We had come to climb Mt. Pulag in Benguet, our country's 3rd highest peak. For this privilege, we spent two freezing nights inside our tents on the higher Camp 3, less than 100 meters below the summit. Yet as dawn approached on our last day, while everyone headed towards the summit, I walked down its slopes in the opposite direction. Homeward. What..? Why..?
I've seen enough photographs taken at the summit, of vast seas of clouds lit by the awesome light of a new sun. It's all very impressive, yet I've been to enough mountain-tops where similar scenes had played out. How then do you distinguish these other places from a photograph taken atop the mighty Pulag? There's got to be another vantage point, another composition, that can better capture the Pulag sunrise experience. I wagered that the best way to find such a vantage point was to gamble away my chance to summit... in exchange for a chance to discover an alternate composition somewhere lower down the slopes. I thought I'd like to see the summit itself at sunrise, with everyone else waving victoriously on its rim.
This week's postcard shows such a scene, of trekkers on Pulag's summit, bathed by the golden light of sunrise, and surrounded by the awesome brown carpet of bamboo grass that is the unmistakable signature of this mountain top. Well, I still missed my chance to summit. But I hope my summit shot doesn't disappoint. Enjoy.
(Pixel-peepers: Shortly after sunrise and a few hours thereafter, the landscape is golden. Photographs taken during this time have that distinctive golden color and crisp sharpness that pop. There's a chance to shoot under this light every single day. Don't miss the next one.)
Where in the world is the Mt. Pulag in Benguet?
Past postcards at www.PostcardsFromManila.com
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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.)
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I've never seen a sunrise photo like this one! Artistically unique!
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