#162 An Old Boat & the Sea

I had just witnessed a magnificent dawn unfold on Valugan beach in Batanes. Completely awed by the experience, what more can a twilight photographer ask for?

As I walked away, I looked back one last time to see a boat that was safe and dry from the raging sea beyond. The sight reminded me of a poster that once hung atop my desk during the years of my adolescence: "A boat in a harbor is safe, but that's not what boats are made for." Enough said. Let's go get 'em. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: I knelt real close, set my aperture to f/11, and used hyper-focal distance focusing. The effect is that both my foreground objects and the those at the horizon will be tack sharp. It's not rocket science so try it some time.)

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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.)

#161 The Dawn Tree

Somewhere in a forest on top of a hill, a tree crashed to the ground. If no one was around to hear it, did the fall make a sound?

Ok that was a trick question, but I often think about all those beautiful dawns that no one was around to see. Were they intensely colorful just the same? If no one was around to photograph them for posterity, would they still have been a sight to behold? I don't know about that, but today's postcard shows there is one less dawn we'll have to wonder about. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: This is a 3-shot panorama taken with a shift lens. Unlike taking multiple shots with a regular lens and then stitching them together, panoramas from a shift lens exhibit nearly no distortion. Nada. Just align three perfectly rectangular images and that's it.)

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Past postcards at www.PostcardsFromManila.com

Say hello: Bobbyw59@yahoo.com

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.)

#160 Sunset Nets

"We better go." said our boatman as he stared out to the middle of the lake. 


We were on Lake Kapispisan at sunset, an inland sea in Aklan, as the tide rushed out to sea. Little did we realize what worried our boatman until our boat suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere. The water level had dropped so low that we had scraped bottom. We can't wade all the way back, can we?


Just then the sun broke through the thick clouds as it bade us goodbye, transforming a row of fish pens on the horizon into silhouettes.  There's no time to worry about getting stuck. The moment escapes. Click. Click. Click. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Shooting from a rickety boat isn't to the best interests of our beloved gear, but the moment beckoned. No matter how many sunsets I've seen, they just floor me every single time.)

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Past postcards at www.PostcardsFromManila.com

Say hello: Bobbyw59@yahoo.com

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.)

#159 A Mossy Forest

The hike up to Mt. Pulag Nature Park took us through a mossy forest so damp that most of the trees were covered in moss. The trails were chilly, quiet, and rather eerie, even if they only skirt the edge of the forest as they wind themselves along the mountain's slopes. But every now and then, a shaft of light finds it's way through the thick forest canopy and onto the forest floor.  


Somewhere along the trail, we heard a scampering among the leaves and I briefly saw the hind legs and tail of what looked like a rat of sorts, furiously climbing up a branch. Then it was gone. Cloud rats are  nocturnal creatures rarely seen by day trekkers, but who knows if I got lucky? Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: On the edge of a forest looking in, it's easy to underexposure your shot because the interior receives much less light. I was lucky that a shaft of light found its way inside, reducing the contrast, and making today's postcard possible.)

Where in the world is Mt. Pulag, Kabayan??

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Past postcards at www.PostcardsFromManila.com

Say hello: Bobbyw59@yahoo.com

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.)