When I'm mountain biking I just use a kit lens: a Nikkor 18-55mm. Plastic and feels like a toy but does a great job - unbelievably sharp for such a cheap lens.

Filters
Since I'm always shooting landscapes, these are always in my bag. I use a ultra thin Marumi DHG CPL which is always attached to my Sigma 10-20mm. It serves as a lens protector also as I don't use a UV filter. Gotta avoid vignettes when shooting wide, especially when I'm stacking filters.


Aside from the CPL I bring along a Hoya ND8X, an ultra thin Haida Infrared 720 filter (equivalent of Hoya R72) and several Cokin P-series GND filters. I tend to bring soft and hard edge GND8 filters and a GND4 most of the time. I stopped using colored graduated filters like the blue or sunset filters. I'd like to get my hands on 'em Singh-Ray filters one of these days. A single Singh-Ray filter costs an arm and a leg and a good portion of your torso.

AccessoriesLittle stuff I can't do without. I bring several SD cards of different brands. On a typical 3-day weekend trip 4 extra cards usually suffice for my needs. I cycle through 3 extra batteries (the most I can bring is 5). If I bring along my flash gun then I also bring 8 AA rechargeable batteries.


Other stuff includes: commercial grade lens tissue (that can be used for cleaning sensors as well), several lens pens, a blower, camera rain covers, a small but ultra bright torch, a small compass, chargers for camera and AA batteries, a set of RF receiver and transmitter for remote flash, and IR remote trigger.

LightingCurrently I have only 1 flash gun: a Sigma EF-500 DG SUPER (Sigma's answer to SB-800). I use small Lastolite light modifier which is great for outdoor portraits.


If there is a significant source of natural light I also use a disk reflector. There are 5-in-1 versions you can find in most camera shops. It has gold, silver, white, black, and translucent parts.

SupportA tripod is a landscape photographer's best friend. I don't leave home without it. Nobody has rock-steady hands.


I also bring along several of these small dehumidifier kits that can be bought from hardware shops. I put one inside my camera backpack and another one inside the bigger dry sack. I try to keep my gears as dry as possible whenever I go out and shoot waterfalls.

I am missing this cove terribly. The two summer weekends I spent there were enough for this place to become THE destination in Zambales, at least in my book. Surreal and pristine (for now) come to mind when I hear the word "Nagsasa".

I love waking up to the soft rhythmic splashes of the surf. I woke up early each day and head straight to Wild Horse Creek to wait for sunrise. The distant bare mountains glow to a golden brown as the first light of day falls upon them. It was a sight that mere photographs cannot easily show.


I remembered the bangus (milkfish) catching frenzy one weekend that we were there. A typhoon ravaged the western coast, trashing the fish pens in the nearby province of Pangasinan. Close to a million bangus got freed and some (by "some" I mean several thousands) made their way to this cove and stayed near the shoreline. The locals just picked them off the water, literally. It was easy pickings for several days.


I miss the backwoods of Nagsasa. Its a different world from the pine tree lined beaches that traces the cove. There you'll see a huge valley bordered by rolling green hills. "Its Marlboro country", a friend remarked.


I spent one hot afternoon clambering up to one of the peaks and nearly lost my equipment, and my wits, trying to. Went down bruised and soiled but happy I was able to take a few photos from a different vantage point.


There was no indication that this huge valley once served as a bombing range for US air forces during the time when Clark Air base was still nearby. Well maybe there is: a HUGE portion of the area is completely devoid of trees.


And the best part of the days I spent there? Sunset. Beautiful sunset.

More photos of Nagsasa in these articles:

• taking a second look
• colors and moods
• exploring the south side
• zambales' hidden gem, for now

Its 2 am and the rain was incessant. After a little over two hours of trekking, I was soaking wet. The narrow trails we are on are beginning to look like small streams. With a visibility of just a few meters, the trail, with its overgrowth, looked less and less familiar. Cold and tired, we conceded to nature. We found a small clearing, pitched our tents, and decided to wait for first light to pursue the trails again. Our usual 3-4 hour trek will take longer this time.