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.

Sampaloc Lake is often described as the largest and the most beautiful lake of the seven lakes in San Pablo in the province of Laguna.

I did not pass up the chance to shoot sunrise there when I got an invite from one of my friends. I've seen countless photos of the lake, mostly taken at sunrise, with lotus flowers in the foreground and the mysterious Mt. Banahaw in the background. The lake always seems so serene.


We left Manila at 2AM and was there in San Pablo well before dawn. Little did I know that the lake was in fact right smack in the middle of San Pablo. In fact its just behind the city hall.

bamboo raft

The lake was not very large, just about 1.2 kilometers in diameter at its widest. Its actually an inactive volcanic maar, a shallow volcanic crater, that got filled with water overtime.


Things around the lake began to stir as the first rays of the day broke through low lying clouds in the east. I could see small fishpens, not very many, and I suspect fishing in this lake in not really a big industry. The lake was too small, but relatively clean.

A narrow cemented road winds around the lake and has become quite popular with joggers and bikers. A small section of the lake side was made into some sort of park, with tables and chairs. It was a good place to watch the sun rise.


I turned my attention to the activities in the lake. I noticed that instead of canoes (in some lakes dugout canoes are common) and bangka, fisher-folks here prefer bamboo rafts.


The western side of the lake is where most of the fish pens are. I read that most of the pens contain tilapia, but carp and bangus are also farmed here, but maybe not in great quantities. The lake also yields several species of shrimps.


 As I watched the morning flurry, I took a mental note of trying out the local delicacies - maybe fresh catch from the lake (there are small restaurants by the lake shore) if I have the chance on the next visit.


Before we left I noticed a man fishing on a canoe with a young girl, probably his daughter. It is in places like this where you can see that nature does provides, if one can wake up early.


Sampaloc Lake, like the rest of the Seven Lakes of San Pablo, are being threatened by human exploitation. It is not difficult to see that soon more and more fish cages will cover the lake. The lake is not even that deep, just 20 meters on the average, and the nitrogen levels can easily spike up, no thanks to excess fish feeds. Commercial structures near the lake side also contributes to garbage in the lake.