The last time I went to Anawangin I had my sights on taking IR photos. You see Anawangin is perfect for IR photography. It has all the elements needed for a nice IR shot: lots of foliage (pine trees), water (the river and sea), and lots of sun.

One of my friends noticed that I brought home "too few" photos of Anawangin the last time I went there. It's because I practically spent more than half of the day taking IR photos :)


I use a FUJI IR 76 filter. Its an acetate type filter and I just hold it in front of my lens. Its very cheap but sometimes very difficult to handle even with a filter holder. I'm still looking for a good screw in type but affordable ones don't really have the "qualities" I'm looking for (Hoya R72 is too much for my budget right now :D ).

Different IR filters have different Wratten ratings, meaning they differ in the frequency of IR waves they let through(or block). Thus IR images produced by different filters vary in tones (and colors). Furthermore, different camera sensors may "behave" differently even with the same filter.

IR photos don't really have colors, except red of course. The colors you see in IR photos are products of post processing thus these photos are called "false color IR". False or not, these images always have this out of this world look. And this is what I like most about IR photography.

Here are some IR images of Anawangin River:


IR photography is looking at places or things in a different light, literally. It turns a mundane scenery into a dreamscape.

More IR photos here.

Once you've gone to Anawangin, chances are you'll keep coming back. I had the chance to visit Anawangin Cove again last weekend together with several friends.

We swung by Capones Island at 4:30 AM, we wanted to see the sunrise from there. The sea was calm and the sky full of stars. It was a pleasing boat ride in pitch black darkness.

We started the day with a sunrise in Capones Island and capped it with a beautiful sunset in Anawangin cove.

The river in Anawangin could very well be in Alaska. Not much to say, I am letting the photos speak for themselves :)

A dreamy landscape

Crystal clear (and very cold) water
Some IR shots of the pine trees that lined the river
More photos at my Flickr

On our second day in Anawangin we decided to follow the river and try to find its source. The caretaker told us there is a small lake somewhere near the mountains that supplies the water to the river.

After a hearty breakfast we grab our gears (and some water+trail food) and proceeded to the river just 50 meters from our campsite.
The river is dry this time of the year. Part of the trail is blanketed by dried pine needles from the large pine trees that lined the banks.

We trekked for more than an hour, our GPS indicated that we have already traveled some 1.8 kilometers. Still no sign of water.

Along the way we found some animal tracks and fresh droppings. We thought the tracks could belong to a horse but the droppings are definitely from a carabao (water buffalo).

We later found out from Mang Danny (an Aeta we met there, he was hunting wild boars and deers) that the tracks (and the droppings) belong to tamaraws (pygmy water buffalos). Good thing we did not encounter one. These tamaraws are fiercely territorial and it would have been one hell of a chase had we found one. The tamaraw would be the one chasing us of course :).

We never did find the water source. One of my friends (Owen) decided to scout ahead for the trail. But our main group lost track of his trail and we couldn't hail him . The rule was he should stay in voice contact with us. We decided to make a bee line for our camp, and wait for him there. We would retrace our tracks if he does not arrive in 30 minutes. Knowing Owen, he would also do the same once he thinks we lost him or he lost us.

Mang Danny just came from checking his traps deep in the mountains and was heading to the bay when he spotted Owen on a nearby hill. He thought Owen was lost (well maybe he is. hehe) and decided to come to him. They caught up with us in a clearing while we were taking a breather.

Mang Danny told us we were VERY CLOSE to the small lake there. Just one more hill and we would have found it. But there'll be a next time, for sure.
Our group, from left: Elias, Mang Danny, Owen, Deo, Francis (not in the photo)

Anawangin looks like another world. As you approach the bay, you couldn't help but wonder if you are still in the Philippines. Unlike most beaches, Anawangin stands out as one of the few where you have pine trees instead of the usual coconut trees. The muted green needle leaves of the pine trees that lined the shore contrast nicely with the salt-n-pepper colored sand. The barren mountains at the back of the bay provide a backdrop of varying shades of green and brown.
Anawangin is one of the best real "getaway place". It is "shielded" from most of man's daily tech. No electricity, no cellphone coverage, no radio and TV signals.

I have read articles and seen photos of Anawangin for almost two years now. Been planning to go there for the longest time. Last January I read about it again in an in-flight magazine on the way back to Manila from the province. So I decided that thats it, its going to be my first destination for 2008. Luckily I have officemates who like the outdoors a lot too, so forming a group for the trip was easy.

Getting there
We took the 11:30PM Victory Liner Bus (bus going to Iba, Zambales) from their Caloocan station. The jumpoff point to Anawangin is in Brgy. Pundaquit in a town called Sta. Ana. Its about 2 hours or so from Subic. We arrived there at 3:30 AM, too early for the boat ride to Anawangin. Luckily there are open "gotohan" (goto is rice porridge with ox tripe) near the police station so we decided stay there for the time being. We planned to get supplies (food + water, there are no stores in Anawangin) but the market opens at 7AM. Lady Luck seemed to be smiling on us that day, for one of the tricycle drivers offered to take us to Brgy. Pundaquit (about 20 minutes ride from Sta. Ana town proper) and introduce us to a boat man who can provide us with a place to sleep/rest. He also offered to be the one to go to the market for our supplies! (see my previous post for the boat rates).

First day, first time
Anawangin used to be really secluded, only a handful of people go there. But not anymore. We were not surprised to see several tents already pitched when we got there at 8AM. I heard from the caretaker that the place can get really crowded during the summer vacation (and Holy Week).

The sun went away somewhere during our first day so I spent most of the morning sleeping in my tent and on my friend's hammock (I was able to pry him off it every once in a while).

In the afternoon I checked out that nice river lined with pine trees just several meters away from our campsite.
Anawangin is a photographer's haven. Its fairly common to see folks toting tripods and serious looking photo gears.
Essential stuff to bring in Anawangin

• food and drinking water (there two water pumps there for washing)
• toiletries (there are I think two CRs there, the one near our area has walls are made of some reed)
• flash light + batteries
  
• cook set (better if you have a portable burner)
• tent (it can get cold so a sleeping bag and/or jacket would help)
  
• camera + lots of batteries + lots of CF or SD cards!
• lots of booze!