The Ultralight Philosophy

I love the great outdoors and being with nature, be it swimming with the fishes, scuba diving or just being in the forest backpacking on my favorite trails. The freedom of being one with nature, just being absorbed by your environment, your mind goes inward and the heart beats slowly to the rhythm of the blowing wind.

I have been an avid backpacker, and my hiking habits changed when a guy name Ray Jardine introduced a backpacking philosophy called ultralight backpacking, where you only bring the essentials that you need for your trip and not be bogged down by unnecessary gear. A tarp instead of a tent, a shorter and lighter sleeping pad, summer weight sleeping bags, a small knife instead of a multitool, cotton balls as firestarters etc. He advocated that the reward of hiking is the journey as much as the destination.

I kept that philosophy with me and applied it even to my daily life and my photography. I used to be one of those guys that would salivate every time a new camera model or the latest gear comes in, because I would tell myself it could make my pictures better when I knew all along that it’s the photographer that makes the picture, not the camera. The great Ansel Adams took his legendary pictures with a square wood box camera, right? In martial arts, my teacher would tell me, "It's the warrior not the weapon".




















Photo Tip: To lighten your camera load in backpacking, you do not need to bring a 2 lb slr (unless it is a photoshoot hike). Instead bring a compact point and shoot that has a wide angle to moderate telephoto lens, sharp and has great colors and saturation. An optical image stabilizer is a big plus, since you can leave the tripod behind. Do not focus so much on the technique but instead focus on your composition and vision.

Cape May

Last Thanksgiving, we wanted to do something different than staying at home slaving in front of the oven and cooking a 15lb turkey. This time, I wanted to be fed and just relax for a couple of days.

We looked around where to go, we wanted to go somewhere that is relatively near us and where there are good restaurants that are open that time of the year and could offer something different from the city.

We decided to go to Cape May, my wife and I haven't been there and I have heard of some really great restaurants, plus I miss the smell of the ocean. So off we go, booked a hotel and drove 2.5 hours to the cape.

Cape May is a rather charming town with the colorful Victorian houses lining the street and rustic restaurants. The best thing about going there at that time of the year was that the crowds were all gone and you get transported back in time with the Island almost to ourselves.



In the afternoon, we walked along the beach, with the wind blowing through our hair and watched as the sun went down.





We ended the day with a glass of wine, great food and thankful to God for all the blessings that we have.

I don't need no proof when it comes to God and truth
I can see the sunset and I perceive - Heaven Lyrics by Live


















Photo Tip: To take photos of a sunset, set your camera to aperture or manual mode, select an aperture of 5.6 or higher and meter on the sky beside the sun but do not include the sun, take note of your shutter speed. Lock the exposure and recompose your shot. This will cause a silhouette of your foreground and will render the amazing color of the sky.

Warning! Be careful not to look at the viewfinder too long as the sun can burn your eye.