“This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind… let it be something good.” ~ Author unknown
“The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.” ~Unknown
“I do believe in an everyday sort of magic — the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of moments of synchronicity; the whispered voice, the hidden presence, when we think we’re alone.” ~ Charles de Lint Morning walk with the locals on the shore at daybreak. There were actually around six of them, but the few remains to be a blur, as they walked towards and past me, oblivious of my gears and tripod. Times Beach, Davao City © Jojie Alcantara 2012
“When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself.” ~ Chief Tecumseh Shawnee These locals run out to help boats coming in at dawn. In return, they get a few rewarded fish for breakfast from grateful fishermen. Shouldn’t humanity be as simple as this?
“Don’t lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.” ~ Ralph Marston
“We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.” ~ Henry David Thoreau (American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher, 1817-1862) Here are some of my students in the recent travel photography workshop, as I guided them on shooting sunrises. In this part of my islands, the sunrise is spectacular so it’s easy to capture good images. As the colors rapidly change in the sky from cool to warm, so will your composition, tones and hues. It’s always up to you to include human elements to add to the drama. Sunrise, Dahican Beach, Mati, Davao Oriental with my photography students More details of the workshop here
“Today expect something good to happen to you no matter what occurred yesterday. Realize the past no longer holds you captive. It can only continue to hurt you if you hold on to it. Let the past go. A simply abundant world awaits.” ~ Sarah Breathnach, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy Start your day right by flushing your self of the negatives. Then smile. Keep your back straight, hold your head high. You may be down right now, but a little push in the positive direction serves to kick start what can be a long, depressing, stressful day. You can get by when you change your attitude towards living each day. Live in a space of thankfulness. Others have shorter life spans, and fell short of counting their blessings. Took this photo right before sunrise (which only peeked a bit through heavy clouds) at Sta.Cruz, Davao del Sur. You can view more of my seascapes here.
Dahican at Daybreak (Mati, Davao Oriental) Jojie Alcantara, May 2012 Dahican, the popular and most beautiful beach in my birthplace Mati, is an extended strip of stunning white beach lined with coconut trees, facing sparkling turquoise waters that ebb and flow wildly into the Pacific, inviting adventurous skimboarders to surf in glee. But there is more to Mati than sand and sea, and glorious island hopping. When I am in Mati, I always arrange for my early (4am) sunrise shoot, to capture early risers, and fishermen returning from their catch, while locals run to assist with the boat. Here, they are able to get free meals from the fisherman. Visited my gallery about my birthplace * * * *
“Just as the wave cannot exist for itself, but is ever a part of the heaving surface of the ocean, so must I never live my life for itself, but always in the experience which is going on around me.” ~ Albert Schweitzer
“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.” ~ Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey
“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” ~ Martin Luther King Sunrise, Dahican Beach, Mati, Davao Oriental by Jojie Alcantara The blueness of the Pacific sea in these parts of my birthplace makes it one of the most beautiful beaches you can ever find in the islands of Mindanao. When waves are high and playful, you will see skimboarders dotting the shores of this long sandy strip. During sunrise, however, you will have all the beach to yourself, except for the busy fishermen starting their day as early as you.
The Scene Stealer 