Short story and photos by Art G. Valeanzuela

A FISHERMAN casts a solitary figure off the shoreline at Bangui Bay in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte taking advantage of the calmness of the sea in pursuing a simple livelihood.

Fifteen minutes before sundown I was getting ready to catch the sunset with my camera when my driver called my attention to the solitary figure out the sea. An opportunity had presented itself.  Having left my zoom lens and tripod in the hotel room, I tried to make do with my 18-75mm lens mounted on my Lumix camera.

The fisherman was drifting with the current from my left to the right side of the seascape.  I deliberately took shots in wide angle format (photos 1 and 2). And then I zoomed in a bit on the third and fourth photos using my driver’s shoulder as “tripod.” (I told my driver not to move nor breathe for a few seconds as I scanned the view on the LCD cam screen.) And then I slowly pressed the shutter and froze the moments, maybe for a lifetime. I must have taken about 12-15 shots. It was a very rare opportunity which may not present itself again under such a circumstance or condition.

The last photo shows the simple raft and fishing gears that a typical offshore fisherman uses in this part of Ilocos Norte. There must be an Ilocano term for this kind of fishing method where a fisherman lays down a long line of net just off the shoreline, usually before sunset, and retrieves it later with the catch in the evening.  I reckon that only small fishes called “Ipon” (“bia” fingerlings) are caught at this time of the year. It was one cold January afternoon when I snapped these photos.

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