Romy Ocon for 19th Philippine Travel Mart Photo Exhibit
August 5, 2008
Romy Ocon one of the featured Photographers of the 19th Philippine Travel Mart Photo Exhibit.
In the growing community of local diehard birdwatchers, photographer Romy Ocon is somewhat of an icon: he has taken some of the most compelling images of the Philippines’ wild birds. The self-taught, colorblind wild bird photographer is among the country’s pioneers of the genres and is widely considered the best in the field. He is also one of the foremost advocates for raising awareness to protect the natural habitat of the wild birds.
“Grass Owl”
Night Hunter
in the Philippines, where there are close to 600 bird species, nearly approximately 180 of those endemic to the country, rare and magnificent winged creatures fly freely in their natural habitat. Romy Ocon captured this image of the Grass Owl (scientific name Tytolongimembris) at the Candaba Wetlands in Pampanga.
“Pheasant-tailed Jacana”
High Tail
This ornately feathered bird is found in freshwater wetlands with an abundance of floating or emergent vegetation. In breeding plumage, its tail becomes longer and its hind neck turns to golden yellow. It measures a total length of up to 585 mm during breeding. The Hydrophasianus chirurgus is a Philippine resident, and it ranges from India to China to Southeast Asia.
“Handsome Sunbird”
Looking Good
Local and international bird-watchers spend up to a month traveling the Philippines’ major birding sites. Some of them roll out of bed at three am to get an early start, then trek for hours to get to a birding site. Among the most difficult to photograph in its natural habitat, is the tiny and, with a total length of less than 100 mm, Handsome Sunbird (scientific name Aethophyga bella).
see more photos at the 19th Philippine Trave Mart!
Ivan Sarenas for the 19th Philippine Travel Mart Photo Exhibit
August 4, 2008
Ivan Sarenas one of the featured Photographers of the 19th Philippine Travel Mart Photo Exhibit
Ivan Sarenas has traveled the Philippines extensively and exhaustively as photographer of the prestigious Philippines Yearbook, as well as for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Greenpeace, Conservational International, National Geographic Productions, and the BBC. His fine art photographs have been exhibited at Pinto Gallery and the Ayala Museum in Manila, as well as in Tokyo and Paris. He is also currently the editor-in-chief of Dispatch Magazine, a travel and adventure publication of ROX, the biggest outdoor retailer in Southeast Asia.
© Ivan Sarenas
“Submariner”
Into the Blue
In Malita, Davao del Sur, fishermen such as Dodo (in photo) earn from part-time gigs as dugong guides. Here he plunges into the blue of the Davao Gulf with major lung power and two nifty homemade diving gear: an antipara (or native goggles made of carved wood and bottle glass), and a single fin made from a piece of plywood attached to one leg.
© Ivan Sarenas
“Babuyan Whale”
Showtime
On a cetacean surveying expedition with the WWF off the coast of the Babuyan islands, Ivan Sarenas helped track the whale population by taking photographs of the whales. And the water world’s friendly giants did not disappoint – putting on a show for a boatload of wildlife conservationists, one particular humpback makes a might leap out of the water and literally makes a big splash.
More Featured Photographers coming up!
