Avian Photography Session - BGC, Philippines, May 28, 2016

Shooting info - My mother's garden, Baroro, Bacnotan, La Union, Philippines, February 16, 2015,
Canon 5D MIII + EF 70 - 200 f/2.8 L IS II, 200 mm, f/4, ISO 320, 1/125 sec, manual exposure in available light, hand held, near full frame resized to 1575 x 1050 pixels.

SELFIE AT BUED RIVER. My tiny 455B tripod + 410 gear head, easily stowable on the rear rack of my iron horse, allowed me to take this selfie along Bued River.
I pre-focused on the bike, tripped the 10-second self-timer, then rushed to mount the saddle before the shutter opened.

Shooting info - Bued River, Rosario, La Union, Philippines, June 25, 2015, Canon 5D MIII + EF 16-35 f/4 L IS, 16 mm, f/7.1, ISO 320, 1/25 sec,
manual exposure in available light, tripod/gear head, AWB, near full frame resized to 1500 x 1000 pixels.

SELFIE WITH AN UWA. My cluttered desk becomes my studio for an experimental selfie session to check how this zoom renders the out-of-focus busy background.
I laid down the camera on the desk with the wide open 16-35 f4 IS, focused on the model payloader via live view (near MFD), then tripped the shutter using the self-timer.

Shooting info - Rosario, La Union, Philippines, May 28, 2015, Canon 5D MIII + EF 16-35 f/4 L IS, 16 mm, f/4, ISO 160, 1/10 sec,
manual exposure in available light, live view AF, self-timer, AWB, uncropped full frame resized to 1500 x 1000 pixels.

SURFING IS MORE FUN AT SAN JUAN. This shutter-clicker enjoys capturing wave-riders with a 1D MIV + 500 f4 IS + 1.4x TC at San Juan Beach, La Union, Northern Philippines.

(Canon 7D + Sigma 10-20, 10 mm, f/8, ISO 200, 1/250 sec, on-board flash for fill, hand held.)

A couple of 24" x 36" prints from the pre-production 7D Mark II were displayed during a photo-workshop I conducted at Baguio City on October 26th. As I expected, the prints turned out nicely as far as IQ is concerned, even when examined up close.

Shooting info - CAP Cultural Center, Baguio City, October 26, 2014, 7D + 10 mm, f/4, 1/50 sec, ISO 1600, on-board flash at -2/3 FEC, hand held.

CANON IMAGE ACADEMY AT SILLAG FESTIVAL. Wild bird photographer Romy Ocon, one of Canon's Brand Ambassadors, delivers a lecture on bird, surfing and light photography
during a Canon Image Academy seminar at the Sillag Festival Grounds, Poro Point, San Fernando City on March 7, 2014. Close to 200 photographers attended the seminar
which is among the early events featured in this year's Sillag Fest.

SCOUTING LON-OY SPRINGS. I visited this weekend the foothills of the Cordilleras at San Gabriel town, near Lon-oy springs, to check out new birding places.
I saw a male Luzon Hornbill along the trail, and heard a lot of calls. I'll be back soon with my bigger lenses. :)

Shooting info - San Gabriel, La Union, Philippines, March 2, 2014, Canon 7D + Sigma 10-20, 16 mm, f/9, 1/60 sec, ISO 160,
manual exposure, camera on timer and atop a backpack on the ground, uncropped full frame.

BIRDING BIKE. I just got a Honda XR125L for birding along nearby mountain trails where my 4WD can't go. My preferred combo for trail birding is a 7D + 400 5.6L stored in a small backpack.
The bike's small engine has just enough juice to haul my nearly 200 lbs of San Miguel beer fortified body up steep trails, albeit I've to switch down to 1st gear. On the plus side however,
the bike sips gas very economically - about 55 - 60 km per liter in highway driving, and slight less on mountain trails. Handling is great too, even up and down steep dirt roads.

Shooting info - San Gabriel, La Union, Philippines, March 2, 2014, Canon 7D + Sigma 10-20, 11 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec, ISO 160,
manual exposure, camera atop a backpack on the ground, uncropped full frame.

BIRDING FAR NORTH LUZON. Pogito and I stop to enjoy the view at the old Quirino Bridge over the Abra River at Santa, Ilocos Sur.
We just came from a scouting trip at the northern tip of Luzon (Sta. Praxedes, Cagayan).

(7D + Sigma 10-20, hand held)

TREKKING ALONG BUED RIVER. My friend Bebot's 4x4 pickup made trekking along the Bued river bed (Rosario, La Union) a breeze.

(7D + Sigma 10-20, hand held)

CANON BRAND AMBASSADORS. Some 15 photographers specializing in various genres are featured in this print ad of Canon Philippines that appeared at The Philippine Star, July 28, 2010.

ROMY OCON IN A CANON PRINT AD. This certified birdnut appears in a print ad of Canon lenses that was published on May 7, 2010 in The Philippine Star, a major daily in the Philippines. :)

CANON EOS 7D DIGITAL SLR HANDBOOK. Published by Reader's Digest Asia Pte. Ltd. and Canon Inc. (ISBN 978-962-258-389-4), this guidebook features the work of selected Asian photographers.
In addition to Lester Ledesma's 7D samples, photos by two other Filipino shutter-clickers are included - John Chua (aerial, industrial and advertising) on pages 120 - 123, and Romy Ocon (wild birds) on pages 124-127.
Thanks to fellow Filipino photographer-writer Lester Ledesma for the write-up. :)

Pages 124-125 of the EOS 7D Digital SLR Handbook features a short article about wild bird photographer Romy Ocon, plus a full-spread photo of a
Philippine Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus philippensis, a Philippine endemic, immature) captured at Subic rainforest with a hand held 20D + 500 f4 IS + Canon 1.4x TC.

Pages 126-127 of the EOS 7D Digital SLR Handbook lists some bird photography tips from Romy Ocon, plus photos of (from top left, clockwise) a White-throated Kingfisher, an Australasian Grass-Owl, a
Little Pied Flycatcher and a Philippine Serpent-Eagle (all species and sub-species endemic to the Philippines). Shooting gear and information are available at the clickable links.

BIF SHOOTING AT CANDABA WETLANDS. Yours truly (the one with a featherless head) shoots a beta 7D + 800 f/5.6 IS at birds in flight, as Ely T. (a friend and fellow birdshooter who owns the 800 5.6L) looks on.

[Photo by Ralf Nabong using a Leica R8]

PBPF TEAM. On arrival, we survey the wetlands to check BIF activity. With weeks of continuous rains, only the road is above water in this part of Candaba.
I'm holding the beta 7D + a 400 5.6 L (in black lens cover). With me (L - R) are Ralf N., Rey S.A. and Dr. Mando S.

[Photo by Ralf Nabong using a Panasonic LX3]

HBW NO. 13. I just picked up this tome, coming all the way from Spain, at our local post office.... it's the "Handbook of the Birds of the World - Volume 13." :)

[40D + Sigma 24 1.8 DG]

STRIPE-HEADED RHABDORNIS. This photo of the Rhabdornis mystacalis.
appears on page 189.

[40D + Sigma 10-20]

MY HD VIDEO RIG VISITS SUBIC RAINFOREST. I snap a shot of my bird filming rig during a lull in birding at Subic rainforest.
The rig consists of a Canon 5DM2, Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), Canon 2x TC, Sennheiser MKE 400 mini-shotgun mic,
Manfrotto 475B tripod + 3421 gimbal head, and Sandisk Extreme III 16 GB (30 Mbps) CF cards.

[20D + Sigma 10-20, hand held]

BIRDING WAGON AT CANDABA WETLANDS. My birding vehicle is parked under a tree by the access trail, all around are rice plants near fruiting stage - perfect background for low-flying waterbirds.

[20D + 18-200 OS, hand held]

LOWLIGHT BIF SHOOTER. My 1DM2 + naked 500 f4 IS, supported by a Manfrotto 475B tripod and 3421 gimbal head, stands over the wetlands at sunset.
It had fired its last BIF shot for the day, as light was already too low for BIFs even with high ISOs and an aperture of f/4.

[20D + 18-200 OS, built-in flash at -2/3 FEC, hand held]

A WALL OF ENDEMIC BIRDS. Congressman Miguel Zubiri of Bukidnon views endemic bird photos exhibited by the Philippine Bird Photography e-Group (PBPeG),
as bird shooter Nilo Arribas looks on and Lydia Robledo shoots some pics in the background.

FUN WITH AN UWA LENS. With framed bird photos in the background, I try to paint my name onto the sensor with candle light...:)

SIGMONSTER HABITAT - Here's one of the places where the Sigmonster shoots wild birds in Zambales, Philippines.
A grassy area in a mini-plateau up the mountains of Masinloc is a goldmine for grass birds, coucals and kingfishers.
The sweet early morning sunlight is captured well by the 300D + Sigma 10-20.

ENJOYING FRESHLY-MANUFACTURED OXYGEN. We went up the Balsahan trail (Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines) until we came upon a forked stream (after 4 or 5 stream crossings) .
We stopped here to catch our breath and enjoy the view. I set up my gear and waited for more lifers, as my birding buddy Arnold took a snap shot.

[350D + 18-55 kit lens]

LIFEBIRD GOLDMINE. I found this unidentified fruiting tree by a mountain stream in Irawan (Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines),
and it yielded a bounty of four lifers - Black-headed Bulbul, White-vented Shama, Grey-cheeked Bulbul and Olive-winged Bulbul.

[350D + 18-55 kit lens]

SIGMONSTER AT MT. MAKILING. The first Guaiabero nest (in darkened circle) is about 15 meters high above the ground, built in the fork of a tree trunk which is near a slope.
Here, I position my 350D + Sigmonster on the slope for a better shooting angle, and my camera's elevation is about halfway between the base of the tree and the nest.
The shooting distance is roughly 20 meters. Checking my compass, I note that the entrance hole of the nest is facing east.

[20D + Sigma 10-20, hand held]

BIRDING LIGHTLY. The 20D + Sigmonster serves as my sniper combo, while the 1DM2 + battle-scarred 400 5.6L was my CQB SMG, as I set up atop Mt. Samat, Bataan in early 2006.
Those were the days when birding was much "lighter". Now, the 400 5.6L is replaced by the much-heavier 500 f4 L IS + Canon 1.4x TC as my default medium-range shooter.

A RACER AND A BIRDER. My brother Jeff (left) ably piloted our birding vehicle, as he made the over 500 km trip to Malasi Lake in just under 10 hours, including wading through heavy traffic along the way.
Here, Jeff and birding buddy Neon pose by our car while we cross the mighty Cagayan river aboard a makeshift raft.

LITTLEST RORO VESSEL IN THE WORLD? Supported by two wooden boats each with its own 4-cylinder diesel engine, the platform of the raft can carry 3 small cars or tricycles.
I initially hesitated to risk the crossing, but when I looked at the faces of drivers that crossed before us, it looked like doing so is the most ordinary thing in the world.
Well, the prospect of bagging quite a few lifers swayed me to go for it.

[1DM2 + 100-400 IS, hand held]

SHINY-HEADED BIRDSHOOTER. While crossing the Cagayan river, I chat with our hosts Aloy (right) and Glen (left), both of Conservation International.

EXCITED RAFT PASSENGER. Neon strikes another pose aboard the rickety raft as it docks at the other bank of the Cagayan River.

WHEW.... WE MADE IT ACROSS THE RIVER. Jeff (and I) heave a sigh of relief as our vehicle makes it across the Cagayan River, and he was just too happy to drive to terra firma.
I couldn't imagine the nightmare of the raft capsizing and God forbid, losing my Sigmonster, 500 f4 IS and other gear stowed in the vehicle.

[1DM2 + 100-400 IS, hand held]

THE AMAZING MALASI LAKE. With the skies virtually cloudless, Malasi Lake bakes under the early afternoon sun.

[350D + Sigma 10-20, hand held]

HEAVY ARTILLERY. The 350D + Sigmonster + Canon 2x TC struggles to bring the distant ducks closer.... even 1600 mm was not enough firepower to make the birds full frame.

[1DM2 + 100-400 IS, hand held]

HIGHLAND BIRDING. I'm waiting for montane birds at elevation 2155 meters (Bauko, Mountain Province) when my brother Jeff snapped this pic.
My "light" birding combo is the 20D + 500 f4 L IS + Canon 1.4x TC, mounted on a Manfrotto 3421 gimbal head and 475B tripod.
The black bonnet insulates my top spot against the cold mountain temperature, as my hair had divorced me about a decade ago....;-)

[350D + Sigma 10-20, hand held]

HIGHEST PHILIPPINE HIGHWAY. As the banged up sign says, this portion of the Halsema Highway at Atok, Benguet Province
is the highest point (Elev. 2256 m/7400 feet) of the Philippine Highway System. This is where I stop and calibrate my altimeter.

[350D + Sigma 10-20]

This was taken at the viewing deck of the highest point marker at Atok, Benguet. I set the exposure values of the 350D + Sigma 10-20
by metering off the brightest part of the sky, popped up the on-board flash, dialled in some FEC, then asked my brother Jeff to snap a pic....:)

BALD-HEADED SHUTTER-CLICKER (Birdus lunaticus): This specimen enjoys the view of the "8th Wonder of the World," as the fog rolls in over the Banaue Rice Terraces.

[350D + Sigma 10-20]

It took some effort for me to smile for the camera, what with all the man-made mess around me.
I'm actually lucky, I only come here once in a while to shoot birds, and this is NOT the place where I and my family live, wade, fly and feed.

I'm cradling the 1DM2 + 400 5.6L (for fliers), while the 20D + Sigmonster is mounted low for better angle at waders.

With the morning sun behind my back, I shoot the 20D + Sigmonster at Common Redshanks feeding along the shore.
A sniper's scarf helps break up the outline of my head.
To the water birds, I must have looked like an ordinary mound of garbage...lol.

I was shooting Blue-throated Bee-eaters by the roadside at Subic, while fellow bird photographer Nilo Arribas was also shooting the shooter candidly.

Candaba wetlands: The 300D + Sigma 300-800 DG is my fixed heavy artillery, while the 20D + 400 5.6L is always ready to shoot fliers.

Batman and Robin (Nilo Arribas and me) pose for posterity with the verdant Maraag valley (Cebu) in the background.

Raul Puentespina (our host), yours truly and our guide enjoy the view at Maraag valley, Cebu.

I aim at a "tamsi" (Cebuano for sunbirds/flowerpeckers) at Maraag, Sudlon II, Cebu Province, a few minutes drive from Tabunan.

Raul and I huff and puff our way up a mountain trail in Tabunan. We actually lost several pounds each during this trek,
but regained everything back when we downed several bottles of SanMig beer after we returned to the city...8-)

Mutt and Jeff.... er... yours truly and Nilo taking a breather in Raul's unfinished goat shed, which we used as shelter.

This color-blind clicker traverses a sheer-faced mountainside at Cebu's Tabunan mountains in search of the elusive Cebu Flowerpecker.

SHOES NOT RECOMMENDED AT OLANGO ISLAND. If you really want to get close and personal with the Olango birds, sandals are a must.
Better yet, you can wade in your bare feet for that ticklish feeling that the sand makes with your soles. Just avoid the sharp corals and broken shells, of course.

OLANGO ISLAND: Bird hide no. 1 affords a good view of one of the tidal flats. The elevated walkway is no longer there, probably a victim of government funding red tape.

OLANGO ISLAND: I have to use a tripod when I snapped on the Sigma 2x TC to my 400 5.6L while shooting the Little Egret that appears in the Olango Island gallery.
This was in my early bird-shooting days, before I learned that a lower shooting angle is preferred for water birds.

OLANGO ISLAND: The tropical Cebu sun provided good light for handholding the 20D + 400 5.6L, a few times even with the 2x teleconverter.
I'm shooting the Gull-billed Tern here, as my legs and feet are sunburned to a crisp...8-)

Ekimzulad, a fellow DPR member from the US, had fun shooting the Subic rainforest birds with his 20D and 400 5.6L.

RARE SPECIES AT MT. MAKILING. There are not many wild bird photographers in the Philippines.
Jeff Carig is lucky to shoot two of them (with a Sony FD 95) on this day...8-)

The 4x4 truck of Maxikrete Philippines, Inc. (my company) serves as a mobile shooting platform for birds along the trail.

Nilo Arribas fires away at a SPOTTED WOOD-KINGFISHER, while I look for a better angle, halfway up the slopes of Mt. Makiling.
Photo by Jeff Carig, using a Sony FD 95

I shoot a BLACK-NAPED MONARCH at the Mud Springs (Mt. Makiling) while Nilo Arribas waits for his turn.
Photo by Jeff Carig, using a Sony FD 95.

ISLAND COVE RESORT: I was trying out my then new Bigma at some captive Philippine Macaque monkeys in this resort at Cavite province.

SUBIC BAY: I was shooting a Philippine Woodpecker at Triboa Bay Mangrove Park with the hand held 300D + 100-400 L IS + DG Super + Better Beamer,
while my 20D + 400 5.6L hangs ready in case some flying raptors come into view.