ZAMBALES BEFORE LOCKDOWN
A week before the Philippines was placed under quarantine lockdown, I was able to squeeze in a 2 night adventure in Zambales with Aaron Palabyab. Our goal was to photograph the nightsky, but we were also given some beautiful sunrises and sunsets as well. I've been to this area so many times already that I've lost count, but I must admit, I took some of my favorite images yet.
Mid-day scouting session, as per usual. Sunset was looking quite cloudy in Botolan according to our weather app.
I found these braided rivers by using my drone, and I was simply stunned. Although commonly seen in countries like Iceland and New Zealand where glaciers are present, this one felt very special just to see in the Philippines. Would love to be able to actually fly via helicopter or plane over this place for an even better view. I trekked through the lahar field for about half an hour until I reached the edge of the river. It was quite tiring with all the gear I was bringing with me, and the resistance of the terrain but I think it was well worth the effort.
We woke up at 2am the following morning to catch the moonset and milkyway rise. Conditions were beautiful. It was dead silent with no winds during that night which allowed for sharp foreground subjects. A moon halo appeared briefly as the moon went down, and the milkyway revealed itself slowly as the moonlight dimmed.
After a gorgeous sunrise shoot, we took a nap and searched for our next location which we found near the Zambales-Tarlac road.
Played around a bit with this sunset shoot by shooting a 1 minute exposure, and a 19 image panorama of the mountain range (with a moonrise in the distance). As dusk approached, a swarm of moths started attacking us which we took as a sign that it was time to wrap up.
For our last nightsky and sunrise session, we woke up very early again to drive down to San Felipe to photograph a different view. Unfortunately, the clouds were quite dense, so we only took a few photos before taking a nap while waiting for sunrise.
I photographed some of my favorite drone shots this morning (granted, I've only been using it for a few months), but the views we found were so beautiful. Despite not having a great nightsky session this morning surely made up for it.
I didn't think this was going to be my last outdoor adventure for awhile, but I'm glad this was it. I experienced a totally new side of Zambales, a place I thought I was quite over with already. This just goes to show that there is still so much left to explore and photograph in our beautiful country, and I'm truly looking forward to the day we can safely go out again.