#125 Dawn Fisherman

We came to shoot the dawn in the town of Tangalan in Aklan, but it didn't help that we woke-up late. Prudence dictates staking-out the place the day before, to visualize the possibilities and plan our compositions. Or barring that, we should arrive at least an hour before sunrise, as long as we're accompanied by photographers who already know where the best vantage points can be found. But being late, we had to make the best of what we were dealt.

When you interrupt a successful routine, you can get temporarily disoriented. But it's often in periods of dislocation, when your mind is free to roam, that incredible opportunity exists. I'd always known the rising sun paints a large swath of landscape golden. I just had to look away to see those possibilities, which in today's postcard, were fish pens silhouetted against an pastel orange sky. A fisherman is headed that way. Imagine. Set-up quickly. Compose. Wait. Click. How did I do? Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: After sunrise the scene around it can be too contrasty. But just 90 degrees to the left or to the right, the scene can still look like dawn. The light can still be soft and the colors, pastel. In fact, contrast can be so low you'll need a polarizer and/or a GND filter just to punch-up the colors. As always, a gray card reading during the twilight hours is indispensable.)

Where in the world is the Tangalan in Aklan?

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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.)