“At the end of the day, they piss and shit just like me,” my grandpa used to say. To this day, that never leaves my head. It’s something I remember when connecting with homeless individuals in the street in my photography. I go out of my way to talk with them on a personal level, as I see myself in their shoes, nearly being there myself. I also keep that quote in mind with the highbrow character in the VIP section or with the businessman walking in the financial district. They may be placing themselves above me and could see me as lesser, but it doesn’t matter to me. I will still take their picture. The quote from my grandfather resonates in all contexts across humanity. Life is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, like that old cowboy movie.   

We’ve all had pure child innocence within us at one point, where the world was nothing but magical. We then had that reality crashing down on us either from medical struggles, family issues, financial issues, etc. I’m just the individual trying to capture that, the yin and yang of our lives, in an image that could live forever. This is the why behind my photographs.

Francisco Malave