#201 Stalker@Work

The sun awakened us to a moist and misty morning. What previously was a dark and formless expanse before dawn, now in full daylight, turned-out to be a large field strewn with fallen cane. Nearby, a bunch of workers were loading them onto a waiting truck. For students of lifestyle & environmental photography, we were in Disneyland!

Rural folks at work fascinate us no end. Whether they're planting or harvesting rice, corn, or coffee... or carving wood or firing pots... or farming salt or hauling fish... we've traveled across our country to photograph them all. This morning we came to photograph sugar farmers harvesting cane. It's as noble a profession as any we've seen. And now we've collected timeless images of them as well. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Whenever I get the chance, I shoot with some of the best photographers and image makers I know. It's never too late to learn something from those further along the learning curve. It's also a great way to see more than a single perspective at the same time. Try it today.)

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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.)

#200 Hauling Cane

One of the reasons we went to the land of sugar was to witness cane being harvested. In Hacienda Salamanca, that wish came true. Not only was the light beautiful that morning, it was also streaming in from the right direction. It was a composition I had imagined months ago. 

But what I didn't anticipate was that this profession could soon vanish. Why? The sugar industry started losing tariff protection last year, and in all, prices could be a third lower by 2015. Will the industry survive? It likely will, but I suspect it will be at the expense of the most inefficient part of the current supply chain: the purely manual step of  cutting and loading cane. Sigh. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Learn to shoot in black & white by imagining the scene in black & white. That means ignoring colors and paying attention only to the interplay of shapes and patterns, and of light and shadows. It helps to set your digital camera's display to black and white to help the feedback loop along.)

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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.)

#199 The Dawn Magician

A magician? And at dawn? Well that's what the sign said!

Shortly past three in the morning, we drove up the hills in the direction of La Carlota in Negros Occidental. About an hour and a half later, and in clear view of Mt. Kanlaon in the distance, signs in the sky told us we were within moments of peak light. (... when the colors of dawn would be most intense.) We quickly turned into a side road that turned-out to be part of Hacienda Salamanca. That's right. The hacienda of a magician. Now we don't really know if a magician once owned the place, but if one did it could certainly explain the magic we saw in the sky that morning. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Peak light at dawn is very very brief, no more than 30-45 seconds. To capture it at its zenith, learn how to read the clouds and anticipate which ones the dawn will light up. Practice makes perfect.)

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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.)

#198 The Burning Fields

Driving home after shooting sunset, we chanced upon a roadside field all ablaze. How lovely!

We were in Talisay City in Negros Occidental, in the motherland of sugar. Before us, folks were clearing a field for harvest by burning it down to the ground. Soon, the thickening smoke and soot made photography quite difficult. This is what we endure for our art. But if you pause for a moment and look beyond our art, it's really a familiar story: the old must go to make room for the new. After clearing the harvest, they will plant the next crop. And then it's the same cycle all over again. Just like in life. How lovely. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: A high enough ISO, and a slow enough shutter speed, helped the dancing blaze paint its own portrait. But wait, this is just another landscape photograph and we need some foreground to establish perspective. There's a clump of trees nearby. When viewed from the correct angle, their ghosts-of-a-silhouette can anchor the entire scene. How lovely.) 


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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.)

#197 Sweet Sunset

In the land of sugar, you'd be forgiven if you thought even the seawater here is sweet. But there's a reason why this sunset was pretty sweet for me...

We were on the coast in barrangay Balaring in Silay City awaiting the dusk. The truth is, glorious sunsets have eluded me all year long. When I'm at the right place to catch one,  the weather would refuse to cooperate. But when I pay it no heed, like when I'm driving home from work or simply looking up from my garden, the skies would fill with color and splendor. Sigh. That's part of it, of course, the ones that got away. Just as in life. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: The twilight season is upon us. From November to February, sunrises and sunsets can be extra magnificent. Whether its due to the earth's longer distance from the sun, or maybe because wet cold air dispersing more light, I don't really know. What I do know is that all twilight photographers should be out at this time, and at every chance they get.)

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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.)

#196 Sweet & Golden

Do you know how sugar gets to your table? It starts in the fields...

Just after dawn, as the golden hour started to envelope us, I noticed this band of farm workers on one end of the sugarcane field. We were in Silay City in Negros Occidental, and they are "dumaans" or farm tenants from the area. They had cut the cane the day before and had just loaded them onto a truck. That truck is on the way to the nearest sugar mill and could take hours to return, but since they are paid by the ton they are hanging around for the next load. How convenient that while waiting, they've helped me illustrate something sweet, and golden in more ways than one. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: During the golden hours, a flattering orange hue covers the entire landscape. Don't forget to use a circular polarizer to keep reflections off the leaves and intensify the blue color in the sky. It helps to photograph your subject in the strong morning light, which can dramatically sharpening them without further need for post-processing.)

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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.)

#195 Was it Sunrise or Sunset?

Can you tell if a photograph was taken at sunrise or at sunset? It's a question I get quite often.

Through the years my answer had always been no because, in spite of witnessing and photographing my share of twilights, I could never tell unless I took the picture myself. Maybe you can if you've familiar with the place and know how it looks like at sunrise or sunset, or if there is some element in the photograph that is present only at one time and not the other. Otherwise... just enjoy it. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: This shot was definitely taken at sunset because I took it myself. The setting sun would be to my right, that's why the color of the clouds face that direction.)

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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.)

#194 The Grand Landscape

I have a soft spot for the truly grand landscape, for views that show the land in its full grandeur. It reflects my predisposition to take-in the bigger picture first, before applying context to what I find within.

But much like a pendulum it has swung back and forth, from favoring grand vistas to focusing on the mundane foreground elements that often have better stories to tell. Like a tug-o-war of sorts, both vie for my attention and favor whenever I am out on location. But over the years, I've learned that one approach to composition doesn't work as well without the other. To adequately establish context, you really need both. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: It was a hazy day when I spotted this view just outside the window. The haze helped set the mood of the land but it was missing a story. The simple grass hut caught my attention in spite of its insignificance to the greater scheme of things. By including it as part of my foreground, it helped anchor for my composition and provided the context for today's postcard.)

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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.)

#193 The Flower Farm

A solitary flower is beauty manifest... but a field of them is truly a sight to behold.

(Pixel-peepers: We were at The Flower Farm in Tagaytay where greenhouses were crammed with Gerberas of various colors. First-time visitors panic and shoot like crazy, but for those who've done this before, the camera isn't raised to the eye until you find a worthy composition.

You can focus on a single flower and isolate it from the rest. Or you can take a step back to catch a multitude in a single shot. Better still, achieve both by using the biggest aperture on your lens to keep some in focus, while allowing the rest to blur into the background. Enjoy.)

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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.)

#192 Paid-in-Kind

When you live along the coast, the sea feeds your family. And if you work on a boat that sets out to sea every night, you might just be paid-in-kind. With fish, that is.

We were at the Estancia Fish Port on the northern tip of Iloilo, bucking the wee hours of the morning, to witness the arrival of fish-laden boats. After the fish had been unloaded and sold,  I followed a group of deckhands out to the parking lot where they each received a pail of fish, more or less. It was their share of the take, their wage.  I witnessed a similar practice in Mindoro where hired hands were paid with newly harvested grain. Whether your economy runs on grain or fish, that's your currency. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: I took several shots because I was unsure which one will work. In the end, it was the back view that illustrated the story best. X marked the spot.)

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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.)

#191 Taksayan

Walking along the shore of Bay-bay in Roxas City, we saw several men pulling a long net to shore. Somewhere in the distant shore, another group is doing exactly the same thing. And if you guessed they were pulling the same net, only at different ends, then you would be right. Imagine further that with all the pulling, the center of the net eventually gets to land, and within it all the lucked-out fish that were out swimming the shallows that morning. Bummer.

The net is called a taksay, and the process of working together to get the net to shore is called taksayan. It's a practice known by many other names, and found in many other parts of the country. But the idea is the same, it only works when folks work together. Just as it does in many other aspects in life. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: It was a grayish day and the light was muggy. Shooting in color guaranteed washed-out images. I'd normally put my camera away and simply enjoy the show, except that there's always black & white!)

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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.)

#190 Dawn Silhouettes

Even when dawn disappoints, all is not lost.

On Nagarao Island just past the main island of Guimaras, we woke up to a blue dawn. We see this often during the rainy season, when the clouds are just too thick around the horizon at sunrise. The sun tries to punch through, but today the night is more than its match, leaving everything around us a gloomy blue. Have we been defeated? Nah. At least not in the bigger scheme of things. We will make such a trip again, and when we do, we will wake-up at 4:30am again to stalk the next sunrise. Who knows? Luck can change. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: My camera was mounted on a tripod, pointed in the direction of where I thought the sun could break through. And thanks to a friend who spotted this passing pump boat my composition came together.)

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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.)