#280 Brocolli Farmer

If you love broccoli, here's a good reason to make every bite count!

Shortly after sunrise, on a mountain-top clearing just outside Baguio City, I chanced upon some farmers harvesting broccoli heads in a frost-draped field. As I waded through the overgrown mounds, I was surprised to learn the harvested heads were only a fraction of the total plant biomass needed to produced it. In other words, the inedible portion can be nearly 90% of the total weight of the plant, and will be left behind to rot in the field. That sounds like a lot of waste, and it is, but that's how it works, at least for broccoli. So the next time you eat this sumptuous veggie, remember to make every bite count. Enjoy. 

(Pixel-peepers: The best time to be photographing in an open field is during the golden hours, from sunrise until about eight in the morning. Due to the sheer intensity of the light and its naturally warm colors, your photographs will be very sharp and the colors very saturated.)

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Say hello: Bobbyw59@yahoo.com

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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.)

#279 A City Sleeps

When you head for the hills at twilight, you might as well head to its highest point.

We drove up Mt. Cabuyao in Benguet until the road ended, then groped our way along a narrow pathway towards a cliff overlooking Baguio City. Below us, the city sleeps. My thermometer read 9 degrees C, but the unrelenting wind made it feel bitingly colder. It was a price to pay for being at the highest point. Enjoy.

(Pixel-Peepers: It's easy to measure the brightness of a scene, but the rules are a little different when the scene is predominantly in shadow. You can bracket your exposures from experience, or use a spot meter to read the brightest spots. Either way, the effort can be rewarding.)

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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.)

#278 The Journey & the Destination

Of course it's about the journey, but would there be one without a destination?

Metro Baguio has its charms, but the countryside is where your camera wants to be. We spent dawn and the greater part of the golden hours documenting life and the landscapes in them hills. It was about the journey, but only because we dreamt one day we'd photographing this place. Don't forget to take the first step. Enjoy.

(Pixel-Peepers: When the sun is still low on the horizon, shadows abound. That's actually a plus because landscapes with silhouettes can make compositions that work.)

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.)

#277 Death, Taxes, and your Laundry

Death & taxes. Now add laundry to that inescapable list. Sigh.

Where Taal lake overflows into the Pansipit River in San Nicolas Batangas, doing your laundry might not be all that bad. Imagine the moist morning air on your face, the cool running water under your feet, and the warm glow from a rising sun amidst the fantastic backdrop of a placid lake... heck... for folks who live here, it's really just death & taxes. Enjoy.

(Pixel-Peepers: Rural scenes of simple living can still be found just a few hours from the city. But in our lifetime, most of them will likely vanish. Gone. No more. Nada. IMO, anyone with a camera has an obligation to document their world. Because future generations demand that we do.)

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.)