#322 Vanishing Tattoos

There comes a time when you need to put your camera to good use. Photographing landscapes or stalking twilight, well they are good uses too. But there's one that's time-sensitive: a chance to document a vanishing culture of our times. 

We were in Anunang in Kalinga, a community of tattooed women well past their 70's. They sport full body tattoos all the way to their arms and wrists.  Sadly, it's a practice succeeding generations no longer indulges. In as little as 20 more years, all proof of this cultural expression will vanish. So head to the hills with a camera and a good hat. Because posterity demands it. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Harsh noon-day light will wash-out the colors in your photographs. But there's always black & white. Snap on a lens hood and underexpose slightly. Sometimes that's all it takes.)

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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.)

#321 Believe

Sometimes, you just have to believe.

I was stalking dawn along the shallows just south of Legazpi City in Albay. I found my foreground object, a fishing boat moored just off the beach. Behind it, the sky had started to glow. An orange dawn soon began to overpower the blue pall that had reigned supreme. But the boat alone didn't appear to be a strong enough composition. I took an insurance shot, but knew it can only be second best. Should I change my vantage point? Do I have time? While debating with myself, someone walked into my composition, and in an instant completed my composition. When you're forced to start without a clear view of the end, do trust that things have a way of turning out just fine. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Slightly overexpose for effect, or slightly underexpose for impact. The operative word here is... slightly. Go figure.)

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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.)

#320 The Music of Angels

We were driving along a deserted mountain road... minding our own business... when the night sky suddenly exploded with the most awesome music of angels. (Pause.) Ok, that wasn't exactly the whole truth.

We were in Lubuagan in Kalinga, somewhere along the winding road between Tabuk in Kalinga and Bontoc in the Mountain Province. We drove out in the dead of the night... just to be at this point on the road at exactly this time... to stalk twilight. When we saw the moisture snuck into the valley below us, and the sparesly-clouded night sky that was clear all the way to the horizon, we knew the ingredients for something awesome was at hand. Enjoy. 

(Pixel-peepers: When you come face-to-face with a scene that makes your jaw drop to the ground, there is little time to change lenses or to whip out your filters. Just get your composition and exposure right. A rising sun has naturally warm tones. It'll take care of the colors.)

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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.)

#319 Comrades in Light

When the sky bursts with the colors of fire and brimstone, it can overwhelm the senses, and eventually one's emotions. It helps to have a friend or two by your side, if only to share your awe and disbelief. It was just like that while exploring the unusual rock formations on Biri Island in Northern Samar.

Wandering across our country for the last 10 years... experiencing places unseen and meeting people unknown... had been one of the greatest gifts of a lifetime. I couldn't have enjoyed it more, or learned as much, without wanderlust friends in tow. Our trips were opportunities to photograph the beauty of our country... yet somehow... like the flap of a butterfly's wing or the expanding ripples in a pond... I suspect we all knew these trips were more about just taking pictures. To them I dedicate today's postcard. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: When the light-show begins, most instinctively rush towards front row seats. But every so often, consider the road less taken, or the scene least expected. Because someone's got to capture the bigger picture.)

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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.)

#318 Chasing down a Dream

As a kid I'd seen photographs, even paintings of Mayon Volcano, with quaint rice fields and carabaos at its fore. I had always wondered if such a scene still existed, considering huge strides in population and progress since. But shortly after sunrise, while driving inland from the coast where we stalked dawn, we found exactly such a scene, and almost to the letter!

We were in the town of San Vicente, a short drive west of Tabaco City in Albay. The morning was still young, with its golden light splashed across the landscape. In the foreground a water buffalo was grazing near a freshly-harvested rice field. On the horizon, Mayon's northern slope, convoluted with gullies, betrayed her power within. It was just a dream, but I had chased it down. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Retain the shadows in your photographs to make them more three dimensional. It helps when you shoot with the sun low on the horizon. Under-exposing slightly doesn't hurt either.)

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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.)

#317 Slumber Party

We were across the bay in Manito in Albay, southeast of the majestic Mount Mayon, searching for foregrounds worthy of her majesty. The goal was to photograph her from the north and the south, and then again from her east and her west. To see her in 360 degrees is to discover how life in these parts have come together around her.

The morning turned-out to be wet and muggy. Dark clouds on the horizon shut the sun down, enveloped the environs in a blue cocoon, and left us scrambling to bring at least one good photograph home. It helped that the silhouette of her perfect cone occasionally appeared, but never without a veil-of-a-cloud we wished would just go away. A strong wind was blowing from the east, and those mangrove seedlings in the foreground fluttered with each gust, just like kids dancing in a slumber party. It gave me an idea. Click. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: When there's not enough light to shoot handheld, your "second best friend" is your trusty tripod. It will allow long exposures that turn boring waves into a calm and silky sea. Anything  swaying in the wind becomes a motion-blur, a bonus! And your "best friend" during times like these? Lady Luck, of course. Because skills are over-rated!)

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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.)

#316 A Perfect Cone

The night was pitch-black save for a scattering of lights on the horizon. Mount Mayon is just above that row of lights, I was told. Yet it was still too dark to make anything out, not even a silhouette, so I pointed my camera in that general direction. Using the edge of the water to guide my composition, I leveled my horizon and set a timed-exposure based on experience. On my third try, the grand old dame popped-out from the evening sky, with its perfect cone in ostentatious display. The sight sent shivers all the way to my toes.

It had been a frustrating few days.  We drove around the base of Mount Mayon in Legazpi City, viewing it at different times of the day, and from different directions, mostly to find it obscured by low flying clouds. That we'd never see it's perfect cone this trip, the thought had crossed our minds more than once. But as in everything else in life, perseverance eventually pays off. And in this case, in spades. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Even when it's not bright enough to see anything, a camera's digital sensor can collect enough light if the exposure is long enough. Fear not the dark.)

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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.)