Picture yourself on Guam, cruising North-bound on Tumon Rd. heading towards Gun Beach. You pass the gate and find yourself looking at an enormous “shack” nested into a few coconut trees with a perfect view of the sunset. Looking in-land, you’ll find a hidden path that will take you to a traditional attraction called Gokna. In this traditionally inspired village, you can take a step back in time and witness how “life” was interpreted during the Ancient Chamorro times. You can see the coconut leaf thatched hutts, concrete latte stones, a fire pit, and a Taro patch. These were all essential items to have in a village to survive. The latte stones served as the foundation of the chamorro house, providing them shelter. The taro patch was a very important source of food because it served as their “carbohydrate” to perform daily functions through out the day. Typically, an Ancient Chamorro could be a hunter, a fisherman, a farmer, a craftsmen, and other occupations. An ancient chamorro’s diet consisted of fish, taro, lemai, and other ingredients from the Earth.
saipan photography
March 12, 2014 – Wednesday
Beach, Long Exposure, Saipan, UncategorizedManagaha Island. One of Saipan’s most visited spots due to it’s emerald green waters, white sand beaches, and isolation in the Saipan Lagoon. The island offers numerous pavilions for residents/tourists to spend the day/overnight enjoying their “beach front” view of mother nature. Managaha is located in a Marine Protected Area where any fishing/harvesting activities violate the rules of the MPA. Managaha is currently experiencing a change in topography due to erosion in the northern parts of the island.
March 3, 2014 – Tuesday
SaipanDelicious Ribs. Barbecuing is a weekend ritual where family & friends gather to hang out at the beach, BBQ, and have a great time in the sun. Marination of the meat is step one. If you don’t get the marination right, then the meat will obviously taste bad. Step two is to get the fire to the right temperature. Third step is to sit back and enjoy the BBQ.
March 7, 2014 – Friday
Beach, Long Exposure, Ocean, Saipan, TinianTinian Blow Hole (at night), Tinian. This picture was a long exposure as you can tell by the movement of the clouds and the stars in the horizon. You can see the island of Saipan in the distance, with all the lights and what not taking view. Ancient coral outcrop line the edge of Tinian bordering the dynamic yet majestic ocean to create a contrast of textures.
Suicide Cliff, Tinian. When the Americans were on the verge of winning the Battle of Saipan, or the Battle of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Japanese forces chose to take their lives instead of surrender to the Americans. This specific cliff was where the Japanese would jump into the big blue ocean in the attempt to take their lives. This photo was taken at night, as you can see the stars in the horizon.
Long exposure shots are very interesting to take. It takes a lot of patience to learn how to adjust the settings of the camera to take the shot that you want. Some shots may be overexposed (too bright), and some underexposed(too dark). It definitely requires a lot of practice to truly master the art of long exposure photography. As for me, I am only scratching the surface…
March 5, 2014 – Wednesday
Beach, Long Exposure, TinianTaga Beach is definitely one of Tinian’s nicest beaches. It is a small beach that cuts into the subtle cliff side of the South Western side of the island of Tinian. A sandy bottom carpets the small portion of the beach where coral reefs surround the small inlet providing a structure to sustain marine life.
A quarry site can be found on top of the cliff side where ancient chamorros carved into the limestone cliffs to create “latte stones”. Latte Stones served as the foundation for an ancient chamorro house. A latte is made up of the column and the cap stone. To this day, it is a mystery to how these giant structures were erected. Latte stones can be found through out the Northern Mariana Island Chain as far south as Guam, all the way up to the island of Pagan.
March 3, 2014 – Monday
Long Exposure, TinianTook a long exposure of the famous Tinian Blow Hole. It is nested right by the ocean in a limestone/ancient reef outcrop that is literally 5 ft away from the ocean. If you wait for the perfect swell, you will witness the power of the ocean when it meets the land. This place can be a very treacherous place to come to, esp under bad weather conditions. Beware of big swells and a wall of ocean water that could pull you in.















