Remember that b&W challenge that hit FB sometime ago? Here’s mine —
Category Archives: landscapes
Little Secrets
Somewhere in Sta. Maria there is a small, private family chapel, but let the simplicity fool no one. Exploring the grounds leaves no doubt that the place is truly blessed, and I dare say, sacred.
Sta. Maria–Getting There
Over three hundred kilometers and six hours from Manila. We took off way before sunrise to hit SCTex/TPLex area at the crack of dawn. It was one dark, chilly, foggy morning and visibility was but a few meters, pretty tho. At some point I got sick of shooting through the windshield–just wasn’t cutting it–rolled my window down, only to have my lens all fogged up. Downside of travelling light–too light, it seems–I only brought a tiny Leica. Horrors, no spare, no back up!
As we reached that part of the highway surrounded by fields, the sun seemed to rise “again.” I say “again” because it was hidden by mountains & trees, and voila, my lens has cleared!
Then a sign says “Reduce speed.” Of course, scenery demands it.
Sta. Maria Church
Sta. Maria, built on top of a hill was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_Church for loads of historical info.
Sunset, Sta. Maria Church, Ilocos.
Sta. Maria Church
Tunneling Kaybiang
Somewhere in Cavite.
On a good lucky day, one gets to pass a mountain range at just the right time, when sunlight hits a spot that makes it look like a bowl of light.
Shot taken from the car, between wiper blade passes! It gave me two shots, then it was gone.
Nearby was a military post, and it seems our tough warriors may be pampered by the beauty of the place
but not by much else
Marikina-Infanta
Over four hundred kilometers. Zero objective other than to see what a particular route looks like. And it meant heading North, East, South, West, and back North. Something tells me there isn’t much difference between that and a dog or cat chasing their tails?
Thick fog, hairpin turns.
Red suns.
Binondo
After almost two years of almost not touching equipment, I’m back. Of course it is tempting to say “with a vengeance,” but then that means shooting all the time. Maybe I would, yes?
Saturday found me in Binondo, with a historical tour by a good friend and co Iyas fellow, Jeffrey Yap. The guy doesn’t do it for the money–he’s just so passionate about Manila that he does it for free. The tour cost P580, but it included eight foodstops, and by the fifth or sixth, most of us were just taking little bits for the taste of it, and those with enough fortitude in hauling food brought home probably enough for the next day’s meal.
Oh, he gave each of us a Mark Twain book, too!
Meeting place: Binondo church
Jeffrey (leftmost) gives a brief lecture on Binondo history and what to expect from the tour.
Mirror selfie, with Jeff & darn good friend Louise.
Bataan on a Whim
Crime Partner P and I took off for a drive, not much on the agenda other than, well, to drive. Or get out of Metro Manila even for just a day, and preferably, meet the sea. I wasn’t really geared to shoot, and all I brought was a Leica D-Lux 5. No monsters, this time. Turns out this toy is sort of a tiny monster, nonetheless. Heehee.
One of what felt like a hundred hairpins.
No idea what these are exactly, but they were on the entrance to the Pawikan conservation thing. By the way, The three baby pawikans were in this tiny enclosure, covered with a net. I simply did not have the heart to take thier photos. (Okay, maybe I should be a photo journalist. LOL)
Farmers, after puttng the dried grains back in the sacks.
Crime Partner P — probably comtemplating that we nearly got stuck in the sand. (Yeah, we drove our car sorta too close to the sea. heh heh)
Forget the white sand; I’d much rather be here than Boracay!
Like all good things, even a perfect day must come to an end. But what a farewell display!
One Day at the Farm
I feel guilty not lugging my gear around all the time, but at least i bring a point and shoot, which of course doesn’t quite cut it, but hey, it’s still far better than a phone cam! Sometimes there are things that beg to be photographed.
And sometimes none, but the urge is there to shoot anyway. This is one of those days, when all i had was toy cam, trees and shadows. But I had to shoot, perhaps to save whatever little is left of my sanity. hahaha!
Waiting for the Sun
By the sea, with an ice-cold San Mig light, a pack of Marls, and a 300mm.
H Photography 