026
This is dedicated to you, Mami Lems
Looking back at these photos from our 2023 Philippine Allstars shoot, I realized that although I came to capture the community. I never expected the community to capture me. Thank you, Mami Lems, for making someone behind the camera feel like she belonged—without ever making it something to earn.
I entered the hip-hop community carrying a camera instead of dance shoes, and there were moments I wondered if I truly belonged. You never made me question it. I wasn’t on the dance floor, but because of you, I never felt outside of it. You made belonging feel effortless.
It’s a fact that legends are remembered for what they do. The rare ones are remembered for how they make people feel. You were both. Thank you for making a young Filipina photographer feel like she belonged in a space I deeply loved. I’ll always carry that kindness with me, and I hope to pass it on the way you did.
I appreciate you for the space you and Kuys Vince have created. I’ll always be grateful for your warmth. You left kindness everywhere you went. Thank you, Mami Lems, for making hip-hop feel like home.
Forever part of the frame.
