Nope. I still don’t have an IR filter. I remember reading something before about how to achieve the IR look using post-processing. I ran these images under Adobe Photoshop CS3 and played with the luminance of the green, yellow and orange channels. I converted them to monochrome and then toned them with gradients. I know it’s a far cry from the authentic infrared images but these will have to make do for now.

And my favorite. Tsamba! Hahaha!

My birthday is coming soon in less than a month. I hope somebody gifts me with a 77mm Hoya R72.

Woot!

Far away from the city, Zambales offers unadulterated views of the night sky. I remember a line from “Wish You Were Here” by Incubus.

“The sky resembles a backlit canopy with holes punched in it.”

We’ve ate our pork steaks, started our bonfire which eventually died when we ran out of fire wood. So we were left lying on the sand, bathing in the moonlight, waiting for shooting stars. How cliche. But it was what it was.

And then I got the idea of trying out star trails. These are my first ever attempts at photographing star trails. Time to abuse the remote cable release I recently purchased.

This first one was exposed for 504 seconds, ISO 200, F6.3, manually focused to infinity. Damn, my focus was really off.

I got a little more risky. This next one was exposed for 900 seconds, ISO 200, F6.3, manually focused to infinity. Although I like the star trails better, the sky was a bit overexposed because of the brightly shining moon.

I’m gonna read more about star trails? Any good resources out there?

The first time I was in Anawangin, I took sunset shots from the extreme right. This time, I shot from the extreme left. There were around 5 of us side by side in the water as the tide was still high. All of them were sporting Nikons on tripods. I was the lone Canon ranger. Alone but not lonely. Adik.

Around 10 minutes before sunset. I should’ve used the telephoto instead and captured the SUN.

It was a weak sunset. Pinilit ko lang.

Here’s a 30 second exposure. I used the Twilight Picture Style of Canon which turns the blues into purples. Neat trick.

The last time I was in Anawangin, I was in a group comprised of about 30 photo enthusiasts. It was a rabid, mad dash for photos. Now, I was the only one with a DSLR in our foursome. Though there were so many DSLR-wielding weekenders who had the same idea.

This was shot on the way to Anawangin.

The famous river at the back gives a Northern American feel to a very tropical place.

There’s this iconic boat in Anawangin that just begs to be photographed.

And some more.

Photos were taken with a Canon 40D, a 17-40 F4L, a 70-200 F2.8L and a Sigma 10-20 F4-5.6

The past week I was debating with myself whether to bring a car to Anawangin or to just commute. The factors were cost efficiency, convenience and my driving mood. It’s been awhile since my last veritable road trip so Friday night, I texted Irene (my girlfriend), Carms and Glenn about our meeting place, 6AM at Caltex (J. Vargas corner Meralco Avenue). It was almost always our meeting place when we have road trips. I love that place.

I think Irene and I arrived 30 minutes late. It was our mutual fault. We had a lot of time anyway so it was okay. Carms, Glenn and Irene were so looking forward to this trip because it had been a while since they had hit the shores. They were even starting to look really pasty. The office airconditioning is to blame.

To start off we gassed up P1500 worth of unleaded gasoline and zoomed on to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and got off at the San Fernando Exit. We also had our breakfast pit stop at Jollibee since I had been craving for their longganisa for the longest time. I have to wake up earlier.

From San Fernando, we pushed on towards our destination passing by more Pampanga towns and a bit of Bataan heading to Subic or Olongapo. You could actually enter SBMA and cut through saving you time but we decided to pass by Olongapo to buy our lunch: Andok’s Super Jumbo and Liempo! When you reach the Ulo Ng Apo (hence Olongapo) monument, turn right and it’ll bring you to the towns of Subic, Castillejos, San Marcelino then finally San Antonio.

For those who forgot to buy some stuff or who are unwilling to haul “fresh” food, the town market in San Antonio is your best bet. There are no big name restaurants or establishments in San Antonio. We arrived Saturday, which I think is their market day, so supplies were pretty abundant. I’m not sure if the case is the same during weekdays.

From the town proper, we pushed deeper into the suburb (Brgy. San Miguel) and made a left turn at the suggestion of the signage “This way to Brgy. Pundakit.” Tama naman siya.

I decided to park my car at Canoe Resort because I already had some connection with them. They charge P200 for overnight parking and a P120 entrance fee for each person which enables you to use their facilities, like their bathroom for example. I think the parking fee is reasonable. The P120 entrance fee is stiff and rude.

I also arranged the boat transfer through the resort. For a drop-off and pick-up the next day, we paid P1500 or P375 each. It was almost noon when we seated ourselves at our good-sized pumpboat. The sun was high, commanding and the water was pretty choppy so we were sprayed.

Coming to Anawangin, I noticed that there was a burned portion of the mountains on the left side. It really is getting dry and campers should be more responsible of their impact on places such as Anawangin.

And just like that, I was back in Anawangin.

Getting there (by commuting).

1. Take the Victory Liner bus bound to Iba and ask to be dropped off at San Antonio (P219, 3 1/2 - 4 hours). It is best to get the early morning trips to maximize your trip.
2. Take a tricycle to Brgy. Pundakit (P80-100 per tricycle, 10-15 minutes)
3. Hire a boat to Anawangin (P700-800 per roundtrip, so if you’re gonna be dropped off and then picked up the next day it’s P1400-P1600 per boat, 30 minutes)

Aha! I’ll be damned if I don’t go out this weekend. It’s Anawangin again, but this time, it’ll be a road trip and I have to bring gear. Presenting, my stuff!

1. Regulation Ultimate Disc - The one that the white team won with (Oops, gloating. Sorry.) ! For bored out moments.
2. Nalgene Water Bottle - My dear, dear friend. Holds my water.
3. Tupperware-kinda-thing / My Mess Kit + Spork (inside)
4. Butane - Let’s keep the fire burning yeah!
5. Portable Stove - Okay. It’s not really small. But it’s lightweight though.
6. 6L of H20 - We LOVE water!
7. Board Shorts - Beach time! It’s new! It was on sale (50-70% off at Surf World)
8. Coleman Tent - Sleeps 3. But there are 4 of us. We’ll make do. Kandong.
9. Shemagh/Scarf - All around piece of cloth.
10. North Face Badlands 60 - Because I’m hauling baggage for 2. (Hmp! at Irene.)
11. My Humble Velbon Tripod
12. Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream - Favorite! Comfort food.
13. Tamrac Adventure 9 - It’s gonna be an adventure!
14. Photo Gear - Canon 40D, 10-20, 17-40, 70-200 + small stuff.

I end this post with a thought:
Why pack light when I can put up a fight!

Now let’s all pray for good weather!
Have a great weekend everyone!

Dark cloud formations were looming ahead as we cruised on the North Luzon Expressway. When it started to drizzle which progressed into rain, I had a sinking feeling that we would get poor light for this trip. It’s already the end of February. It’s supposed to be summer already!

This would be my third trip to San Antonio, Zambales where Anawangin Cove, Capones Island and Camera Island are home to. The first time was when we shot our AVP for GO! Travel Magazine. Being enchanted by the barren beauty and simplicity of Capones Island, I went there for a second time, that time bringing along my high school friends for an epic beach camping trip. This time, I was with a group of about 30 city dwellers, most of which have already met in a previous trip to Ilocos.

Three vans. Thirty participants. Four Guides. Dozens of cameras. This is Photoholic 08: Zambales Beach Camp.

The San Antonio town proper hasn’t changed since then, except for some additional cement work in the public market. It was still as provincial as it could get. After grabbing a quick lunch, we then proceeded to Brgy. Pundaquit, a small fishing village which is the launching pad for the islands. Thankfully, the weather made a complete turnaround and we were now faced with searing temperatures. Which is great! Especially for photography!

Our first destination was Anawangin Cove, which isn’t exactly an island. It’s still part of coastal Zambales although there aren’t any built roads leading to it. Enclosed by the sea and the mountains, one can hike for about 5-6 hours instead. We took the 4-6 seater bancas. Travel time: just a mere 30 minutes of scenic views of mountains dipping in the sea with blackish, rocky faces to boot.

It was my first time to Anawangin Cove and approaching it is just unreal. Well, I’ve seen pictures of it online (as Anawangin is one of the photography hotspots these days) and boy, it sure does ask to be photographed. What greeted us was a big, blue sky, followed by a towering mountain, then a layer of lush pine trees, a dusting of white sand and finally emerald waters. Very promising.

But we weren’t the only ones who had the same idea. There must’ve been around a hundred more campers, half of which were already in a drunken stupor. Of course, it was an omen of good things to come.

Leia, of Travel Factor (http://thetravelfactor.org) announced the tent assignments, the standard being 5 campers to one tent. Ours was the first tent to be announced: “Ced, Mac, Tino, Brian, Francis” said Leia, for everybody to hear. We exchanged perplexed looks as how we would fit ourselves into the tent. It would’ve been no problem if we were all small-framed. Basta, we were not. Thankfully, one of the campers brought his own tent so an extra one freed up. Thankfully.

Itching to get the signature Anawangin shots, we began dispersing into the “forest” but we soon found ourselves converging at the river-slash-swamp-slash-riverswamp. Wanting to get better angles, we entered the water and navigated our way, identifying the shallow portions, “establishing” a trail. We didn’t mind getting wet, all of us were focused on keeping our cameras dry. We were feeling hardcore! Feeling NatGeo! Haha!

Those who’ve viewed pictures from Anawangin will comment that it doesn’t look like the Philippines. I think it’s just uncharacteristic of having pine trees in your frame. That’s why we hug pine trees in Baguio.

Unfortunately, light was patchy that afternoon and we really didn’t have the patience to wait for better light. I know, I know. We are to fault. And we don’t have an excuse! But everybody was such in a vacation mode so what did we do next? Of course we feasted on green Zambales mangoes and hit the beach! Like a true, blue bakasyonista! ;p

At the hint of a setting sun, the photographers in us switched on and we scurried back to our tents to get our gear, walked to the rightmost portion of the beach and set up, waiting for that magic hour of warmth and silhouettes. I found a log by the beach but it just kept being drifted by the waves even as I stomped on it repeatedly to bury partially into the sand. I gave up and settled for rocks instead.

And it was a glorious show of light! For the sunset, I decided to avoid shooting RAW and challenged myself into playing with in-camera settings: White Balance, and my newly downloaded Picture Style from the Canon website, Twilight. It worked wonders, at least for my taste as it brought out the purples, pinks and violets. And just like that, the warm glow of the dying sun was eclipsed by the cool hues of evening.

But the sea claimed one casualty: a Nikon D40. It was standing next to me, mounted on a tripod when a big wave rushed in. Because the tripod’s legs weren’t mounted evenly on the sand, it fell down, camera faced down. It was a sad, moment but it even that opened opportunities as the owner is now contemplating shifting to Canon.

We walked back to our campsite in the pine trees, now illuminated with candles, headlamps and flashlights. Everybody was already gathering, a sure sign of hunger. Dinner was tinolang manok, inihaw na tilapia and rice. That night we all learned about the perils of eating without the benefit of illumination.

1. You will be forced to eat vegetable as you really can’t see what you’re eating. My palate was rudely introduced to sayote or was that papaya? All I know was that it was mushy and watery.
2. Eating fish is like love. Ang tinik ay parang pag-ibig, hindi mo nakikita. Mararamdaman mo na lang.

And we begin the drinking session with a Gilbey’s and Island Lime combo. One that was finished with lightning speed as Brian took the helm of tanggero and the group played a game of categories (One will give a category and the group, arranged in a circle will enumerate valid answers. Faulty answers will merit a shot.) Here are some of the bloopers.

Category: ST Films
Madz: “Troso!”

Category: Beach Resorts
Deneb Villanueva: “Villanueva Resort!”

Category: That’s Entertainment Stars
Francis: “Gilbey’s!”

The group thinned out as the night progressed and by the time we downed the second bottle of our Ginebra Cuatro Cantos (4×4) mixed with Fres-C Calamansi juice, there only seven or eight of us, all obviously buzzed and already sharing stories as if we were friends long before. Alcohol really is the lubricant of friendship.

It was when we lied down, facing the sky that we noticed how bright the moon was shining, how calming the lapping waves were, how cool the sea breeze was blowing and how the distant barks of the Anawangin dogs lulled us to sleep.