With just a few hours left in 2011, I'm looking back at a very fruitful year. I've been to new places and met new friends. I'd like to share the highlights of 2011 in a series of photos. I have a lot of favorites for this year, so it was a bit of challenge which ones are included in this post.

There is always magical about dusk as it falls on a city. As the lights start to shine, a city is transformed from a grey jungle to a lively and colorful place. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital, is one such place.

May everyone have a Blessed and Merry Christmas! Here's some Christmas colors from my hometown, taken during a quick break from preparing our Christmas dinner (there is always time for photos :D)

While some are contented with visiting a place once, filling their memory cards with shots, and then moving on to the next spot, I firmly believe that it takes several visits before you can get the shots you want. Condition varies all the time, weather and the quality of light changes on a daily basis. So for the second day in a row I revisited Putrajaya Mosque at sunrise.

I recently got a free trip to Putrajaya, a beautiful “planned city” about 25 kilometers southwest of Kuala Lumpur, for the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards 2011. While some of the invited bloggers probably got down to planning what to wear for that gala event - it’s the “Oscars” of the Asia Pacific blogsphere after all, I got busy to planning what to shoot in Putrajaya.

Now in its third year, the Ayala Symphony of Lights in the Ayala Triangle (near Makati Stock Exchange) continues to draw and amaze crowds.

I'm honored to be the featured photographer for this week's Picture Perfect section (December 7, 2011) of Manila Bulletin (Philippine's leading newspaper). I'll update this post with excerpts from the article (a great feature written by Yugel Losorata) as well as insights behind selected photos included in the feature.

If you like those "places at the end of the road", then you'll feel right at home in Malico or Salacsac.

Thank you Philippine Blog Awards! I was not able to attend the awards night in General Santos last November 26, 2011 so I'll just point you to PBA's FB page for some of the photos of what I heard was a very successful and fun evening.

Update: December 3, 2011

One of the post in this blog won the Top Photo Post award in the recent Philippine Blog Awards 2011 (National Level). Here a link to the winning post.

If you've been to bus stations for traveling to the provinces, which I figured most of us have as buses are the most common mode of transport here in the Philippines, most likely you've bought some snacks and local sweets. Ever wondered how these flat peanut filled panutsa (or panocha, or bandi) are made?

Though I've been to Taal a couple of years ago, I welcomed the chance to revisit it with old and new friends. So when the local SmugMug group organized a photowalk I did not hesitate to sign up.

A kalesa (horse drawn carriage) in a street corner in Roxas Blvd right across Rizal Park. The kalesa is a quintessential symbol of old Manila and can usually be seen in the Intramuros (famous Walled City) and Rizal Park area.

Both locations are recently in the headlines (at least in the local photography scene) because of the "No shooting" policy, causing very strong reactions from local photographers. Imagine, we are not allowed to shoot in both these iconic locations - the very heart of Manila. Actually that policy has been there for the longest, especially for Intramuros. Lots of stories about photo hobbyists being chased out of Intramuros by "guardia sibils", particularly those with DSLRs. I tried shooting at Fort Santiago inside Intramuros once and was instantly shooed away the moment I took out my camera. Point and shoot cameras are OK, DSLRs are a big NO. Somehow they equated DSLR with commercial work, add a tripod and some flash guns to your gear and I guarantee you'll get the instant: "No shooting here!".

Weird sense of direction from the part of DOT (Department of Tourism) if they are really trying to promote these places. As a knee jerk reaction to the outrage and the protests, DOT later released some explanations and guidelines for the "No Shooting" policy, covering "commercial photography" primarily.

The photo above was not taken with a tripod, the pavement was used. So its not commercial photography :)

Its a surreal place even in "normal light" and rendering it in infrared made it even more eerie.

The American Cemetery in Fort Bonifacio is one of the favorite places of photographers in Metro Manila. While there are sections that are off limits, the rest of the grounds are accessible to the general public. Even on a weekend the place is quiet and seemingly deserted.

Here are my takes on a scorching hot midday, unfortunately that's the best time to take infrared photos is when its really sunny.





These are all "false color" IR. The original color of the photos is of course RED. Not all lenses by the way are good for taking infrared photos. Most of the ultrawide lenses in the market produce "hot spots" - bright areas right smack in the middle of your photo. For these photos I used a borrowed 10-24mm Nikkor with Haida IR720 (equivalent to the more popular Hoya R72 filter)

I had my sights on Imugan Falls for quite some time now. Several of my friends had visited the place a year or two ago but I had to be somewhere else at that time. After a few failed attempts to go there, one finally pushed through, this time with a blogger friend (DongHo). It’s a 6-hour trip just to see the falls, a trip I was glad to take.

Imugan is one of the barangays of Sta. Fe, a sleepy town in province of Nueva Vizcaya. Imugan is nestled high up in the Caraballo Mountain Range bordering Nueva Vizcaya and the province of Pangasinan. It’s one of those places where if you look both ways you can see everything. Not much to see there for tourists (except for the waterfalls of course!) but nature lovers would find this remote and rustic village a perfect getaway place . Researchers, both foreign and local, have also been frequenting the place. Imugan, you see, is the only place in the Philippines where they have a carbon trading initiative (in line with the Kyoto Protocol) and a very successful sustainable forest management program.

welcome scene in Imugan

We arrived at about noon on a cold and foggy day. I checked my altimeter: its 950 meters above sea. The trip went well; I remembered reading how bad the road was leading up to Imugan. It took us just about 30 minutes on a tricycle, our driver had no trouble navigating the narrow road (there were a few instances where I swear we were just inches from the ledge) even when the fog reduced the visibility considerably.

We were referred to the Kalahan Dormitory for lodging. It was spartan yet clean. The place is being maintained by the Kalahan Foundation (setup by the community, the whole of Imugan is ancestral domain of the Kalahan tribe).

bridge to the trail (near the dorm)

After a hearty lunch, we set out to hike to the falls. The foggy weather was holding and there was a light shower, perfect to photographing waterfalls. The waterfalls deities must have been favoring us, for the locals mentioned that it was very sunny the previous day.

flowers by the trail

The trail was well established, single track and runs by the side of the mountain. It’s one of the easiest treks to a waterfall I’ve been able to take: no mudslides, no treacherous descents. In fact it was scenic, with one section of the trail lined with flowers and another one with a moss wall.

mossy trail

The fog enhanced the mood of the place. What do you get when you trek with two photographers? A very slow trek! Our local guide was obviously bored.

finally, Imugan falls

When we finally managed to reach the falls, my first reaction was awed fascination of the scene in front of me. I was like a kid who entered a candy store. I quickly ran through a series of mental images: photos of this falls made by other photographers, trying to decide how I’m going to shoot this and from which vantage points.

I figured the best way to do this was to shoot from a distance downstream and then work my way up. Here’s what I got:







There was a trail going up the top of the falls but our guide advised against taking it since the recent rains have made it very slippery.

Two of the elders, Waye and Kiboy Kayungan, of Sitio Lamkua in Lake Sebu permitted us to take a couple of snaps. Kiboy (left in the photo below) is one of the "dreamweavers" in Lake Sebu. Only the T'boli women are allowed to weave the T'nalak.

I was excited to revisit this beautiful rock just off the coast of Zambales. After a series of nasty typhoons, several ones in the span of a few weeks, weather was cooperating.

Its the perfect place for photographers fascinated by the great outdoors. Capones is raw, deserted, and wild. It has good views of the sunrise and sunset, and its easily accessible from Pundakit.

We started off early, by 4:30 AM we were already on an outrigger boat headed to the island. You can easily discern Capones' characteristic silhouette from the shores of Pundakit even on a dark night. After 30 uneventful minutes we hit the shores on the south side of the island. There were some local fishermen camping out, awakened by our arrival.

The first light of the day was already breaking and as soon as we dropped off our stuff, off we went planned locations. There was no need to scout as most of us have been in this island several times before. Instead of shooting by the beach, I decided to hike up to the hill on the middle part of the island. By the time I reached the top, sunrise was well on its way (first photo on this post).

who let the dog out?

I had this POV in mind and I was hoping for some colors on the west (anti-sunset). While the eastern sky was ablaze, there was nothing spectacular on the western side. An interesting thing happened though: I was surprised to see two dogs approached me. I know that nobody lives here. One of them followed me around and decided that she's a good foreground element. [Recently the Navy decided to put up a small detachment in this deserted island to thwart attempts of some individual to develop this into an island resort. The two dogs are their "guard dogs"].

We spend the rest of the day sleeping under the shade of the huge rocks. The other locals were fishing non-stop and would occasionally go back to camp to put their catch in a cooler (or sometimes straight to the coals). They are fishing with long "old school" bamboo poles and the bait are small fish and crustaceans.

sunset fisherman

By sundown the tide has ebbed, revealing interesting rock formations on one end of the island. But I decided to head out to the small hill where I shot the sunrise earlier. Its going to be hilltops for me for the rest of the trip.

clouds aglow on the east

I got some really good colors on the eastern skies (anti-sunset). I wished I had a 10-stop ND filter with me as there was some fast cloud movements.

rock garden anti-sunset

Though I had some shots of the anti-sunset that I really liked, sunset that day did a weak finish. I was hoping for more colors.

sunset by the rock garden

Woke up early the next morning for the sunrise. Climbed a hill (again) closer to our campsite. I was dismayed by the colors. I can hear the island saying "you can't have it all".

muted sunrise

The consolation was some very interesting crepuscular rays in the anti-sunrise direction. This seldom happens as most rays radiate from where the light source is.

crepuscular rays

Though I know that Capones lighthouse has been shot to death by all camera toting beach hoppers (its a requisite side trip for those heading to/from the coves of Anawangin or Nagsasa), I could not help but take a few more for myself.

Cliche as the shots may be, the weather that day was just irresistible and perfect for postcard shots, with blue skies and warm early morning sun hitting lighthouse. Been here several times before but the weather was just drab. The "talahib" grasses were greener too.


There was an effort to revive the lighthouse, evident from the solar panels nearby. The lantern room had been refurbished and the lamp was replaced with a modern one. But while the tower looked new, the rest of the structures like the keeper's house were left to decay.

Spent the previous weekend in the deserted Capones island in Zambales. More photos to come as I get to sort them. Work's getting in the way :).

Have you ever got that feeling that you were exactly in the right place at the right time after taking an image? Well this is one of those images that made me feel that way.

Just one hour away from the hustle and bustle of Saigon is the lush water world of Mekong Delta.

After a red-eye flight to Saigon, we headed straight down south to Ben Tre to get a glimpse of the daily life in this vast flat maze of rivers, streams, and canals.


Covering more than 3.7 million hectares [according to guidebook], this part of Vietnam is more water than land, with the towns acting as "stations" along the major rivers. Its so flat that points above 5 meters are quite rare.


The first scene that greeted us was the thick brown river. "There's more than 26,000 kilometers of that here", said our guide while pointing to the river. Obviously the way to go around here is on a boat. So on an overcast morning we boarded a small ferry called "do ngang" and was on our way to see some of the sights in Ben Tre.

Our first stop that day was a brick factory. Along the way I already saw piles of bricks by the embankment, probably waiting to be picked up, and passed by flat bottomed ferry boats called "chet" with their belly fully loaded with bricks.

Did not fully realize that brick making is a major industry here until spending two days in the delta, passing through the urban areas of Ben Tre, Can Tho, and Vinh Long. I saw that 90% of the structures are made of bricks, probably even a 100%, just couldn't tell whats under some of the finished facade. All buildings currently under construction use bricks.

brick domes

From afar I saw a series of large brick cones, the tips of huge kilns used to bake the bricks. The bright red/orange piles of neatly stacked bricks are unmistakable from a distance.


The process of brick making has not changed since and they still adhere to traditional methods. Its a very manual process and takes around 25 days to complete, from molding the bricks to drying and finally to baking the bricks to orange perfection. The bricks are then sold at an outrageously cheap price of 1000 dong (.045 USD) per piece.


Rice husk are used to fire up the gigantic kilns [There were studies already on how brick making has contributed to air pollution in Mekong Delta and how this can be reduced using modernized kilns]


We caught the brick makers on their break time so there was not much activity to see apart from people in hammocks enjoying their ca phe or cha. In Vietnam, people are always within a few feet of a cup of iced or hot coffee and tea.


I went around the factory, taking a few snap shots, before I decided that I have enough soot and ash on my self and my camera.


After the trip I tried to research why bricks are the main construction materials here. Then it dawned on me, they really don't have much of a choice. In this vast water world, construction-grade sand and rocks are hard, if not impossible, to source. What they have in seemingly endless supply are mud and clay brought by the river after passing through several countries [China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia] and depositing the materials in this rich delta.