May 2017 - Anthonys Travels

Photography May 30, 2017

Owls and more Owls

I recently spent a most enjoyable day at Eclipse Falconry (www.eclipsefalconry.co.uk) on a photography day organised by Scott Latham. I had wanted to shoot some birds of prey for ages, and this workshop seemed perfect for me.

And so it was. We were a small group and the weather just about held out for long enough, bright, but without being too sunny.

We started off shooting a little owl

The smallest of the British Owls. We shot him in the open fields to start with before moving to a bit of shelter, a barn with a hay backdrop.

The second owl was my favourite, the Barn Owl. The colours on a barn owl are absolutely amazing, and I don’t think I’ve properly captured the shading and details, but I was still pleased with the results. The wind had started to get up little and that had the effect of ruffling his feathers a bit.

Travel May 17, 2017

White Beach, Puerto Galera

It was difficult for me to choose which beach to hit while on a short trip to the Philippines: there are so many. However, I needed to be within easy reach of Batangas, so I chose the island of Mindoro, and chose to stay in Sebang rather than Puerto Galera.

Puerto Galera is within easy reach of Sebang, a short ride away in a Jeepney. Perhaps one of the first things I notice about beaches in the Philippines is how empty of people they are compared to beaches in Europe. White Beach is aptly named, with white sand and crystal blue sea. There is little wind and hardly any noise.

The edge of the beach is lined with small bars and the occasional stall, I sat down at one of the bars and ordered a drink, really just to be able to grab a table in the shade. It’s not long though before I can no longer resist the lure of the sea and head down towards the water, quickly as the sand is very hot.

The water is a little colder than I expected, but very refreshing. It’s hard to get out, but I know that I must, otherwise I will get sunburned. Although I take precautions against sunburn, it is usually in vain, and I know that before the end of the day, I will be lobster red!