#83 Planting Rice

www.PostcardsFromManila.com

Quick. The sun is about to set. Where should I point my camera? Anywhere but the sun! Huh?

We arrived in the city of Tabuk in Kalinga late in the afternoon.  Although we were exhausted from the trip we quickly changed into "full battle gear". The sun was about to set and we knew the light was going to be just wonderful. Photographing the setting sun is always an option, but just as it lights up the sky on its way down, it also lights up the rest of the land. Hurling its final rays across the landscape, where a lone farmer is planting rice in an open field, the color of the light can be absolutely golden. Ordinary colors can pop and sizzle like you've never seen them before! Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Do you see all six dragonflies hovering over our lone farmer? I increased the size of this week's postcard by 20%, to 1,280 pixels on the long side. If you have a large high resolution monitor you'll see much MORE detail. Stare into the photograph long enough and you'll be transported into the scene, as if standing beside us as we raced to capture the fading light! Taken with my 180mm at f/4 to intentionally blur the background. Shutter speed? Fast enough to freeze them fluttering wings!)

Where in the world is Tabuk in Kalinga?

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ERRATA: My postcard last week GRASS IS GREENER was inadvertently numbered #83, it should have been #82. My translation of the name of that barranggay Caliit-liitan was also incorrect. Here I quote my resident Pilipino language guru Me-an Ignacio (thanks!): Hmm, I think "Caliit-liitan" literally means, "in the very essence/fiber/molecule". As in "Ang tiwala sa Panginoon ay nasa kaliit-liitan ng aking pananampalataya" = "My trust in the Lord is in the very essence of my faith". Or another synonym is "pinakasulok" or "pinakamaliit na bahagi".


But wait, there's more...

For those who've inquired about buying prints of my postcards, you may purchase them directly from master printmaker Arnel Murillo (murilloarnel@yahoo.com), one of the country's foremost fine-art printmakers.  Arnel uses archival inks and museum-grade paper to ensure his prints will not fade. You will not be disappointed. (All my images are provided gratis to help showcase the beauty of our country. But if you feel generous, help me uplift the lives of the Children of Payatas.  No donation is too big or too small. Get in touch with Fr. Aldrin Suan at aldrinsuan@yahoo.com of the Vincentian Missionaries in the Philippines. As always, thanks and enjoy.)