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This blog is an amateur photographer's attempt to show how beautiful the world really is. He is drawn to the colors of nature like a moth to a candle light. What are showcased here are nature's grand display of colors at sunrise and sunset, beautiful beaches and off-the-beaten track locations in his beloved Philippines, waterfalls and some of nature's great sculptures, architectural gems, and other views from around SE Asia that he was fortunate to see at one point.

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October 28, 2012

bulubadiangan: shooting the sunset and sunrise


Bulubadiangan Seaweeds Lowtide Sunset

The sunset gods must have been smiling upon me that afternoon, for it was one of the most intense light displays I have ever seen.

It was my second trip to this small island of Bulubadiangan (the first one, some years back did not yield any remarkable sunset or sunrise photos). Bulubadiangan seemed even smaller due to the fact the we are “constrained” on the northern tip of the island where the sandbar is. But on the upside, I had a clear and unobstructed view of both the western and eastern skies.

The tide receded by mid afternoon, revealing a rather featureless area of cream sand, small rocks and patches of sea grasses. Or so I thought, until I found these bright luminescent seaweed patch just a few meters from our hut. Perfect foreground to contrast with the stark surroundings. Now all I need is great light.

Preparing for the light show

Sunset time was fast approaching and it did not look promising. Heavy clouds loomed over the western sky, plus the fact that the main island of Panay will block the sun by the time that its just a few seconds from finally dipping below the horizon.

Gloomy sky and seaweed patch

I took some long exposure shots on the other direction while waiting for the conditions to change. Using a 9-stop ND filter (dark glass that will lessen the amount of light hitting the camera’s sensor), made some over-1 minute exposures. I was hoping for faster cloud movement, but there was not much wind so everything is still. Well at least I would not have to worry too much about wind rocking my setup later.

High of the day

One of my friends kept saying: “don’t worry, the light will come”. And it did come! I happily shot using pre-visualized compositions highlighting the seaweeds. I thought of shooting using longer exposures (for more pronounced cloud movements) but decided against it as I am just hand holding my GND filter (graduated neutral density filter used to tame the bright lights in the sky) and it would be very difficult to keep my hand still for over a minute.

Bulubadiangan/Bolobadiangan Sunset

I only had one chance to shoot using a different composition before the colors faded.

I did my best the next morning to peel myself off the straw mat. The cold wind did not help at all. The sky looked overcast so my wife and I stuffed ourselves in a comfy hammock and decided to just watch the sun come up. But of course I have my setup ready nearby, just in case. My wife probably knew we were not outside just to watch the sunrise together, I was waiting for something to shoot. Scratch the “probably” part, she knew. She just smiled when I finally jumped out of the hammock and ran to my setup when the light got better.

Bulubadiangan Sunrise
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Lantaw
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2 comments:

Call Me Xander said...

Stunning.. I really love sunset/sunrise... it makes me feel like there is always new every morning or maybe it makes me feel that we need to move forward each day..

Anonymous said...

The sunset is exactly how I remember it. Fiery with glows that lasted for almost an hour. I remember basking in its glow and muttered, "God surely is an artist." - Jared

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