The Slow Boat from Guimaras Island

The Slow Boat from Guimaras Island
Originally uploaded by Sam Antonio Photography

I’m really slow.

So was the lens I used to shoot this photograph.

First things first.

It’s been exactly a year since my trip to the Philippines and I’m just beginning to upload the majority of my photos.

So call me slow.

I did put together a travel portrait gallery entitled: Everyone has a Story: The Faces of the Philippines. You can view that HERE.

What’s even slower is the Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO Lens (say that twenty times and see if that doesn’t slow you down).

With the f/stop range of 3.5-6.3 and knowing that Tamron lens are slow to focus, I still felt compelled to buy this lens for my Philippines trip. I would be shooting in hot, dusty and crowded places so I opted for the all in one Tamron super zoom lens rather than bringing three different lenses. After all, Tamron hailed it as “The Ultimate All-In-One Zoom: Longest, Steadiest Lens On Earth.” With a claim like that how could you not hand over your credit card number to Tamron?

While the lens did its job in helping me capture some great moments, its slow focusing system left me frustrated most of the time (thankfully I left most of those frustrations at the bottom of a San Miguel beer bottle).

It did deliver on this shot of this pump boat I took returning from Guimaras Island.

Guimaras is a hidden gem of the Philippine archipelago. It is only a fifteen minute pump boat ride from Iloilo City but a world apart from big city life.

Looking back the Tamron “slow” lens forced me to travel slower and be more cultural aware. To take a more deliberate approach in photographing the Filipino people rather than a “run and gun” approach.

So not only does slow and steady win the race but it also captures compelling images.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Dinagyang Festival 2010

Dinagyang Festival 2010
Originally uploaded by Sam Antonio Photography

On the streets of Iloilo City, Philippines the Ilonggo people erupt in an annual celebration on the fourth weekend in January in a colorful spectacle called Dinagyang.

Colorful costumes, captivating drumbeats, and spirited dancing can best describe this festival, but in reality, Dinagyang must be experienced in person. To be in the middle of all of this excitement: to smell the aroma of Filipino food, hear the drums crashing, and to see the visual display of dancing tribes is why I travel.

The main focus of Dinagyang is a religious festival to honor the Santo Nino, but Dinagyang is much more than that. Its a cultural hodgepodge of Roman Catholicism, Animism, and Islam all mixed into one.

This was the second time I have been to Dinagyang and it surely will not be my last. Photographing during large festivals is always a challenge, but that is what makes it all the more exciting. On the other hand, photographing Dinagyang in the Philippines is far more easier that photographing festivals in the United States. For example, there were no restrictions in getting in the middle of the parade route and photographing the different tribes. It was common for spectators to step off the sidewalk and join the tribal dancers for a photo opportunity.

This is what makes Dinagyang so exciting, to be in the middle of all the action and excitement. To be an active participant and not a spectator.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Drummer Boy

After a day of touring around the Guimaras Island lead by our extraordinary tour guide, Daisy Yanson from Panay Adventures Tours, I mentioned to her that I wanted to stop at a local market to shop for the famous Guimaras mangoes.

With my nephew, Jeran, riding a top the roof of our private jeepney (he wanted to ride like a local), we pulled over at a local market where there was not only an abundance of fresh produce, but also photo opportunities.

After I bought my mangoes, I wandered about the marketplace meeting and photographing the locals. One that really caught my eye was this young boy playing drums on an empty can. Knowing I had a brief window of opportunity, I quickly adjusted my camera settings for a slower shutter speed to capture the motion of him playing “drums” with his improvised drum sticks.

As an added benefit he stuck his tongue out at me! This photo quickly became one of my favorites from my trip.

Happy Travels!

"Little Church, Big Faith"

My friend, Denmark, and I took a quick day trip to Yuma, Arizona which is just right over the California state border. I had read about this church before our trip and mentioned we should stop by to take a look. I spotted it on our way to the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground along Highway 95 and we decided to photograph it on our way back.

Our timing couldn't have been more perfect as we came back to photograph the church right at a spectacular sunset. The church sits in the middle of a field away from the highway down a dirt road. I only noticed it because there is a sign off the highway that reads, "Stop, Rest, Worship."

The story behind the small church (it seats about 12 people) is that a local farmer built it to honor his wife and its only official service is during Easter. It's open to the public and there is a guest register you can sign.

Roadside America.com lists it as one of the smallest churches in the world. I see it as a refuge for the world's problems and a resting place from the hot Arizona weather. A tiny gift from a farmer with a huge heart.

Text and photo copyright by Sam Antonio

Canon 50D, Canon 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 Lens

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It's Time for a Beer Summit!

"Great Taste....Less Filling!"

In light of President Obama's "Beer Summit," I decided to have a beer summit of my own by making a pilgrimage to the Samuel Adams Brewery in Boston, Massachusetts. Yes, the mecca of American craft brewery beer!

Dave and I share a drink with our tour guide

This was perhaps the best brewery tour I have ever taken due to two reasons. One, it's located not too far from the Boston subway or "The T," so that means no getting behind the wheel which is great for obvious public safety concerns. Two, the guided tours are FREE! They do ask for a donation to help with local charities, but I figured for all the years I have been an ardent patron of Samuel Adams beer I have done my share funding the coffers (i.e. drinking beer) of Mr. Jim Koch's company.

Along with my sister, Diane, her husband, Dave, and her three boys we endured the hot and muggy Boston weather only to be rewarded by some great beer.

Dave and Diane at the Sam Adams Beer Garden

Once at the brewery we lined up to get our tour tickets and then proceeded to the beer garden to wait for our appointed tour time. To our great surprise and relief they were handing out two samples of beers. These two unreleased beers (a pilsener and an ale) were available for tasting and we were to vote on which one would available to the public next year. I gladly volunteered myself for the task at hand.

Sam Antonio, not Sam Adams, Master Brewer

Upon embarking on the one hour tour, we spent about 10 minutes learning about the brewing process and a brief history of Sam Adams' founder Jim Koch. We spent the remaining 50 minutes in the beer tasting room. Did I tell you this was one of the best brewery tours I have taken!

We sampled about four different beers: their staple beer Sam Adams Lager, a seasonal beer, a summer ale, and a cherry wheat ale. All the while our tour guide was educating us on how to appreciate a Sam Adams by giving kind attention to: taste, aroma, complexity, body, smoothness, finish, and balance. Actually, I just pulled that list from their website because I was too busy drinking rather than listening but I think that's what he said.

Dave and I have our own "Beer Summit"

In the end my "Beer Summit" proved to be a success (not much can be said for President Obama's "Beer Summit"). Maybe on my next trip to Boston I'll have a beer with Sgt. James Crowley.

All photos (with the exception of the Obama "Beer Summit" photo) taken with my Canon 50D and Canon EF-s 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens.

See more of my Boston trip (I'll be updating it periodically):

Boston 2009

Over The Line or Over the Top?

Welcome to the 56th Annual World Championship Over-The-Line (OTL) Tournament 2009. A San Diego original, OTL is a form of beach softball, with 1,200 three-member teams competing in almost 2,400 games leading up to the final match.

Click here to to find out how to play OTL

With free flowing beer, outrageous team names and bikini clad women some may ask if this is a sporting event or one huge beach party. Well, it's a combination of both satisfying players and gawkers. In addition, it was a good use of my Canon "L" lenses -- if I'm going to photograph anything why not beautiful women?

The World Championship Over-The-Line is held every year in July at Fiesta Island on Mission Bay in San Diego, California. It was on the beaches of San Diego where OTL was founded. Admission is free but the host organization, The Old Mission Bay Athletic Club (OMBAC), requires all guests abide by the "Five B Rules." No bottles, babies, bowsers (dogs), birds and Boa Constrictors.

OTL teams are comprised of three players on each side. Many teams wear outrageous uniforms, or skimpy bikinis, and sport adult theme team names that either leave you laughing or nauseated. Where OTL differs from softball is that the pitcher and batter are on the same team and there is no base running.

OTL requires more precision than power from the batter as their objective is to hit the ball into fair territory without the opposing team fielder catching the ball.

I have been photographing OTL for the past couple of years and I have found the best camera outfit to have is two camera bodies - one body with a wide angle zoom and other camera body with a telephoto lens. My Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS lens mounted on my Canon 50D provided the tight portrait action shots. I used both my Canon Powershot SX1 IS and a Canon 20D with a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II lens for my wide and medium range shots.

Its gets windy on the playing field and sand blows everywhere. I use a micro fiber cloth to wipe off the sand and shower caps (yes, one of the secrets of travel photography I learned is that shower caps from motel rooms come in handy to cover your SLR camera in the event of inclement weather) to protect my cameras from the sand. One sand grain lodged in your camera will put you in camera hell!

So it is Over-The-Line or over the top? Well one thing is for sure that The Over-The-Line Tournament provides over the top photo opportunities!

All photos and text copyright Sam Antonio Photography.

Be sure to view more photos from The Over The Line Tournament over at my Flickr site:

Sam Antonio Photography

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