Borakai
Borakai, Philippines, Asia
Camera: Widelux
What makes it special: Touching on the sublime.
The story: "Often, the technical, detailed, framed...drags us into the inevitably predictable digital photographic world of who, what and where. The undefined, unpredictable form demands that the viewer look deeper, searching for emotional meaning and context. These images connect directly to the moment, to being here, now, breathing and drinking deeply, clearly touched by emotional impulse.
The island of Borakai is all sand. It has quickly become a desirable tourist destination thanks to its beautiful reefs, crystal waters, pure white beaches and gentle climate. Demand for lodging, restaurants and, therefore, infrastructure has created a building boom for the local inhabitants. All materials must be imported to the small island, and bamboo is the building material of choice. Shallow waters make it necessary for the boats to moor offshore, requiring a regular stream of laborers wading in crystal waters, carrying heavy loads.
During the sweep of sunset I watched from my hammock as a crew of men hauled large bundles to shore. The long flexible loads moved in sync with their bearers' rhythmic gait as they trudged in chest deep waters. The setting sun lit the clouds, and I marveled at the balance between the water, the land and the people.
Grabbing my Widelux, I ran, then waded out and back, keeping pace with the laborers. I chose a slow shutter speed and pushed it 4 stops, as far as I could, to work with available light, knowing the movement would distort the frames. I experimented with multiple exposures overlapping the film plane as I tried to join the dance and follow, to match their lead, feeling their movement, moving within the water's last reflected light."
