halfwhiteboy

On our recent trip to Laiya in San Juan, Batangas, I tried to break away from my usual routine as far as taking pictures on our holidays is concerned. So apart from ourselves and the resort in Laiya where we stayed, I tried at least once to walk around and snap some shots of what else is there outside our resort, and here's what I got... I reckon they must be from somewhere nearby and were headed home after work at one of the resorts. My Bibe would freak out at the size of this outrigger (or lack thereof) yet one of them was comfortably texting her way away.

I'm not a fan of taking photos in low light, what with all the inconveniences of special lenses, tripods and lighting equipment low-light and nighttime photography entails. However, I do appreciate the products of such patient and meticulous labor. I just don't have the patience to wait for even a minute to complete a single shot. I guess slow shutter speeds just aren't my cup of tea. So imagine my amazement when I learned that there's a Texas-based photographer named Noel Kerns who specializes in night photography. Night photography! Mind you, the images that he captures are nothing short of stunning. I love how he says he shoots almost exclusively by the light of the full moon. He does employ a few special lighting tricks here and there but still, measuring shutter speeds -- or lack thereof -- in terms of minutes instead of seconds or fractions thereof is something I just don't have the patience for.

I came across some really awesome photos today featuring of all things -- ants. They're the clever work of Russian photographer Andrey Paplov, who, while recovering from a spinal injury, began reading a lot about them. He later fashioned some props and photographed them in action. The resulting photographs were impressive, awesome and cute all at once. Deprived of enjoying fairy tales in his childhood, Pavlov has now created his own fairy tales with these under-appreciated ants. It also helped that he had a theater background and the minuscule sets he painstakingly created have undoubtedly worked wonders. Team fishing!

They're not really monsters. I mean, how could they be when they're man's adorable and furry best friend? But underwater, they look like savage beasts. The other day I came across these wonderful photos by Los Angeles and Chicago-based photographer Seth Casteel. I thought the photos were pure genius. Shooting dogs with a high-speed camera as they dive into the pool and fetch balls can apparently create an illusion of sorts. The loose skin around the dog's mouth reacts fluidly with the water, baring lots of fangs. Casteel maintains a website,  http://littlefriendsphoto.com/ , where samples of his work are on display. Prints are also available for purchase. The photographer specializes in lifestyle pet photography, in which he shoots dogs and cats alike at their most relaxed and natural state, resulting in spontaneous and priceless moments. How I'd love to fly him over and photograph our two cats! At the moment it's still wishful thinking, though.