Seascape in mono
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
All posts tagged: seascape
Dahican surfing
“Rest but never quit. Even the sun has a sinking spell each evening. But it always rises the next morning. At sunrise, every soul is born again.”–Muhammad Ali
Speck in the universe
We are but mere specks in the universe, our lifespan a mere second on the whole time lapse of history that keeps unfolding. So let’s make the most of our millisecond here on earth as nurturing species. Share the love and compassion. Create a ripple so that mankind will be remembered. ~ Jojie Alcantara (Sunrise seascape, Davao City)
Blue
“I spent uncounted hours sitting at the bow looking at the water and the sky, studying each wave, different from the last, seeing how it caught the light, the air, the wind; watching patterns, the sweep of it all, and letting it take me. The sea.”- Gary Paulsen, Caught by the Sea
Poetry of the sea
“The winds, the sea, and the moving tides are what they are. If there is wonder and beauty and majesty in them, science will discover these qualities… If there is poetry in my book about the sea, it is not because I deliberately put it there, but because no one could write truthfully about the sea and leave out the poetry.” ― Rachel Carson
Deep blue wonder
“It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life. But the sea, though changed in a sinister way, will continue to exist; the threat is rather to life itself.” ― Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us
Keep moving forward
“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” ― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: Autobiography of Nelson Mandela When I am down, and my grumpy self surfaces due to several reasons — period, boredom, depression, low self esteem or just being flat broke — I take time out to travel on a short or long trip, and let myself be engulfed by the sheer beauty of the world around me that we often fail to acknowledge or even notice. If I keep moving forward, my worries are left behind. Seascape of my ancestral place in Manay, Davao Oriental © Jojie Alcantara 2013 * * * *
Serenity at sea
“The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.” ~Unknown
Daring Destinations
When 7,107 Islands Magazine (my country consists of such number of islands) launched the latest issue with the theme of “Seven Most Daring Travel Destinations”, it was quite a brave move on the editor’s part and the team behind it. How can you promote places most feared in my country due to travel advisories and media hype? Of the seven daring destinations, I have only been to four so far. Actually I had a pending invitation to two of those, but things had a way of preventing me from going at that time. In this particular issue, I got the cover photo and two beautiful destinations, Marawi City (article written by Gael Hilotin) and Tawi-Tawi, situated at the last frontier southernmost of the Philippines (my article and photos). Braving a destination despite the negative claims is sometimes worth it, just as long as you don’t take too much risk. View large pages here
This life is yours, take the power
“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.” ― Susan Polis Schutz Taking a candid shot of my good friend, Epong Soliban, who is now a master in landscape photography Times Beach, Matina, Davao City © Jojie Alcantara 2012
Seize a happy moment
“I have been through a lot and have suffered a great deal. But I have had lots of happy moments, as well. Every moment one lives is different from the other. The good, the bad, hardship, the joy, the tragedy, love, and happiness are all interwoven into one single, indescribable whole that is called life. You cannot separate the good from the bad. And perhaps there is no need to do so, either.” ~ Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
His catch, my catch
“To improve the golden moment of opportunity, and catch the good that is within our reach, is the great art of life.” ~ Samuel Johnson
Finding beauty and mystery
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious – the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.” ― Albert Einstein The setting for this beautiful sunset was in a wonderful resort which is now closed. To view more of my photos about the place, click here
Look in the opposite direction
“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
A new dawn awaits
“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
Great expectations
“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.
On the rocks
“On the Rocks” © Jojie Alcantara 2012 “Difficulties are opportunities to better things; they are stepping stones to greater experience. Perhaps someday you will be thankful for some temporary failure in a particular direction. When one door closes, another always opens.” ~Unknown
Simplify
“What’s really important is to simplify. The work of most photographers would be improved immensely if they could do one thing: get rid of the extraneous. If you strive for simplicity, you are more likely to reach the viewer. ” ― William Albert Allard Simplify. A most handy and practical tip for the photographers. Simplify. A most handy and practical tip to use in life. Waking up at 4am to catch the sunrise in a remote coastal barrio within my city is rewarding and most often, my feel good therapy. © Jojie Alcantara 2012
The beach is my zen
“Laugh at yourself, but don’t ever aim your doubt at yourself. Be bold. When you embark for strange places, don’t leave any of yourself safely on shore. Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory.” ~ Alan Alda, American Actor
You were not born to fail
Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.” ~ Og Mandino View large image here
Let your mind start a journey
“Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be. Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar, and you’ll live as you’ve never lived before.” ~ Erich Fromm Chasing sunrises are like chasing dreams. You have to persevere in order to catch them. So I wake up at 4am hoping today is the best capture of golden colors and hues imaginable. I have captured many sunrises in all forms, and each one was different from the last. I never say, “this was the same as last time” but instead focus on how I can tackle it from a different angle. How I can make it distinct from all the sunrise photos we view on the web daily. Most times, my best sunrise shot is my latest. But in order to achieve the capture you want, you have to persist and perfect it. It’s all in the mindset. It starts with a dream that comes …
The Scene Stealer 