lamitan sunset Photo

Photographer’s Note

i haven't been back to Lamitan, (my birthplace) in the island province of Basilan for almost 30 years to date. it has been troubled by two insurgencies (the Moro National Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf, both beleived to be operating under the auspice of Al-Qaeda) wanting to convert the island, the rest of Sulu archipelago, and all of Mindanao, including neighboring Sabah, Malaysia into an islamic state. however, last month i dared go visit with my sister who, with her family still reside thereat. the place looked different but familiar. my HS alma mater, the Claret School of Lamitan is there, intact, proudly displaying its red and white school flag minus of course the presence of spanish priests who during my time had been the school directors.

i came to know recently that as of June 18, 2007 voters in Lamitan ratified RA 9393, an act converting the municipality into a component city known as the City of Lamitan.

this foto was taken aboard a ferry that operates 2x a day plying the Basilan strait to and from Zamboanga City which left Lamitan port at 5pm.

it feels great to be in Lamitan again after all these years of absence and see the progress under the able leadership of current mayor, Roderick Furigay advance.

Basilan, btw is on the southern most tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula, in Mindanao, Philippines.
Mabuhay!

belido, azaf1, dareco, bostankorkulugu, Truja, cunejo200, kiwi_explorer, saylan-cb, erdna, jmcl, thiv56, parbo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

aadilj (17950) 2007-12-02 21:10

Cool and very vivd indeed with a soothing colour scheme. I like the way you have composed this one with a fantastic pov and perspective and good use of the colours. the textures are lovely and fresh too. The scene is well captured. the image has impact.

bracasha75 (22399) 2007-12-03 1:19

Hi Benedict
Wonderful
Cheers,Braca

hatti52 (12654) 2007-12-03 2:08

Hi Benedict
it is very nice although the very strong light
compliments

belido (16877) 2007-12-03 3:19

Hi Ben,

beautiful composition. I really like the colors, lightness and the inclusion of the boats on th right. Interesting note about the place. I guess this is on the south, isn't it? Congrats and tfs!
Abraço,
Carlos

aralda (1240) 2007-12-03 10:25

Hi Benedict,
Your shot is nice, if a little overexposed to the left. Great tones and sky.
Raluca

dareco (17104) 2007-12-04 6:37

A very interesting note!! Also a beautiful picture showing the sun rays hitting the water. Very nice and calming colors. TFS

bostankorkulugu (33984) 2007-12-04 21:05

this is a beautiful shot benny, despite the tilted horizon -again:P-... i like the atmosphere in it, looks timeless somehow... loved the note too... gotta go for an op now, ciao...

doc

azaf1 (15547) 2007-12-05 1:27

Hello Benedict
A peaceful and serene environment! The figures of the boats are nicely set on one side and on the other the sun. Nice frame and color range.
TFS
Argiris

Truja (4948) 2007-12-05 6:30

Hi Benedict,
impressive view, great calm, relax and tranquillity. Excellent the tonalities golden of sky and the reflections in the sea.
Good composition, simple and minimalistic with the boats forming a line and giving more depth to the image. Beautiful landscape.

Salut, Jordi

cunejo200 (7243) 2007-12-06 4:20

Hi Benedict,
I did not realize you were born in Lamitan. A week ago, History Channel did a documentary piece about the peace and order situation. Scared the heck out of me. This brings back happy memories, thanks for posting. Regards, Danilo

kiwi_explorer (12195) 2007-12-10 1:15

Hi Benedict,
I just hope peace will prevail one day in Mindanao ... such a beautiful part of the country mostly unexplored by the outside world. Natural resources abound with excellent climate conditions ... so much undevelop food supply to feed the country. But in someway being underdevelop and isolated protects the place from unscrupulous developers who will just destroy the environment.
Lovely tranquil scene ... the two boats is just enough to break the simplicity of this beautiful scene. I'm not sure though if the horizon is straight or the sun reflection distorted the horizon. Neverthless, this is a very good composition. Well done! tfs
Cheers,
Renier

saylan-cb (12726) 2007-12-11 7:03

Hi Benedict
This is a great sunset and colours the strong light.Very nice POV here,well done.
TFS/Regards

erdna (5360) 2007-12-11 22:05

I like your shot here with the boats and the nice cloud formation. This would have been better if the highlights on the water did not washed-out and the horizon did not curve at the washed out point. I have been to Zamboanga though I have never been to Lamitan. It looks like another lovely place in the Philippines.

Thanks for your visit and comments.

Andre'

elherbz (0) 2007-12-17 7:41

NICE SHOT!!! LOOKS LIKE A GOOD PIX 4 A POSTCARD

tinvin (326) 2007-12-17 21:27

bro, this is certainly a picture to counter what is always seen and heard about lamitan as a place...there is a sense of serenity in the composition and also nostalgia in your color-makes you long to go home.

congratulations

woozbman (366) 2007-12-17 22:39

Hi Benedict,

Funny how the reflection makes the water appear to bulge, even though the horizon is perfectly straight. I liked the tilt in one of your other pictures, but not so with this one. I think this would qualify as a "pre-sunset" picture, where the colors are softer and not as fiery as a sunset picture, and the sun's reflections very harsh. Maybe the picture might have looked nicer (to me) if taken later, but one does not have all day to shoot, and we have to make the most with whatever time we have. Must have felt a little strange to be back home after 30 years, eh? Very nice note you have written there. I hope they find lasting peace in Mindanao, at lalo na sa Lamitan.

Lamberto

jmcl (14149) 2007-12-25 20:09

Hi Benedict,

Wonderful and thoughtful image .. the way the light and dark works with the position of the boats is wonderful .. as is the sky .. very nice.

take care,

John

thiv56 (1454) 2007-12-29 0:54

Hello Benedict!

Marvellous shot, with an impressive sky and beautiful colours! TFS.
Imho, it's over-lit on its left. Perhaps you should have cropped it on this side.
I wish you a happy new Year, blessed by God!

Jepoy (32) 2007-12-31 19:24

Fantastic shot man, the colors are vivid and the placement of the sunset really fits the overall compo of the pic.

well done!

parbo (11026) 2009-02-26 18:13

Hello Benedict,

You captured amazing lights with next beautiful parts of sea, sky and splendid silhouettes of boats full with fishermen. The spectrum of golden lights are fantastic. Congratulations.

Friendly Regards,

Ertugrul