Remember that b&W challenge that hit FB sometime ago? Here’s mine —
Tag Archives: Leica
Mommy, I’m home!
If there’s one deathbed regret I’d have, it’d be not having gone to the sea often enough. There has always been this fantasy/dream/wish/wishful thinking of being able to breathe underwater and just play with the fishies. Being a writer-photographer-rescue diver, many people ask why I have not gone into underwater photography. To me it’s simply not wanting to worry about anything–like taking care of gear, thinking of what shots to take, etc. etc–when I’m in the water. It really is, to me, a sort of homecoming. Perhaps some unconscious desire to just float around without a care, like we all once did in our mothers’ wombs. (Okay, amateur psychologists, get off my case, will ya? :p)
Yeah, that’s me in the corner, and No, not losing any religion.
Teach Them How to Fish?
The lucky bum that I am, I got invited to a private beach, close to undeveloped, and where local fishermen still fish the traditional way–fully manual. They set out in un-motorized boats, cast their nets, wait for a couple of hours, and in full bayanihan fashion, all the men–even young boys–help tow everything back to shore. I felt so bad seeing that they caught a whole damn lot of seaweed–not the edible kind–and only two fish. Not for long, though. The fisherfolk were so high spirited that when they saw me shooting, they even joked about having exposure on Facebook!
This is the day’s catch, and all the trouble it took! These babies must be worth their weight in gold.
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
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!
H Photography 