#14 Dusk on Main Beach

Just mention "Boracay in Summer"... and weary minds are set adrift... images of soft white sand, clear blue skies, and inviting emerald green waters... But wait, today's photograph is not quite like that.

Birang and I were on Boracay Island for a rendezvous with the sun, but it was only after the sun had set did we find the right conditions for this photograph. A sturdy tripod certainly helped, and so did a long enough exposure. And don't forget a pocket light for those times when the foregrounds are too dark. The result: an unreal rendition of a most familiar place. Enjoy.

#13 Stalking the Bat Cave

Patience is a virtue. Really. Some events happen with regularity, like circadian bats coming out to feed at dusk. But you still have to be patient else you risk missing the show.

Our safari brought us to Penablanca, Cagayan, to a bat cave along the Pinacanauan river. We had taken a flat-bottomed boat downstream and got off on a mound of volcanic rock barely big enough for 8 photographers scrambling for picturesque vantage points. Since several of us ended up trading places while waiting for the show to begin, we were caught by surprise when it finally did. This photograph was taken a little earlier, while the sky was still bright and well before the bats appeared. The bat cave is the hole on the cliff-side. Those folks on the boat anchored below are tourists just like us. To see fruit bats streaming out of their cave, that will have to wait until my next post. Enjoy.

#12 Cliff Hanger

Do you have a fear of heights? Take heart. Outdoor photographers sometimes find themselves in some very high places, like on a sheer sea cliff maybe a hundred feet or more above the crashing waves below.

Along the coast in the town of Burgos, Ilocos Norte, the weather was lovely and the view in all directions was just great. (That's the Bangui windmills in the background.) The sky was clear for miles. Scared or not, you can't help it but to keep shooting. After all, there can't be too many other places where we'd rather be. Enjoy.

#11 Afterglow Reflections

Last December 16th, I posted a picture of a rare moon rise and mentioned that a firey dusk was taking place simultaneously in the west. (http://www.postcardsfrommanila.com/2008/12/blue-moon-rise.html) Well for those who asked to see it, today's photograph is what we saw.

It was in baranggay Bantay just outside the town of Vigan Ilocos Sur. We had spotted an unusual vantage point earlier in the day and were determined to make our way there. It was unusual because it was in the middle of the town's cemetery on the night of the full moon. I'm not the superstitious type, but when an opportunity like this presents itself I try not to ask too many questions. Enjoy.

#10 Mute Witness

To sequentially capture the last sunset of 2008 and the first sunrise of 2009, now isn't that an intriguing plan?  Except that I was nursing a bad cold last week, completely incompatible with the cool outdoors.  Rats. It's my 3rd year stalking this dream but when life gets in the way all bets are off.

At the Suba sand dunes in Ilocos Norte, the sunrise wasn't looking too promising so twilight photographers need to work harder to bring home images worth keeping. It could be as simple as looking in the other direction, and that's where this lone tree caught my eye. It has seen its share of sunrise and sunsets I'm sure, even when no one else was looking. And know what? I bet it saw the sequential dusks and dawns that I missed! Enjoy.