#227 Darkest part of the night

The darkest part of the night... is shortly before the sun comes out...

Twilight photographers know this because they are often awake to witness the night turn into day. But how often do we get the chance to portray this snippet of wisdom in our photographs? When the going gets rough, just when you thought things are going from bad to worst, dark clouds can suddenly dissipate, the heavens can suddenly open up, and the seemingly elusive light of hope can appear. Such was the scene at dawn that morning, portraying a simple message of hope... in an otherwise complex story called life. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: When crepuscular light streamed down from the heavens, I understood the parallels. But how to tell its story? It helped that the dull color of dawn forced me to think in shades of black & white. A progression of underexposed images later, one allowed the faint rays to stand out from against a dark and ominous sky. And in a nutshell, that's how an idea becomes a photograph.)

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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.)

#226 Light & Shadows

Photographers need to find the light, but on Lahoy island in Caramoan, they need to explore the shadows as well.

While braving the merciless sun near midday, I combed that island from as many angles as I could imagine. (A thankless job you'd agree, but someone's got to do the dirty work! <g>) In retrospect, my defining photograph of Lahoy was one taken after I've given up the ghost, after I slipped into the shade to escape the heat. What I didn't find under the sun, I serendipitously discovered in the shadows, while sitting on a beach towel under the shade of a large tree, lazily looking out to sea. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: The next time you think you've shot them all, step into the shadows and think again.)

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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.)

#225 Floating for a Living

These floating huts are for rent and they're moored to the largest sandbar I've seen anywhere.

We were on the Manlawi sandbar in Caramoan when we came across Mang Menardo. He's 60 and a fisherman from the nearby barrangay Gogon. With the growing influx of tourists, he makes a good living leasing these huts for P200 each. And if he's lucky, he gets to collect twice or more as tourists come and go during the day. This sandbar hasn't always been so massive, he told us. It was only when typhoons stopped pummeling nearby Catanduanes province did the sand really start to accumulate here. Well, that goes to show how climate change is changing our world, and in the process, help a happier Mang Menardo float for a living. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: The sky is usually the brightest part of a photograph taken during the day, except when you're on a sandbar with very little water left on it. To tame the thousands of small reflections from its undulating surface, slap-on a polarizer and adjust it to taste. Too much and the sky becomes too blue, too little and your photographs will lack contrast. No post-processing needed.)

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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.)

#224 Shaft of Light

Just when you thought you've seen them all, the unexpected happens.

We were on Matukad Island in Caramoan, enjoying the surf and the sand, until the day came to an end, as they always do. I had been photographing the island with several concepts in my mind, mostly a permutation of boats and beach lovers set against an emerald sea. I thought I'd captured it all when a shaft of light suddenly appeared across the water. The setting sun, now low on the horizon, cast its last ray of light through a narrow corridor formed by neighboring islands. Photography is much about chance and luck after all, but you have to pay attention. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Does it make sense that a shaft of sunlight is as bright as day? To accurately capture the mood of what you saw, you need to expose that shaft of light by what it really is, even if it means everything else around it goes into the shadows.)

Sign-up to receive new postcards weekly by email 

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.)