Backpack Photography Banaue Year 2: An Invite to shoot and experience the highlands

Ifugao war dance

From the distance, the terraces form an undulating pattern on a green and brown canvass that changes colors according to the seasons. It's different when you get up close and walk through them, each layer seems to be a stairway reaching up to the sky. The earth feels solid in some parts, springy and unsteady in some. The rice plants share the nutrients of the earth and moisture of the air with other plants, a fact made obvious by our guide who picks up wild mint growing on a terrace wall, something we can chew on to freshen up. Literally, these are living terraces that thrive with life and growth.

Hapao Terraces

Last year, we embarked on our Backpack Photography 101: Banaue workshop where we took nearly a dozen participants to Banaue not merely to photograph the terraces but also to experience them up close.

To give our participants a more thorough immersion on the Ifugao culture as well as a more authentic highland experience, we lived in a mountain retreat six kilometers from Banaue town proper, in real traditional Ifugao houses. They were also treated to a performance of Ifugao tribal dances and were taught about their significance.

For a more than cursory look of the terraces, we descended to relatively 'hotter' Hapao to trek through the rice terraces, dip into the river and interact with the locals.

All aboard the BP Banaue transpo

Trek and experience the terraces up close

This year, we're once again inviting photography hobbyists and adventurers to our Banaue workshop slated this February 3 to 6.  If you've never been to the Banaue rice terraces, now's a good time to see this heritage site.  If you've already seen the terraces, join the trip, have fun learning about photography and bring home better captures.

For details or to register, email backpackphoto@gmail.com or lagalog@gmail.com. 

You can also text or call 0906.4534133.