Sigma 18-200 OS tells a Banaue story

[Romy Ocon]

Here's a snapshot of the 8th Wonder of the World taken over a year ago with a 40D + Sigma 18-200 OS at 42 mm. There are a few dwellings here and there, but the beauty of the millenia old rice terraces is largely intact, isn't it?


Banaue Rice Terraces - 40D + Sigma 18-200 OS, 42 mm, 1/40 sec, f/9, ISO 320, hand held, uncropped FF resized to 1200x800:

[Romy Ocon]

May 12, 2009 12:43:06 GMT Romy Ocon said:

There are a few dwellings here and there, but the beauty of the millenia old rice terraces is largely intact, isn't it?

NOT!!!


Captured from the same spot a few minutes earlier, same gear and exposure settings, but this time at 18 mm:

[tina mallari]

what a waste ... such beauty slowly disappearing right before our eyes. Before you know it - pictures will be the only proof that they were even there. How sad

[Teddy Regpala]

Prelude:
Growing up as a student way baaaack then, I was made to believe that the rice terraces is indeed the 8th wonder (next to the original 7 wonders).
Or maybe the books and teachers said "considered as", I can't remember.
Or maybe they explained what the "8th wonder" really means and I'm not just paying attention. ;D Ok, I can blame my noisy seatmates for that, or the cute girl seating infront which was a distraction. Hehehe.
Or maybe it's just a marketing hype of the then Ministry (now department) of Tourism?

Then as I read more (maybe HS or even at college), you discover there are others claiming to be the "8th wonder". So I thought "the rice terraces got replaced?"

Then, as I got older, I saw pictures of rice terraces ... unfortunately not from Banawe, but from Bali. Not sure how old theirs is as compared to our Banawe. But the fact is, as I found out, it's no longer unique.

Then, there's the internet:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_Wonder_of_the_World

Back to the topic:
That's an amazing (field of) view, captured via a 42mm even though it's a cropped sensor.
This makes zoom lenses valuable for landscape photography for it's flexibility.

Makes me want to visit it someday, as I haven't been there yet. Yes, I consider myself a foreigner in my own native land.
Unfortunately, I have to do it really soon if I still want to see the original beauty of it. As shown by the wide angle shot (18mm), it's just a matter of time before it's lost forever.

When I was young, going to Baguio was a treat. The mountain sides were full of trees, and the air was so fresh.
And the last time I've been there, the trees were replaced by the sight of houses ... everywhere. Made me recall Asin's "Masdan mo ang Kapaligiran" (Watch/observe the Environment).

[Toto Gamboa]

Oh no. never been there and i guess like teddy, should go there soon too. this 18mm shot of master romy tells me we just can't be united during Manny Pacquiao's fight. There are other great sites that are now being neglected, wors abused. I havent been to Boracay too (ako n alang yata nde pa nakakapunta dun hehehe) and the pictures I see before and the pictures I see nowadays are telling me we people really s@#k.

I guess there are ways to make a place an excellent tourist destination without the destruction of its beauty.