Sunrise at Compostela

Again, it’s work. I woke up at 4AM, took a quick bath and headed off to our meeting point. By 4:30AM, we were on our way to a beach in Compostela, some 22 kilometers from the City. We need to inspect some seaweed seedlings and low tide was early in the morning.

This was July 2 and weather had been cloudy all week. Cebu and the rest of the Philippines are in the middle of a strong Northwest monsoon season. We just had a major typhoon and weather is pretty much unpredictable.

However, at sunrise time of 5:29AM, the sun turned shy and did not show its resplendent self. The gray clouds were too thick. Too bad for me and my camera. A few minutes later, daylight became more pronounced and the glimpses of the sun could be seen coming out of the horizon. I caught some boats crisscrossing the open Camotes Sea and the photographs weren’t that bad. We still counted ourselves lucky. There was no rain.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f/5.6, 300mm, ISO 100, +1.0EV


Back on shore, we were eager spectators of the soft light slowly growing brighter and brighter. Sunrise viewing is always like a spiritual experience for me. And now that I am into photography, I began to snap some silhouettes that early morning sun could offer.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1600s, f/3.5, 18mm, ISO 100, +4/3EV


Despite the ungodly hour, the beach was not deserted. Fishermen were also in the open sea, casting nets and chasing fish into cages. We originally thought that they were standing on the reef as it was low tide. Later, when we ventured into the sea on a boat we discovered that they were actually in deep waters. They really must be strong swimmers as they apparently were treading in the water all along.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/250s, f/5.6, 300mm, ISO 100, +2/3EV


As it no longer was dark, we eagerly had breakfast. Menu was simple- fish fillet wrapped in aluminum foil and grilled over charcoal. A few peppercorns, stalks of lemongrass and tomatoes were the only spices. Served piping hot, it was heavenly.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1000s, f/2.8, 100mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV

Soon enough it was 7AM. Our work was about to begin. Enough with photography, for now.