Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Mountain | Sea Of Clouds From The Summit Of Mt Mabilog



MOUNTAIN | Sea Of Clouds from The Summit Of Mt Mabilog
Mountain Views from Mt Mabilog


Not all Mountains would have a 360 degree view where you can expect to witness Sunset and Sunrise spectacles in an overnight camp. Some summits view would be blocked by perhaps another mountain, some would look like a glen or garden, some covered in thick forest of trees, one can't really compare one Mountain to another no matter how similar the trails and challenges they present. 

Golden Hour Sunrise from the Summit of Mt Mabilog, overlooking the Holy and Devils mountains Mt Banahaw and Mt Cristobal. Below on the left side in the clearing of fog, can be seen Lake Pandin. 

Friday, February 21, 2014

Benguet | Wild Flowers Of Benguet



BENGUET | Wild Flowers Of Benguet
Photos of Wild Flowers of Benguet


To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour. - William Blake


Looking Up, White Sun Flowers.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Mountain | Sunset Photos While Climbing Mt Gulugod Baboy



MOUNTAIN | Sunset Photos While Climbing Mt Gulugod Baboy


The first mountain for me to climb, and glad I did one Saturday afternoon in the middle of February. I've read about just every niceties you can attribute to the lovely summit of Mt Gulugod Baboy, its sinuous landscape providing a 360 degree views of the surrounding terrain which is mostly bodies of water and rolling peaks of mountains, it also means that the place offers a beautiful view of the Sunset and Sunrise from opposite direction so it a perfect campsite to experience outdoors.



Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Bulacan | Wild Flowers Of Mt Manalmon


BULACAN | Wild Flowers Of Mt Manalmon


Mt Manalmon is a hill in San Miguel, Bulacan. A place of wonder for people who like the outdoors. Being that Bulacan is a province north of Metro Manila, this is an easy getaway especially for a weekend if you like to do a day hike exploration. Mt Manalmon though by standards is just a hill,  its terrain and the surrounding topography including scenic rivers and caves is a delightful soiree. As is for me, an amateur mountaineer, this place was a good place for the culminating activity of the Basic Mountaineering Course I attended with Sykes Outdoor. This was really more of an opportunity to travel that I grabbed, and more so that its a work sponsored activity, it was a treat to explore nature while spending less.

Doing nature treks like this gives mean opportunity to photography beautiful things while trekking, like taking photos of wild flowers along the trail. These blossoms were only a handful of the photos I took, taking photos in this manner allows me to appreciate these flowers without plucking them, and of course I didn't spend most of my time ogling behind the camera. Reminiscing the moment of seeing them is a far more better experience, especially those pink and white blossoms that look like cherry blossoms or like Sakura from Japan. Honestly, I haven't seen Cherry Blossoms up close, but if they look a lot like these then I am sure they are very beautiful.


This white blossoms were hiding in the shade, near the summit of Mt Manalmon. I was extra careful with taking some shots as there are wasp buzzing around the bush full of this flowers.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Pangasinan | Sunrise Photos From Lucap Wharf


PANGASINAN | Sunrise Photos From Lucap Wharf
Looking At Hundred Islands From Afar


While sunrise or sunset photos are a staple for photographers on the road, it's not exactly the sun that they are after. It's the dramatic change in colors and hues in the horizon during the break of dawn or setting sun. The sun projects a horizontal light which can sometimes be at eye level with the photographer, it does well in casting shadows, and bathing everything in sight in throes of different shades and colors. It's the time of the day when light is naturally saturated in colors.

While I mentioned that its not the sun that photographers are after. Composing a great Sunrise or Sunset photos are a challenge for composition. The first and obvious trick is for the photographer to realise that the sun is not the central focus here, it is merely the source of ambient light. Like many landscape photographs, finding a great foreground and subject also works here.

What is there to look out for when capturing the sun, is the rays that it cast. Shadows on cloudy horizon can make your pictures less boring or the sun's reflection over the water. The changing temperatures from cold to warm also works wonders even when you are shooting on the same spot, you'll get a different photograph altogether.


In ambient light, this photo looks cold. In different hues of blue and the boats shadows making up for a good foreground over the waters, with the horizon in shades of purple.


Capturing the sun's reflection in the water, is probably the only exception to the rule of thirds. This type of setting can allow you to put the horizon of the subject in the center while keeping the interest in the photo. In this photograph, I waited for that moment when the slow moving boat would make contact with sun's reflection in the water. To capture movement and direction, I decided on the last second to pan the photo a little to the right so as to capture the water ripples that the boat leaves behind.


Capturing silhouettes and shadows is another trick that can be done. Silhouttes give your photo that boost of drama. I have many jump shot photos where the subject is hidden in shadows. Placing the focus in front of the light source does the trick, you just have to look out for the shapes making sure that it is interesting.


A change in temperature can change a lot. See that the foreground in this photo is the same as the first photo, but this time the sun is already peeking in the horizon, casting warm light. As it does, the shadows intensified, making the corners of the photo darker but still capturing shadows.


Since I am using a kitlens, the maximum zoom in still allows the chance to capture distant movement. Though movement depends on the location itself, this photo shows the different hues in the sky, while the people on the boat cast a perfect shadow, the trails in the water provides a sense of direction.



Francis Balgos is a Call Center Agent, Weekend Travel Warrior, Amateur Spelunker, Sometime Surfer, Newbie Mountain Climber, Photography Enthusiast, Certified Beach Bum, A first born son, True Explorer...

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Monday, February 3, 2014

Food Trip | Kanto Freestyle Breakfast (Kapitolyo)


Food Trip | Kanto Freestyle Breakfast (Kapitolyo)
The Best Affordable Gourmet Breakfast Serving


Daring and Unconventional, that is how I will describe Kanto Freestyle Breakfast because the propreitors dared to serve food in their own backyard, but instead of serving Carinderia Food to serve locals, they did it with flare serving gourmet style. Great appetizing food, affordable and served in a banketa in Mandaluyong. Now they had set up a new branch in the same tradition in Kapitolyo Pasig, with a much wider space occupying a households parking space, still in their backyard.

Batangas Beef Tapa - Php 90.00
Sided with bakes tomato with Pesto made this a perfect Pinoy Style breakfast.