Portrait of a Woman as Ifugao

Her name is Injoja. She has forgotten how old she is. Her relatives say she must be around 90 years old. Indeed, the lines on her face say she's really old. The cataract in her eyes and the curve of her tired body say the same. But Injoja is more than old. She is a woman who has lived the Ifugao way. She is a woman who has helped till and keep the grandeur of the rice terraces. She is a descendant of the great hunter who started carving the mountainsides of Batad. She has tattoos on her body to prove that she is of noble blood. She has endured colonization, survived the war and lived through all the hardships brought about by graft and corruption. She is a mother, a woman. She is Ifugao.

Manny Librodo Iloilo Masterclass Workshop -- Villa Arevalo

This is the second batch of my photos shot and post-processed during the Manny Librodo Masterclass Workshop here in, Iloilo City. The photo shoot was held in Villa Parish church and the Camiña Balay nga Bato. Here, I tried the vintage look.

Model: Angelie Golingay
Designer : Jaki .Peñalosa
Hmua: Jason Gayoso

Model: Angelie Golingay
Designer : Jaki .Peñalosa
Hmua: Jason Gayoso

Models: Emmerie Cunanan and Giselle May Oberiano Hole
Designer: Jaki .Peñalosa
Hmua/stylist: Barbara Bennett

Model: Giselle Hole
HMUA/Stylist: Barbara Bennett

Model: Giselle Hole
HMUA/Stylist: Barbara Bennett

Model: Emmerie Cunanan
Designer: Jaki Peñalosa
HMUA/Stylist: Barbara Bennett

Model: Giselle Hole
HMUA/Stylist: Barbara Bennett

Model: Giselle Hole
HMUA/Stylist: Barbara Bennett

Model: Emmerie Cunanan
Designer: Jaki Peñalosa
HMUA/Stylist: Barbara Bennett

My Manny Librodo Output - Molo Church

World-renowned photographer, Manny Librodo, held a masterclass workshop here in Iloilo last March of this year and I was lucky to have participated in this event. I have always wanted to discover his unique workflow and at last! I have it! In this post I will be sharing my own output. First of this batch is the shoot held inside the Molo Church, Iloilo City. The church was built in 1831. Its architectural design is a fusion of Gothic and Romanesque structures.

Model 1: Emmerie Cunanan

Designer: Jun G. Candelario

Stylist/HMUA:Barbara Bennett

Model 1: Emmerie Cunanan

Designer: Jun G. Candelario

Stylist/HMUA:Barbara Bennett

Model : Angelie Bayona Candelario Golingay
Designer/stylist: Jun G. Candelario
HMUA: Jason Gayoso

Working High Near Saddle Point, Batad, Ifugao

Ifugaos working on a road construction near Saddle Point, Batad, Banaue, Ifugao. These laborers are constructing this highway sidewall roughly around 1,800 MASL. They work on a cliff without harness nor hats for protection.

Rain Scene in Black and White, Banaue, Ifugao.

This is a rain scene I captured when we arrived in Banaue, Ifugao. 

The rain really blew and it was so damn cold! 

The Narrow and Winding Paths of the Hungduan rice terraces

 Crossing the narrow and winding paths of the Hungduan rice terraces is a daily routine undertaken by some residents of Hungduan, Ifugao. By the looks of it, the act is tiring and time consuming. But then the scenery is so majestic, I'm sure it's one redeeming factor that keeps the Ifugaos going. 

Oplan Tule: Team Banggi's medical mission to Ifugao

Just doing it
Doc Cleo and Nurse Miguel busily perform their routine, circumcising brave patients at  Hapao Elementary School,Hapao, Hungduan, Ifugao. This operation is part of Team Banggi's medical mission to Ifugao.

Of Fogs and Terraces: Batad Rice Terraces Banaue Ifugao Philippines

This is a series of time-lapse videos taken at Batad Rice Terraces, Brgy. Batad, Banaue Ifugao. The Batad rice terraces is structured like  an amphitheater and is so amazing to behold. The early morning fog that covers the area is an added attraction especially when captured on video and presented in this manner. It is not surprising that this impressive human-made structure is considered as one of the seven wonders of the world.

Farming at Dusk, Brgy. Nadsaag, San Juan, La Union

A young farmer plows a corn field in Brgy. Nadsaag, San Juan, La Union as the sun goes down. Yellow corn is one of the primary agricultural products of San Juan. It is used as raw material for food and industrial products such as starch, corn oil, beverages, gluten, snacks etc. It constitutes about 50% of the feed for local livestock and poultry enterprises. [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Juan,_La_Union]

Portrait of a Corn Grower, San Juan, La Union

He is just one of the friendly faces I met during my early morning walks in the idyllic brgy. Nadsaag in San Juan, La Union. He and his fellow farmers wake up very early in the morning to tend to their corn farms especially during the summer season when the earth is powder dry and need some irrigation.

Yellow corn is one of the primary agricultural products of San Juan. It is used as raw material for food and industrial products.

Skim Boarding in Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union

It wasn't surfing season when we arrived in Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union. The waves were not so big but there were some surfers still enjoying the beach. What caught my attention was this young skim surfer seizing every power wave that could carry his board off and make him do that graceful stuff I wish I could be doing, too.

Maratangtang, Edible Sea Urchin

The people in La Union call it 'maratangtang'. This cluster of sea urchins costs Php 50.00/Kilo and is prepared by dipping it into boiling water. The spiky shell is as hard as a crab shell. We opened it with a knife and hot liquid flooded our plate. A mud-color substance appeared together with the white edible flesh. It tasted like the sea--salty and soft like crab meat or something like sea shell.