10 Fabulous Portraits from the Philippines: Digital Photography and the Philippines

The Philippines is a wonderful place to visit, and an even more wonderful place to live in. Many tourists fall in love with this country, and many who came for the first time, decided to stay. There are more so many reasons why the Philippines is a great tourist destination, and while laden with hardships and difficulties, it is also doubly laden with wonderful people with big hearts, warm smiles, and sincere hospitality.

Here are a few fabulous photographs from various places in the Philippines. With its 7,107 islands (and probably going as we speak), there is much to be seen, heard, tasted, touched and smelled in this archipelago. Feast your eyes on these wonderful proofs that there is a God and that we should all do our part in being good caretakers of this planet for the generations to come.

All these photos were taken by Ones Almario with Canon DSLR 450D, and you can see more of his photos at myshutterspace.

South of Metro Manila is a favorite get-away place for urbanites. Only a couple of hours away from the metro, tired and stressed-out souls can enjoy the cool breeze of the highlands of Tagaytay. Being in Tagaytay also gives one access to view “the world’s largest lake on an island in a lake on an island”, Taal Lake, as described by Wikipedia.

This photo was taken rather rapidly, while sitting in traffic going back to Manila. There are some demolished buildings by the lake, which provided the frame for the picture.

Farther to the north, some 5-7 hours away, is the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio. Baguio sits right in the heart of the Cordillera Mountain Ranges, and is very much urbanized, nowadays. But the ever-present cool breeze and the mountains surrounding the busy city give away the fact that it is very much upland.

One of the lesser known places to visit in Baguio is the Butterfly Farm at the Camp John Hay. This tiny sanctuary is rather well-kept, but once you get there, you will be rewarded with a wonderful time with the butterflies. They will adorn your shirts, your hair, your fingers. Do not be afraid of them – you can do much more damage to them, than they can do to you.

Waking up to a wonderful sunshine gives rejuvenation to a tired and weary body. While in the metro, everybody is caught up in the rush of the day, moving from one place to another and simple pleasures in life like a beautiful sunrise or a glorious full moon is ignored. While sleep is very precious to us all, I am sure you wouldn’t mind waking up early to catch this sight.

In 1991, one of the greatest tragedies in the Philippines took place- the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. While it produced never-before seen colorful sunsets, it nonetheless caused a lot of damage to the environment, and more so to the people living in the Tarlac and Pampanga regions. Several towns were wiped out, resulting to losses of thousands of lives and millions of properties. Nearly two decades after, the once gray lands are now slowly becoming green, signaling the presence of life once more.

Going back south, one finds the wonderful region of Bicol, where lasses are sassy and foods are spicy. Bicolandia, home to the “Perfect Cone” Mayon Volcano, is fast rising as one of the happening places in the country, with its world-class wakeboarding facility in Camarines Sur and the many butandings (whalesharks) that can be spotted in Sorsogon. Recently, the region showed the world another reason why it is truly a gem of a place – Caramoan! That group of islands that was home to Survivor Turkey and France. Relatively untouched, Caramoan is a perfect place to relax and bask in the glory of nature.

Farther up north, some 12 hours away from Manila, is Sagada Mt. Province. Perhaps one of the very few towns untouched by any malls or fast food chains, these tiny province lives and breathes “nature” all the way through. One of the must-see spots is the Big Falls, where you need to trek for 2 hours to see the majestic falls. Once there, you can ease your muscles’ ache away by taking a dip in the freezing water. A dip is all you can take, really. Longer than that and you might not be able to move your toes!

Everywhere you look, there is life, vibrant life, in every and all places in the country. Whether very rich or very poor, it cannot be mistaken that people love life, and try to make the most of it.

This tree sits in the middle of an idle area, alongside the beach and the road. No other tree is in sight.

Fortunately, there are many areas in the metropolis where the areas are still green, where progress and development blended well with nature. New developments now all take this harmony into account, and so the future looks even more brighter and better.

Many fruits and vegetables abound in the country, and depending on the time of the year, they can be very cheap to outright ridiculous. Many plantations let you pick the produce off the ground, and your pickings are then weighed and packed. Now if that is not fresh, I don’t know what is!

Filipinos subscribe to different religions, Catholicism being the predominant one. But no matter what religion it may be, Filipinos are natural church-goers and prayerful people. Send a Filipino outside the country and the first thing she will do is look for the nearest church where she can talk to her God. Perhaps it is this faith that enables Filipinos to overcome many adversities in life, and to help out, even in times of hardships. Most of all, it is this faith that keeps a Pinoy smiling even in the worst of times.

There are so much more wonderful images of this little country called the Philippines. Some of it I will feature in the other hubs. I, myself, have just started to explore everything this country has to offer, and I doubt if I will cover enough in a lifetime. But don't take my word for it, for the best experience, come and see for yourself!