In contrast to life in “developed countries” in Asia life takes place on the street, making it at once more interesting and more vibrant.
A boy almost falls off his bike checking out a Filipina waiting for her ride.
Taking a squat at the vulcanising shop.
Taking care of business
And children are a blessing
The multitasker
It’s more fun in the Philippines
I was lucky enough to do a quick pre Christmas trip to beautiful Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro in the Philippines for a few days of swimwear shooting.
Puerto Galera is a popular weekend escape from Manila due to its proximity to, and easy accessibility from the city. To get there follow these steps: 1. Get yourself to the Jac Liner bus terminal in Pasay City (near Makati). Get on a bus to Batangas, two hours by road from Manila. Tickets are around 200PHP and are paid for on the bus after departure. 2. Get off the bus at the port in Batangas, head into the Port Terminal and purchase your ferry ticket to Puerto Galera. A fast ferry ticket costs around 600PHP per person and the trip from Bataggas takes only around an hour. The port terminal in Batangas is brand new and well organised and resembles an airport terminal more than a ferry terminal. There are plenty of food and coffee options to fill up while you are waiting to board your “fast craft.” 3. De ferry in Puerto Galera and get a tricycle to your accommodation. We went from the port to a hotel in White Beach which took only about ten minutes and cost 200PHP for two people, myself and my beautiful and super talented model.
We were in PG mid week and it was pretty quiet, but it did fill up with people quickly on Friday, weekenders from Manila I would guess.
White Beach is a lovely stretch of white sand beach in a horseshoe shape between two rocky promontories. Restaurants, cafe’s, dive shops and souvenir shops line the new concrete boardwalk that runs along the beach. At the top end is one headland, the left hand point facing the beach. The headland at the opposite end is know locally as “Jurassic Park” and this was the location for our photo shoots (see upcoming blog post.)
As well as being uncrowded mid week, the water was incredibly clear and warm and was great for long leaisurely swims between shoots. There are some stinging jelly fish at times which deliver an uncomfortable but otherwise harmless sting if you are unlucky enough to be selected.
The food along the beachfront is reasonably priced for a tourist area and was clean and tasty.
Sadly time and work did not permit to explore more of this lovely place apart from White Beach but it is certainly worth a revisit for longer for more exploration. Snorkelling, diving and Island hopping are meant to be beautiful. See you again in 2023!
Going places
Two boys on a rock. Jurassic Park.
Fun in the sun
Getting high on life
The paddler
I spent a morning wandering the hauntingly beautiful Manila American Cemetery recently. Located on 152 acres in Taguig in Manila, on the edge of Bonifacio Global City (BGC), the perfectly kept grounds contain the graves of 17,206 war dead from the Pacific Theatre in World War Two, the largest number of American graves of any war cemetery anywhere in the world, as well as war dead from the Philippines and other Allied countries.
It’s impossible to visit such a place and not be moved by the sheer insanity of war. The museum that is housed on the site gives an incredibly detailed insight into the war in the Philippines as well as the Pacific Theatre overall.
The names of the dead are inscribed on the huge marble walls that sweep around the memorial at the head of the cemetery.
In stopping by some of the graves to remember the sacrifice of the person buried there it was striking just how many lost their lives in the final days of the terrible conflict.
Sobering, beautiful and a reality check on whatever “problems” that I might have been having that day.
Lest We Forget.
After a couple of months of settling into my new home in Manila I made my first trip outside the city last week visiting Cebu City and Moalboal, both on the island of Cebu, about an hours flight from Manila.
My main interest was to experience the famous “sardine run” at Moalboal which turned out to be the most amazing sight I have seen in nature.
Lacking an underwater camera I don’t have a single image of this surreal sight but if you google or search on youtube there will be plenty of content to choose from.
Moalboal is a small tourist town on the opposite side of Cebu island from Cebu City, a scenic three hour drive through gritty industrial towns followed by lush green rolling hills, palm trees and quaint filipino villages.
The town of Moalboal proper is completely forgettable, but the smaller town of Moalboal, just ten minutes away and 100 peso by tricycle is another matter. Consisting of a handful of cafe, bar, restaurant and dive shop lined streets cascading down a hill to Panagasama Beach this is a beach goers heaven.
The long stretch of beach consists of a shallow coral section extending a hundred metres from shore followed by a sheer drop-off into the deep blue.
The beach is famous for its “sardine run” and for the huge sea turtles that come in from the deep each morning to feed on seaweed in the shallows.
For the lazy traveller in search of adventure Moalboal is an ideal destination. Far from needing to hike for days through the jungle to find a secret, secluded beach where the magic happens, in Moalboal all you need to do is rent a snorkel, mask and flippers (P200/$5AUD per day) and swim out 50 metres or so. The sardines are easily located by heading to the nearest cluster of snorkelers.
Once on site all you need to do is float face down and watch the amazing passing parade.
I have literally never seen a sight like this in nature in my life. I can best describe it as a cloud of millions of sardines just beneath the surface of perhaps 50 metres in width, the same in depth, and a few hundred metres in length. This cloud of fish seethes and roils up and down the beach making the most amazing shapes, the sun glinting off their silver and electric blue striped sides.
At times, spooked by something the cloud will explode upward at an astonishing speed and then, just as quickly it will suck back down into formation as if by some giant vacuum.
At one point the sea of fish parted to form a perfect circle and a sunbeam shining down through the circle perfectly illuminated a giant sea turtle that had floated up from the deep and was swimming along serenely beneath me. This was truly and unforgettable sight.
While I was there the town was quiet and I had the fish mostly to myself adding to the surreal nature of the experience.
Moalboal was badly effected by the super typhoon Odette which made landfall on Cebu island in early December 2021. The town had no power, water or internet for many weeks after the storm passed and there are a number of buildings along the waterfront that are damaged beyond repair and are lying abandonded.
Still, despite the adversity, the people of Moalboal are as happy and as welcoming as everyone else I have met in the Philippines and are simply getting on with life with a thousand kilowatt smile on their faces.
I plan to return and maybe spend some time there in the new year, waterproof camera in hand.
A room with a view
Part of the same building above, an abandonded resort, a mural and a wall are all that remain.
Chill Bar minus part of its thatched roof.
Side view of Chill.
For the time being these building make an ideal photography set in search of a model.
Waterfront views.
Sun breaks through the clouds. Negros Island is in the background.
I went for a wander around my local neighbourhood last week for my first street photography in quite some time and my first attempt photographing people on the street in the Philippines. I wondered how willing the locals would be to be immortalised in pixels. It was no surprise that the people I encountered, like all of the people I have encountered in my few months here, were super friendly and accommodating. Nobody waved me off and many wanted to stop and chat. #itsmorefuninthephilippines
On the move
Laundry Lady
Waiting
Three Amigo’s
Lunch Break
About a boy
I was thrilled to get some studio time in last weekend and my first chance to photograph some beautiful Filipina models. I didn’t realise how much I had missed the studio during the period of the Scary Virus and a longer than usual family visit to Australia between relocating from Vietnam to the Philippines.
I traveled from Makati City to the neighbouring Queson City, where the studio was located. The models, studio manager and Hair and Make Up lady were all lovely and over the course of a few hours I made a pleasing set of images. Escaping just before an afternoon monsoon downpour turned roads into rivers between QC and Makati.
In all there were four stunning Filipina models who I photographed with a new Filipino friend. Usually I shoot fairly wide open in the studio but on this occasion I racked out to f11 to f14. I shot with my trusty Canon 5D Mark IV and the 24/70 lens. The lighting was provided by the studio and consisted of a three light Godox set up which worked well.
Modelling in the Philippines is off the charts and I can’t wait to do more.
Double Trouble
Into the light.
Mika
A model on the move.
Strike a pose.
Confidence is the new sexy
Nicks by name, nicks by nature.
Back Photography.
Ring light.
