#293 The Wood Cutter

Wood-carving is both an Ifugao art form and a profession. I've seen hand-carved masks and figurines, icons of indigenous animals, and every day items popular in the tourist trade. But the craft also highlights one of the starkest observations in these hills: the near absence of primary wooded forests. Where terraces are found, trees of any significant size no longer exist. But where terraces have been abandoned, new forests are reclaiming the land. It's a common trade-off found in communities where the burden of human existence exceeds the sustainability of the land. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: The light from an open door or window can create dramatic photographs when shooting indoors. Just meter for the most important part of your photograph, and allow everything else to fall into the shadows.)

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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.)

#292 A Stairway to Heaven

Verdant hills dramatically lit from above... a stairway to heaven? Ok, that's an exaggeration. 

We were stalking the dawn's colours at the Banaue Rice Terraces, but today there wouldn't be any. The sun was not to be seen, draped & muted behind unusually thick clouds. I thought we'd need to be pretty lucky to see even a single shaft of sunlight anywhere. And that's when the heavens revealed they've been listening. As the sun rose higher, a corridor of sunlight somehow found it's way to the landscape below. It lit up the terraces... at first... just along its edges... until gradually... entire steps are revealed. Lit from above, the effect was electrifying. For us landscape photographers, it certainly looked like heaven. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Sunrise comes late in the terraces because the sun has to clear the mountain tops before light can reach into its valleys. That's the right time to be there. And if you know where it rises, and can imagine the effect it can create on the three-dimensional landscape in front of you, you've also discovered the right place. Viola!)

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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.)

#291 Making Charcoal

Most of us don't think a lot about charcoal except when we need to grill our steaks. But for many folks who can't afford cooking gas, it's the only game in town.

We were at the Ulingan in Tondo Manila where discarded wood is turned into charcoal. Scrap vendors truck-in pre-loved wood in all shapes and sizes, while charcoal cooks arrange them into neat rectangular piles before covering them in sand and setting them on fire. Water sprinkled generously keep the wood smouldering instead of burning, which is how wood is turned into mounds of charcoal instead of piles of ash. Between the squalid working conditions, the soot & grime that can make you feel like you're covered in cheap make-up, and the acrid smell of smoke that stays on you for days... it's a place I won't soon forget. And we shouldn't. (Yes you can help: Project Pearls ) Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: When your story is in the shadows surrounded by very bright light, don't worry about blowing out your highlights. The story always comes first.)

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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.)

#290 Over the Rainbow

Is there really any gold at the end of a rainbow? Beats me. That's not why we stopped to take this picture.

We were driving home from a shoot, taking a circuitous backroad through Tarlac, when we spotted an unusual sight: a prominent rainbow cast within an ominously dark sky laden with rain. It was an interesting lighting situation, but even that only made a great backdrop. We still needed a focal point. Then a farmer and his beast appeared from a nearby paddy. Serendipity. Click...click...click. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: When the sky above is mostly dark and the landscape is lit by a bright horizon behind you, slightly underexpose your shot by metering on the brightest portion of your composition. It's a tricky lighting situation that fools most in-camera meters.)

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.)