the jungle temple of Ta Prohm

One goes to Cambodia primarily for Angkor Wat, the mother of all stone temples, incomparably larger than any other in the world. However, when it comes to pure appeal of the romantic and adventurist in you, the temple of Ta Prohm would be hard to beat.


Two of the most common trees in the temple are the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) and the strangler fig (Ficus gibbosa)
Canon EOS 350D, 1/200s, f/3.5, 18mm, ISO 100



A nun praying inside a corridor of Ta Prohm
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/10s, f/5.6, 37mm, ISO 800, -1/3EV


Built in the 12th century in a flat squat style that is architecturally atypical to the pyramidal Angkor structures, Ta Prohm is about 1 kilometer by 600 meters from the outside. It is composed of five rectangular courtyards that ring around the innermost sanctuary. Three of the inner walls have galleries. The temple also is decked by more than 30 towers and numerous connecting corridors.


a wall of bas relief strangled by ficus in the central sanctuary
Canon EOS 350D, 1/60s, f/5.6, 27mm, ISO 400, -1.0EV


When the Khmer empire fell in the 15th century, all of the temple complexes were abandoned. During colonial times, the French started the task of restoring the heritage of Angkor. Among the innumerable temples, one temple was notably left as it is, almost conserved as when it was rediscovered in the early 20th century, Ta Prohm.


phototip: Use long exposure to create apparitions from the people passing by a relatively stationary subject (the nun).
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 4s, f/32, 55mm, ISO 800


Unique in its state as a temple married into the jungle, Ta Prohm instantly became the poster temple of the picturesque. The jumble of stones are still in disarray, corridors are left impassable and the state of ruins are conserved. Popular among tourists, it photogenically looks like an archeological dig.


a devata stone relief in a gallery in Ta Prohm
Canon EOS 350D, 1/125s, f/5.6, 45mm, ISO 400, +2/3EV


What is more romantic that a temple overrun by nature, with trees creeping over the stone, vines splitting the walls and roots twisting over the bas reliefs?


an apsara mysteriously smiling behind the roots of an encroaching tree
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/15s, f/5.6, 47mm, ISO 100, +1/3EV


Compromising between preserving the “jungle” look and repairing the structural integrity of the temple is a balance most difficult to achieve.


large roots render some of the passageway inaccessible
Canon EOS 350D, 1/50s, f/3.5, 18mm, ISO 100


Stepping into the temple gives you a feeling of walking into a movie set. And it was. During our visit, at almost every turn, we kept on hearing Japanese tourists gushing, Angelina Jolie!, Angelina Jolie. Indeed, part of the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was shot here. This goes to prove that there is nothing more cinematic than reality.


this silk-cotton tree is now known popularly as the “Tomb Raider” tree
Canon EOS 350D, 1/60s, f/5.6, 18mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV



a closer look of the “Tomb Raider” tree in the central sanctuary
Canon EOS 350D, 1/25s, f/5.6, 18mm, ISO 100, -1.0EV

the Glimpse, part 2

(continued from The Glimpse part 1)

There are two exhibits being displayed this week at Parkmall in Mandaue City. One is by Images, Cebu’s oldest camera club. The other one is by our group, which being basically a nameless aggrupation of photographers, was, by a funny twist of fate, dubbed by the Park Mall as “Cebu’s Top Photographers”. The tag, which probably and unwittingly would raise other photographers’ eyebrows, made me smile.




The exhibit runs from Nov 15 to Nov 21, and sits at the south entrance of the mall (the one facing the direction of SM Cebu). Each of us contributed 8 pictures that are in 12x18” full color prints.


My daughter Cacing seems to have made her choice as to which is her favorite (the one she can reach! LOL)


I don’t do this often but for posterity, here is my mugshot taken by my wife

For those who could not come, here are the 8 photos I chose. As a challenge to me, I picked out photographs which had no or little post-processing. All are uncropped and corrections were mostly on some sharpening and lightening.


Damgo, the Good Friday procession in Bantayan Island, Cebu
I am afraid this is fast becoming my staple, the number one photo that I would pimp. This has to be my best photo yet and has garnered 1st place in the nightscapes competition of Canon’s SMILES photocontest in the Philippines last year.


incantation, Ta Prohm temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia
I submitted the original unedited version. No post-processing is necessary.



Tirta Empul, Tampaksiring, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia
Of my countless Bali pictures, this must be one of my best as it has an emotional punch. Technically, this also was difficult to achieve (natural lighting, timing, positioning, the unchoreographed worshippers). The only postprocessing was some lightening and color correction.



after 6 months, Zanzibar, Tanzania
The picture continues to haunt me: a gorgeous beach with a scene showing abject poverty. The woman was harvesting coconut husks she buried for 6 months. The softened coir is sold for a mere handful of dollars as mattress fill. This has no editing save for the removal of spots (sensor dust).



row, Mekong Delta, Vietnam
This was a risky shot as I had to stand on my feet, trying to maintain the balance of the small boat I was on. I only saturated the colors to bring out the brown hue of the river.



breathless, Ramena Beach, Antsiranana (Diego Suarez), Madagascar
After “Damgo” (above) which has >1,100 favorites in flickr, this comes second with >800. The pure unbridled joy on the children’s faces was priceless. I lightened the color to bring out the details of their smiles.



imbang, Sukawati, Bali, Indonesia
This is special as I took this the day after our wedding in Bali. My wife and I led the tour of some 50 guests when our car was interrupted by a procession. The photo was sharpened.



Bantimurung, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
This is not color-corrected in any way. I only lightened the photo. The orange tint came from incandescent lighting which contrasted sharply with the bluish tint of the fluorescent lamps on the waterfalls. Early dusk provided the rest of the effect.

The concept of beauty

Beauty, the ideal that we all grasp but always find difficult to describe in specifics, is forever etched in our mind. What defines beauty? Who says what is beautiful and what is not?

A couple of years ago, we were viewing the magnificent murals of Angkor Wat, admiring the intricately carved apsaras (mythical nymphs) that grace the flaking sandstone walls, when our guide, pointed to us one particular figure. “That,” he said, “is for me the most beautiful apsara in all of Angkor.”



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/100s, f/7.1, 55mm, ISO 100, -1.0EV (no post-processing)
the famous toothy apsara in the Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Kampuchea


An apsara, by virtue of her divinity, is regarded as the epitome of grace and beauty and there are the features that are recognizably common: A round face with puffed cheeks. A bulging forehead. Almond eyes that definitely are Asian. Full lips that would put collagen-injected puckers to shame. Buxom fertile breasts. Elongated ear lobes stretched by the weight of the heavy earrings.

However, I noticed what seemed to be some unique features in this particular apsara: A high-bridged and aquiline nose, which almost is not Asian. A cleft chin. And most peculiar of all, an open smile which revealed straight even teeth.

Against other apsaras in the same wall, she is a standout. Take the two apsaras shown below for instance. Even by today’s standards, they remain verisimilitudes of pulchritude. Yet one gets the feeling that when compared to the smiling apsara, the two could only appear generic and typical.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/80s, f/5.6, 18mm, ISO 200, -1/3EV (no post-processing)
typical countenance of apsaras in the Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Kampuchea


Leaving the temple, I shelved these observations. But just recently, back in the confines of home, I searched the internet and found out that the smiling apsara is indeed a famous relief, cited in travel books. It is one of only ten apsaras who bear toothy smiles. (Online sources would often point to only two but dewata.org has surveyed 10). Tourists actually spend time to look for this one and if their guide is not knowledgeable to this trivia, they often could not locate it.

What drove the artist to carve this toothy apsara? From what I read, Khmer tradition calls for apsara dancers never to show their teeth during a performance. Grinning with an open mouth is also generally considered impolite in Asia. As a child, we were taught to always cover our mouths with our hands to hide the teeth.

The contradiction comes back to what construes as beauty. Is it the allure of mystery? Or can beauty be bold and in your face? In the art of Angkor, mystique occasionally is out in the open, not just suggested, not coy. Honesty can still be beautiful, now and in the past.

more apsaras



me, taking a picture of the toothsome apsara, as taken by my wife
travel tip: the Apsara is on the wall of the first exterior gallery facing to the east. Photographing the famous toothsome apsara was challenging. It is carved high on the wall and shooting it at eye level was difficult. I had to wedge my feet on the ledge and tiptoed as much as I could, to get a more level vantage point.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f/5.6, 45mm, ISO 400, +2/3 EV, (no post-processing)
an apsara at the temple of Ta Prohm, Siem Reap, Kampuchea



Canon EOS 350D, 1/40s, f/5.6, 38mm, ISO 400, -1/3 EV
an apsara at Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Kampuchea



Canon EOS 350D, 1/40s, f/5.6, 30mm, ISO 400
an apsara at Angkor Wat, red from the rubbing of human hands, Siem Reap, Kampuchea



Canon EOS 350D, 1/15s, f/5.6, 47mm, ISO 100, +1/3 EV (no post-processing)
an apsara overcome by the creeping jungle at Ta Prohm, Siem Reap, Kampuchea

The Monastics of Angkor Wat

Cambodia is the Kingdom of the Khmers, they who built Angkor, a city of stone temples and edifices so vast. Reputedly covering more than 1,000 square miles, Angkor is 20 times larger than the next biggest preindustrial city of Tikal in Mayan Guatemala. The most famous Angkor monument is the palatial complex known as the Angkor Wat. It is BIG. The outer walls encloses more than 82 hectares of land.


phototip: Rain can be your friend. It can provide a mysterious ambience, especially if the streaks are captured by fast shutter speed.
f/5.6, 0.004s, 155mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV, cropped
The west gate of Angkor Wat, as taken from the topmost level of the central temple,Siem Reap, Cambodia


What struck me most was the humanistic strand that helped keep Angkor Wat alive today: the religious. In all its 850 years of existence, the temple has never been abandoned, really. Ascribing its discovery to a Portuguese monk or a French explorer is a Westernized view, romanticized but distorted. While the temple fell into neglect after the 16th century, the temple has never really been empty. It has always enjoyed a throng, if not an encampment of Buddhist monks and nuns.


phototip: ….
f/5.6, 0.008s, 55mm, ISO 200, -1/3EV, cropped
Monks at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia


Without argument, monks and nuns are mendicants. They live from the benevolence of patrons. Begging for their daily needs, they do not work for their very sustenance in our accepted conventional sense. Idealized their roles may be, there is some dissent against their dependence on alms in Cambodia and probably in other Buddhist societies as well. The question begs: how could they remain “idle” amidst the growing poverty of the very society they mean to serve?


phototip: Most portraits become more effective if you get the subject look at you. In my case, the nun was tidying up the altar. I composed the shot while her back was away from me. I knew that soon she would turn. She did.
f/4.5 , 0.067s, 33mm, ISO 800, -1/3EV
A shrine at the uppermost central shrine of the Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia


History provides the answer. Monks and nun are merely following norms developed along the centuries. Societies in civilizations as old as the Khmers were divided into classes. Each class had a role to fulfill. Without divisions that were almost so rigid to prevent someone from moving between classes, there would have been chaos. In a practical sense, artistic achievements, like that of the majesty of Angkor, would not have been reached as well.


phototip: Tight shots makes the message clearer.
f/5.6. 0.02s, 55mm, ISO 800, -1/3EV, cropped
A monk offering supplications at the central sanctuary tower of Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Art cannot prosper in a vacuum. Only societies that have a great level of surfeit of food and riches would have the extravagance to commit sections of their populations to doggedly sole-minded pursuits like music, dance, painting and architecture. The Khmers did. How else could the grand designs materialize if the artists were not sheltered and allowed to do what they did without fear of hunger and want? By the same rationale, there rose a section of the society given the time and space to enlighten and spiritually “sustain” life- the monastics.


phototip: Watch out for stillness against speed. I set up a tripod at a doorway, waited for the nun to freeze in a prayer, while tourists passed by. The exposure of 1.6 seconds created the colored blur.
f/5.6 , 1.6s, 55mm, ISO 100, +1/3EV, cropped
at the central uppermost temple of the Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia


Today, Buddhist monks and nuns in Cambodia continue the tradition of alm-seeking and live only if the public sticks to the convention of support. I found out that there are rules governing this sustenance. For starters, the monks can only seek what are existential: food, clothing, shelter and medicine. All else are considered trivial.


phototip: White stands bold even if the subject is in a dark corner, especially when contrasted against the colored ornaments.
f/5.6, 0.01s, 49mm, ISO 400, uncropped
A nun at the Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

By leading a life of an ascetic, monks and nuns are examples to the masses of what can be renounced in life. By freely choosing to lead simply, they remind the people that enlightenment can only be achieved by giving up material things. That is how Buddhism’s concept of nirvana can be attained. I too am reminded of the biblical line of “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).


phototip: The Angkor Wat’s central temple is notorious for the steep staircase. Don’t take unnecessary risk in getting the shot you like. I took the photo at the landing before I descended the steep stairs, with the camera safely tucked inside a padded and secured bag.
f/5.6, 0.008s, 37mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV, uncropped
The difficult descent from the uppermost central shrine of the Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

The normal title of "nun" is conferred to female monastics who may be considered equal to male ascetics. These ladies often wear robes of white or gray, as opposed to the saffron sported by the monks. Monks and nuns are expected to be totally celibate and generally avoid physical contact with the opposite sex.


phototip: Watch out for expressions that convey strong emotions and tell a story.
f/16, 0.2s, 55mm, ISO 400, -1/3EV, uncropped
A Buddhist nun and at a shrine in the uppermost central temple of the Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia


Meditation is associated with the monastics. Silence accompanies simplicity. Monks and nuns are considered to be in a different plane, having lived the “inner world”. People may chose to ignore them sometimes but ultimately, their presence fills in a need that no one else can.


phototip: Strong backlight creates bold shadows that can be an effective background for incense smoke.
f/5.6, 0.008s,55mm, ISO 800,-1/3EV, uncropped
Meditation scene in the uppermost central temple of the Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia