Selfie Driving

Texting while driving, that's the common cause of accidents happening in our country today but what about "selfieng" while driving? Ha! I got really really bored while I was on my way back to work when I thought of capturing my shadow while driving. I have been planning of doing this before but only got the courage a few days ago. I just thought that this picture was really nice, an action photo captured by my Nokia 808 Pureview.

Agta Beach Resort Sunset Shot

I was able to visit Agta Beach Resort again this afternoon with my Sister and her husband Tim. We inquired about their island hopping and scuba diving fees. They do really have a good deal and I think my sister and Tim would avail of their offer. So, while waiting for them to finish their chitchat with the staff of Agta, I was playing with my mobile phone Nokia N8 and was planning to take a photo of the sunset. It may be the last sunset of the week because there's gonna be a typhoon coming called Typhoon Bopha or locally known as "Pablo". Done tweaking with the settings of the camera and then I'm all set so I took the photos and I think this one is the most beautiful among the set. ☺

Hanging Boat

I was resting at the back of our barracks and trying to feel the sea breeze. This boat is newly painted and so I took a photo of it because it seems so nice. This shot was taken using my Nokia N8 phone and edited through Molome.

Copter

Took this photo somewhere in Boyscout near McArthur Park Palo, Leyte. Of all the photos I took during the activity, I think this one is my favorite.

Waterfalls of Almeria, Biliran

I never really thought of posting this picture here before but when I saw that it was actually nice and good looking, I decided to blog about it. This was my first time visiting this tremendous falls in Almeria, Biliran Province. Going to the place is not an easy task, you'll have to pass through some steepy cliff. There is actually four waterfalls on this side of Biliran. You can pass through them one by one until you reach the fourth waterfalls called "Kinaraha". First waterfalls is Sampaw if I'm not mistaken next is the Ulan-ulan and then Recoletos then lastly the Kinaraha Falls. We went there last May 2010 when some Cebuano friends of my cousin had a vacation at Naval. The Sampaw falls is not very accessible though you can see it while walking going to Ulan-ulan. Kinaraha is a bit far and locals said its a bit dangerous going there. So our party decided to just stay at Ulan-ulan then visit Recoletos.

Jumping from the side of Recoletos

In Recoletos, you can be like Tarzan because there's this rope hanging from a tree that you can ride on then jump off on the water. You can also go near its top and jump from there. Me and my cousins had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Biliran's waterfalls. I'm pretty sure our visitor enjoyed their visit too.

That's me! Catching the waters of Ulan-ulan Falls!

Happy Kids

At first I thought this kids were really hard to get when taking a picture of them but when I approached them, they were all very happy and excited. I never had a hard time capturing their smiles because they were all cooperative during the shoot. Thanks to this kids, they are very wonderful! ☺

Rocks and Trees

Rocks and Trees at Baybay, San Jose, Tacloban's shoreline

I was walking along the beach of Baybay, San Jose, Tacloban and saw this huge collection of cut coconut trees. Got interested on their different formations so I took a snapshots of them. Too bad I haven't noticed the uneven horizon at the background because I was totally focused on the trees and rocks.

Redstone Ville Sunset Shot

Here's another sunset shot from the Redstone Ville. I was browsing my laptop and checked some of my old photos when I saw this. I wonder why I haven't posted this shot earlier. Anyway, I hope you guys will like it. ☺

Portrait: Luc

Let’s just say, I really like this photo of my girlfriend. One of my quality portraits shot, I think. But yeah, no bias at all, I really like this photo. I did a bit of an edit here specially with the light condition and all in all, this photo is perfect. Took this photo at the seashore at the back of their house.

Fisherkids

Four fishes for dinner

Poverty is one of the great problems our country needs to overcome. In Biliran province alone, major population is in the poverty level. I have an Aunt who's a nutritionist in Region 8 and said that Biliran Province is at the top 5 that has the most number of malnourished children.

When I had a week vacation in Naval,    I went to Red Stone Ville to have some lunch. It’s almost Sunset when I saw some kids fishing on the stony part of the sea shore. I approach them and asked if how was the catch. They said that they were already there since 10AM and hasn’t caught any promising fish for their meal. They only got few small fishes probably not enough for most of us but enough to complete their meal for the day. While talking to them, I never thought that they would be very enthusiastic in sharing their stories to me. One kid told me that this day is not a very lucky day for them but still they will strive for more catch.


Life is really hard for them and but still they are eager and willing to survive. At a young age, they already started to work for their food. One good thing is that they don’t lose hope and they have the courage to stand in their own feet.

A Matter Of How You See It

This photo here is inspired by the Photoblog of Kala, AMatterOfHowYouSeeIt.com. I wasn't really expecting a good feedback on this photo but I just like the composition. I was actually challenged by Kala's blog. I really liked her photos and those photos inspired me when I took this shot. There are a lot of very nice subjects that you can see around its just the matter of how we see it.

Hiding Sunset

I went to this mall in Pasay City because I was craving for a sunset shot. I waited for an hour but nothing showed up. So I was like really frustrated of getting a quality shot but no sun really showed up. So I just took this photo and voila! Due to frustrations, I got this simple photo that really satisfies me during this time. Anyway, this photo was taken February last year. Just posted this picture here from my other blog, The Maniniyot.

Tanauan, Leyte Church

 Last weekend, I was at Tanauan, Leyte to visit the wake of one of my relatives there. On the burial day, we went to the church of Tanauan for the blessing of her body. I went inside the church and sat for awhile until I noticed that the church is old. The details are just like the other old churches that I've seen in Bohol and in Cebu. I never thought that there are old churches made by Spaniards in Leyte too.I went outside the church to check if it has the Philippine Historical Committee sign outside and yes, I ain't no wrong because it does have the information of the church by the Philippine Historical Committee. Actually, you won't notice that its old because the front side is newly painted but if you're gonna check the sides, you'll definitely notice that the church is made up of stones, usually stones from the sea. I then took some photo of the church and asked my Uncle about some information about the church. My Uncle told me that this church is mysterious. There was a priest who took his life at the back of the church, at the convent. I had no chance of getting there at the convent since the gate is locked. My Uncle also told me that the near the church has ghosts roaming around.

The church was made in 1769 and was renovated in 1850. Just check on the photos of the church below.

Pardo Church

I have not gotten any enough information about this church at Pardo except that it is located in Pardo, Cebu City. This church was built around 1860's if I'm not mistaken. I'm really sorry if I am not able to provide you good details about this church because this picture was actually forgotten in my memory card. I was reminded that I still have this picture when I was browsing my camera early this morning. I forgot almost everything about this church. Anyway, this church has been featured at Leylander's blog post "Southern Exposure". If I'd be given a chance to come back to Cebu, I'll visit this place again and gather some facts about it.

P.S. Sorry for the exposure.

Visit to Taboan, Cebu. The Dried Fish Market

Me and Nanay was asked by Tatay to visit Taboan. Taboan as known for dried fish. A famous place to buy "danggit" for pasalubong. Well, we went there because Tatay will be having a trip to Manila tomorrow and he wants to bring dried fish to his colleagues. I never thought that this items are being sold for about Php400-Php500/kilo. A bit expensive but I think its "sulit" because of the fact that its one of Cebu's specialty. I just thought that maybe this food are being sold twice the price in different places. But one thing is for sure, I am drooling for this one. This one is my favorite meal during breakfast. So, to stop my mouth from watering, I asked my Nanay to give me 1/4 kilo of the "danggit" she bought.

Taoist Temple Cebu City

People who visit Cebu do always take time to visit the Philippine Taoist Temple. Taoist Temple is one of the landmark that Cebu is boasting to its visitor. Its a place where you can just sit and relax and enjoy the panoramic view of Cebu City. Yesterday isn't my first visit to the temple. I already visited the place maybe 2004 or 2005 together with my SK family in our barangay in Davao City. When I went to the place, I thought there's no other visitor around and that made me think that I can shoot well since there's no people walking around. Before entering in, the guard told me that taking pictures of the saints inside the temple is strictly prohibited. The stairs caused me muscle pain but ignored it when I reached the top. Then I realize, we didn't pas through this stairs before, we were on the other side where you can see a replica of the Great Wall of China. Well, I continued walking inside the temple when I saw bunch of Koreans and other nationalities inside it. The place was like swarmed by tourist from all over the world. Stayed in low profile while taking pictures. The place is very well maintained except to some part of it. There are statue of dragons and lions in every corner of the place. Chinese are really mysterious based on their belief and culture. But that's the reason why every nationallity is different, because of their belief and culture. Well, just take a look at some of my shots from the Taoist Temple.

Tacloban Festival

During our last day in Tacloban, we were caught in the middle of a fiesta celebration. I think its a Sto. Nino Fiesta in Tacloban that they celebrate during the 29th day of June. Our scheduled trip to Naval, Biliran is at 12:30p.m. and we woke up early because my parents will have to go to church and I was left in the hotel room to watch over my brother. When my parents came back from the church, I went out and watched the parade being held on the streets of Tacloban. It was a very colorful fiesta celebration. Participants are dressed in different tribal costumes with complete props. I managed to take some shots of the parade. Taking pictures during this kind of event is one my dream. I really like this kind of scenario because you're not gonna have any problem with light conditions and also, colorful costumes will give your image a very fantastic mood. I can say it is a bit hard when you're gonna take pictures of marching people because everybody is moving. Sometimes you're lucky if the presentor will stop in front of you to pose but it rarely happens. When I started taking pictures I noticed that there are a lot of armed photographers waiting in line too. All of them are equipped with high end lenses and other accessories. I was a bit shy because I was only using a "hybrid" camera, not even close to a dSLR. Well anyway, I didn't really care about it because all I was thinking is to shoot and shoot the parade's participants. It was really fun taking pictures under the heat of the sun, I felt like I'm a pro too! Lol. Anyway, just take a look at some of my shots below.

HDR First Try

I'm really curious on how do people create a very wonderful image like HDR. I've seen photos and was really jealous on the way they post process the pictures. One of the thread created in Symbianize is all about photography. Forum members share their tips and tricks on photography and also showcase their wonderful images. A member posted some HDR photos on there and I asked some advise from him. He gave me StuckInCustoms tutorial about HDR. At first I thought HDR is very complicated but he proved me wrong. HDR is simple. You can create an HDR image in a few minutes as long as you have all the tools and of course, the patience and effort. I tried creating an HDR of my own and felt satisfied about my final images. I know I'm still not good at it but I also know that practice will make me good in creating an HDR image. That photo on the left is my very first HDR photo. Comments and suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks!

Bohol and Siquijor Trip

I just got a few shots in Bohol and Siquijor because I don't have enough time. The boat docked at Bohol port and stayed there for only 4 hours and then we reached Siquijor 11pm. When we were at Bohol, I decided to step off the boat and go to the nearest vintage church that I know, Dauis Church. Inside the church is a fresh water well though the church is residing at the shoreline of Panglao Island. Stayed there for an hour maybe and then went back to the boat. The boat undocked Bohol Port and reached Siquijor late evening that Saturday. The next morning, the rain poured out the town of Larena so there's no chance for me to get out of our room and visit some places. After the rain, I went outside and visited some places in Larena, Siquijor. Here are some of the shots I took in BOhol and Siquijor.

 Back of Dauis Church

 Belltower behind Dauis Church

 Inside the church

Front view of the church

An old boat behind the church

Replica of the Dauis Church Belltower

Boat shot taken from the port of Bohol

An old bell near Larena Municipal Hall

One of the oldest Belltower in Siquijor