To be honest, I was a little wary of going to Boracay in the Philippines. If you’ve ever taken a look at my blog header, then you know that I’m all about traveling off the beaten path, which Boracay definitely is not.
On my first day on the island I headed to White Beach, bracing myself for the hordes of tourists whom I would have to compete with for a spot on the sand. But when I got to the water, the scene I stumbled into was not what I had been expecting.
Probably because it was low season, about 90% of the tourists were Asian. And you guys know the funny thing about Asians at beaches, don’t you?
They hate the sun and can’t swim.
Okay, I’m obviously generalizing here, but it’s a generalization based on four and a half years in Asia. In fact I spent two years on a tiny island in Japan with the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen, and they were always totally empty, even on hot hot summer days. It was crazy!
So what were all the tourists doing on Boracay, then?
Taking photos.
Seriously, White Beach was like one giant photo shoot. I self-consciously tugged at my baggy shorts as I passed through a crowd of gorgeous women in flowing dresses and – bafflingly – high heels. At first I was totally put off, but then I sort of fell in love with it.
Southeast Asians in particular really know how to pose for photos. None of that standing there and smiling stuff we love in America, or the cute but overdone peace signs of Japan. Or every travel blogger’s favorite: the backwards-facing photo.
You guys, no. If my week on Boracay taught me one thing, it’s that we need to step up our modeling skills. Luckily, one week gave me plenty of time to learn from everyone else on the beach. And lucky for you, I’m here to share those lessons, woohoo!
For my first two days on the island I shared a room with a girl I met on the boat over, and since she’s from Indonesia she’s an expert on posing for photos. My perfect introduction to the Southeast Asian photo shoot!
Lesson 1: Throw your arms up!
This felt very silly to me and I much prefer keeping my hands safely by my side, thank you very much, but when she was photographing me Stefy kept yelling “get your arms up!”
Lesson 2: Use props.
Seashells, rocks, fistfuls of sand – whatever you can find, but hold it up and make it look cute!
Lesson 3: Use a selfie stick!
Okay, so I may be a little out of touch here, but I had never seen a selfie stick before, except the ones people use with GoPros. But everyone on the beach had one, so I’m assuming they’re everywhere now? Like, if you take a walk through Williamsburg you’ll see all the hipsters using them to take their next Instagram selfie? Yes?
Update: Approximately 1 year later I think we all know the answer is a definitive yes!
Lesson 4: Walk through the waves kicking up water around you.
Even after carefully studying countless people doing this move, I just couldn’t master it. The idea is to either look like you’re having tons of fun splashing around OR stare out into the distance wistfully while kicking up water around you. I usually ended up smiling but forgetting to kick the water, or I would get the water up but be concentrating intently on the ground. Oops.
It looks really cool if you nail it, so I recommend spending the months leading up to your next beach trip practicing in your bathtub.
Lesson 5: Put on your prettiest outfit and take soft glowy photos just before sunset.
Okay you probably all know about golden hour already. But it was serious business on Boracay, with White Beach filling with a long line of people posing in the pretty light. Of course I set up my tripod and joined them!
Lesson 6: Photograph the sunset!
White Beach was crazy during sunset. It seemed like pretty much the entire island crowded onto the beach to take photos in front of it. At first it was too much for me and I just wanted to find a place to enjoy the sunset in peace, but then I realized how amazing it is for so many people to stop what they were doing to watch the sun go down – something that happens every day around the world!
Imagine if we always greeted sunsets with such fanfare. Businesses would announce that it was starting, and all the workers would file outside to admire it and take lots of jumping photos. Um, can we make that become a thing?!
Lesson 7: Take One Million Photos
I watched people spend hours posing for photos, just so they would get that perfect shot. I mean, it’s not every day you’re taking photos on Boracay! I sort of loved how little shame people had about it. Normally I feel like quite the prima donna getting out my tripod and camera remote for a little photo shoot.
But on Boracay no one even seemed to take notice of the blonde girl spending an hour trying to kick up water in a pretty way. It was so much fun to totally self-indulge like that. Because you know, blogging isn’t vain enough. 
Okay so maybe these photos are also evidence of how bored I got being at the beach by myself. I did try my hand at another favorite Boracay activity: building sandcastles.
Ta-da!
Just kidding, I actually paid an island kid 20 cents to take a photo with his. I gave up on mine after just a few minutes, around the time all the locals started pointing and laughing at me. It’s hard!
I loved that all the kids were building these, like Boracay’s version of the lemonade stand. And if someone tells me in the comments that actually it’s a terrible scam and their sandcastles are hiding places for drugs I will cry.
Did you find my photo tips SUPER useful? Of course you did. What’s your favorite beach activity?
PIN IT!
Karlijn Travels says
Such a fun post, it had me laugh out loud! You’ve got to love the photo posing skills of many Asian travelers. My favorites are the ‘romantic’ wedding photo shoots though 😉
Silvia says
When I hit publish I had a sudden anxiety that people would think I was being serious, haha. I had forgotten about the romantic wedding photo shoots, but they’re definitely the best!
Miriam of Adventurous Miriam says
Haha, I love your humor, Silvia! I had never seen a selfie stick either before I came to Boracay, but apparently it’s big with the Chinese and Koreans. We basically had the ocean to ourselves, because everyone was busy taking selfies. Hilarious 🙂
Silvia says
Same here, it was so nice that no one else wanted to swim! I just saw a selfie stick here in Thailand the other day, so it looks like the trend is spreading!
Polly says
Soooo useful.
And, OK, I am the whitest, red-headest, beach-hatingest girl around and I still think it’s crazy that people go to the beach for photographs only!
Silvia says
As another white white girl I have to say I loved having something else to do at the beach besides hide in the shade while everyone else was getting gorgeously tan, haha. But seriously, it seemed like most people there didn’t even go in the water. Like, what?
Joanna @ MigratingBird says
Love this post, Asians have definitely raised the photo bar for the rest of us! And the selfie stick is everywhere in Australia. And I’m surprised you didn’t see them in Singapore- I was so jealous!
This is my first real solo trip and the photo thing is more difficult than I thought. No one looks twice at people taking selfies with a cell phone and/or a selfie stick. Unfortunately all I have is my DSLR, which means I get dozens of people feeling sorry for me asking if I want them to take the photo. Cringe.
Silvia says
I just saw a selfie stick in Thailand, so I guess they’re spreading! I didn’t see any in Singapore, but I did have a bunch of people offer to take photos of me with my DSLR as well. Sometimes I just told them that actually I was working on a photo project, so that I felt less pathetic, haha.
Corinne says
Silvia, I love this post! Tongue-in-cheek as it is, it’s all good advice…and I’ll cry too, if there are drugs in the sand castles!
Silvia says
Being in Asia has made me so skeptical of kids working, even if it looks as harmless as them building sandcastles. I do think it was probably innocent though, haha.
Ashley says
Haha I loved this post! The first time I saw a person with a selfie stick was at a mall and it made me cringe. I generally look awkward in photos and feel like a complete moron trying to take pictures of myself when I’m alone, but I think it’s safe to say that I shouldn’t be ashamed trying to take one photo of myself when people spend hours doing it!
Silvia says
So true! I always feel ridiculous taking tons of photos for the blog, but in Boracay I saw a whole other level of photo obsession.
Paula Through the Looking Glass says
great post 🙂 can’t wait to get to Boracay next year :)I’ll be sure to try out some new poses lol
Silvia says
Haha I can’t wait to see your version of this blog post next year 🙂
Reni says
Wonderful post. Had a good laugh. The title of you post made me curious and so glad that I’ve read it. I’m planning to go to the Philippines too and glad to know that. So nothing to worry about a busy beach during the day 😉
Silvia says
Yeah it was strange that the beach would be so crowded with photographers at sunset, but for most of the day the water was pretty empty!
Justine says
This is absolutely hilarious! I was in Boracay around this time last year and I experienced the same thing – the beaches were fairly empty during the day, but come sunset all of White Beach was mobbed with selfie-crazed tourists. Seriously, where are all those people during the day? I thought it was so funny how people would keep taking photos even though they were ultra back lit or it was so dark there was no way the photo would come out. I got a kick out of watching all the photographers in Boracay!
Silvia says
Right?! So bizarre. I guess most of the people were hiding from the sun during the day, so they would (gasp) get a tan, haha.
Marie @ Marie Away says
Great photos! I am one of those awkward people that is entirely unphotogenic, I am lost without a prop and the ability to have many, many takes. I’ll have to try out some of your tips, they seem to work!
Silvia says
Haha yup, most of the photos I took were incredibly awkward. My number one rule is to just take as many photos as possible and hope that I look semi decent in one of them!
Vanessa says
This is a great post! I had fun reading it from start to the last word. I think Stefy taught you well in photoshoot 101 and doing selfies. The photos are great. It really worked well. Asians are so well in doing selfies. And that selfie pod! A phenomenon! Want to have one too..I think almost all asians have them!
Silvia says
Stefy was a fantastic photo shoot teacher! I hope people don’t think I’m weird when I return to Europe but keep doing the Asian photo poses, haha.
Sophie says
Fun post! And I recognise every single one of these poses!
Silvia says
Haha yup, that’s Asia!
zof says
This is totally hilarious.
Silvia says
What? It’s super serious! Ha.
Renate @ Renate's Travels says
Haha, I love this! The photos are great! I also feel kind of awkward in front of the camera, so I usually bring a tripod so I don’t have to hassle other people (and take 32498920348902 photos of myself to finally get a cool one), and I always try to find places where no one can see me… haha.
Silvia says
Haha yup, I took approximately 5847372949458 photos to get this collection. Normally I also hide away from people while taking photos, but in Boracay everyone was taking so many photos that I didn’t feel self-conscious at all!
becky hutner says
Sylvia, you NAILED this aspect of Southeast Asian culture. I was first struck by it in Hanoi, Vietnam where everyone crowds Hoan Kiem Lake at magic hour for EPIC photo shoots. It’s funny though, there IS something about Boracay that makes you want to join the frenzy. It is the only place I have ever felt comfortable doing a full on ridiculous swimsuit photoshoot — for like an hour! I trust advertisers already know this is THE place to bring models if you want them at their most uninhibited. Or do you think we should tell them?
Silvia says
Oh, you better believe I’ve already sent my photos to an advertising agency. I’m going to be a SUPER MODEL wooo! Ha no, but it was fun briefly feeling comfortable getting my model on in Boracay!
Rebekah says
This is hilarious, chinese people are pretty hilarious with their posing and sometimes they try to get me to join in but I just get really awkward…. but its so funny to watch
Silvia says
I am so awkward with posing too, so it was fun trying to really embrace it on Boracay.
Marias reiser says
Oh, lovely, lovely Boracay <3
Silvia says
<3
Emily from Let's Roam Wild says
This is hysterical! I’m about to spend some serious alone time on a solo trip myself and definitely need to figure out the art of the selfie. I always just feel SO AWKWARD taking pictures by myself! But like, if I don’t actually take any with me in them, was I really even there?? Love this and will definitely start practicing now for my splashing in the waves photoshoot 😉
Silvia says
I usually feel so awkward too, though after months and months of solo travel I’ve definitely become better at the selfies. And glad to hear you are taking my advice seriously and practicing for your waves photo shoot! Haha
Miquel says
ooooo the selfie stick lol. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to commit even though it would probably come in handy. Actually the popularity of the selfie in Asia still blows me away sometimes. There is no selfie shame here!! I loved this post! Bookmaking for future beach photo shoots and tips on faking a sandcastle.
Silvia says
It’s always good to know how to fake a sandcastle 🙂
Anna // The Blonde Banana says
This is hilarious. While I can tell you that there are some hipsters in Williamsburg using selfie sticks, most everyone else is laughing at them. While I tend to roll my eyes, I agree that it would secretly be awesome to be somewhere that everyone is so obsessed with photos as a blogger. No one judging you for taking pics of yourself!
Silvia says
Right? I’m usually one of the ones laughing at the people obsessed with selfies, but I think secretly I wish I had their lack of shame.
Yosemite says
This is amazing. First of all, you’re beautiful. Second of all, I’m going home to fill up my bathtub and practice water-kicking after work.
Silvia says
YES. I’m glad someone is taking my advice seriously.
Marie-France (a.k.a. BigTravelNut) says
Too funny. 🙂 Yes, I’m seeing these selfie sticks more and more now. Lots of people are using them here in Istanbul. I was in Boracay in February 2012 and I don’t remember that many people doing photo shoots then…
Silvia says
Oh wow, it’s crazy to think how much Boracay has changed in just a couple of years!
Victoria@ The British Berliner says
So funny Silvia! I love the fact that Asian tourists are so willing to put themselves out there, putting the rest of us to shame with adventurous poses LOL!
I love the fact that the selfie stick is doing the rounds although I don’t have one myself. Imagine being in a German restaurant with a selfie stick…. Emm. No! I thought not LOL!
It’s true about the water though. A large number of Asian people can’t swim, go diving and snorkelling anyway, and somehow insist on taking their babies along too! Now, that’s what I would call a YOLO moment!
Silvia says
Haha I LOVE the image of you pulling out a selfie stick in a German restaurant. Please do that, and please send me the photo!
Beth says
Totally agree! No one knows how to take photos like they do in Asia. I was always amazed watching the great lengths people go to in order to get the perfect shot!
Silvia says
At first I thought the Asian photo shoots were crazy (okay I still do) but now I’ve realized they’re also sort of genius, haha.
Vanessa @ The Travelling Colognian says
The Philippines haven’t really been on my bucket list, but after seeing your photos, Silvia, I should maybe consider to travel there – somewhen in the future. Your pictures are absolutely beautiful. I had to laugh when reading about the asians who hate the sun and can’t swim, but even more about the ladies posing for photos in high heels on a beach. That reminds me of a chinese ladies who I met at Everest Base Camp in Tibet who seriously climbed a hill there wearing Crocs, doing a phone call with her mobile while ascending. When she wanted to get back down, she had no idea how to do so with these shoes! People in her group had to help her back down. But I love only meeting asian people when travelling in Asia and on my most recent trip along the Silk Road of China from which I just returned I fortunately almost met less than ten western tourists. The others were either locals or chinese tourists who were lovely and sometimes involved me into their photo shooting.
Silvia says
Wow, climbing to Base Camp in Crocs? That’s a whole new level of crazy. I’m glad you’ve also been enjoying hanging out with Asian tourists and participating in their photo shoots though. And yes, add the Philippines to your bucket list!
Agness says
I’ve never been there, but it’s absolutely beautiful! <3 Looooooooove at first sight!
Silvia says
I fell in love immediately too 🙂
Martina Donkers says
Hey Silvia!
Hahahaha I totally thought this post was going to be entirely serious! Then I read the first few lines – lol!
I think I’m going to have to try a few of these poses on the Fijian beaches… And stand out like crazy doing it! People here are a lot more subtle. Oh well, whatever – it looks like fun! Without a selfie-stick (bahahahaha) though, I might have to enlist help…
Martina 🙂
Silvia says
Please do this photo shoot on Fiji! Haha
JONtotheworld says
This is fun post!
You are right. We, SOutheast Asians, hate sunlight. And it’s quite ironic that being a country surrounded by water, most of us don’t know how to swim LOL!
The reason why most Asians hate sunlight because we don’t want to get our skin darker,especially with girls. Girls here are crazy for whiter skin, so whitening soaps, lotions etc is a big business here.
That’s the reason why it’s so rare to see a Filipino (or Southeast Asian) enjoying under the heat of the sun. Usually we go out when during sunset. Weird right? hahaha
And we are also crazy over selfie sticks! hahaha
I enjoyed reading your blog. 🙂
Silvia says
It’s funny how Asians don’t want to have darker skin, while in Norway everyone ruins their skin trying to get it as dark as possible! I guess we all want what we don’t have 🙂
Shing says
Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhahahahahahahahahahaaa ahaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa hahaahahahah This cracked me up. I’m in stitches.
Have you been to Russia before? If not, you need to go just so you can do a second edition!
The only thing missing from this is a Baywatch swimsuit. Or would that be an overkill?
Silvia says
Headed to Russia next month! I’m excited to see Russians incorporating snow in their photo shoots – and of course I’ll share my findings, don’t worry!
April says
Ha! Great tips. I’m from the Philippines but couldn’t for the life of me take decent holiday shots. I always tend to go for silhouette ones atleast that way I won’t ruin the view by being in the photo!
Hope you had a wicked time in Boracay 🙂
Silvia says
Haha I did! Silhouette photos are always a good bet – though I still haven’t quite mastered them, ha.
Alice Teacake says
Haha what a fun post! I don’t like taking my photo very much but I’m getting better! I even own a Selfie stick but my phone keeps dropping out of it >< Goddamn selfie stick.
Amanda Elizabeth says
This post is so adorable! I love the bit about throwing your hands up! So true I always keep my hands guarded on my side. Or practicing kicking water in the bathtub, that is so funny.
Silvia says
Haha thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Eva says
Hi Silvia. Great post! Thank you for sharing. I’m off to the Philippines and Boracay next week. I will be based in Station 2 (any good?) and also doing my PADI over there – super excited.
On a different matter, if you don’t mind, I love how you put together your photos under Lesson 7: Take One Million Photos. Do you mind sharing how you did it? Plugin? Widget? 🙂
All the best in the future with your travels and blog 🙂
Eva
Silvia says
I used Picmonkey! Have fun xx
Romina says
Hi Silvia,
I stumbled upon your blog as I was searching for tips for women traveling alone to Morocco. I am Filipina and I am glad you liked it in Boracay. It could be crowded at times but there are special moments like that time when you were there and where the weather was nice too.
I had a huge smile on my face the whole time I was reading this post. I didn’t even know about that kicking-the-water-up pose haha. I try to limit photos of myself but after seeing yours in your travels, especially in Morocco and Egypt – makes me think I ought to try that too 😀
You are totally spot on about most Southeast/East Asians and their relationship with the beach. I don’t understand the part about not wanting to be in the sun, though I can relate to the part about swimming – just recently started learning 😉
Thank you for the informative posts and the beautiful photos as inspiration. Bon voyage!
Silvia says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post! I really need to go back to the Philippines.
Holly says
Funny post – loved it! While I was teaching in Korea in 1996, I went on 2 different vacays to Boracay…1st with perfect weather & the other during a monsoon. At that time is was definitely considered “off the beaten path!” I remember going to Puka Beach (once famous for its Puka shells) by myself where I was completely ALONE with not another soul in site….so magical!!!
Guy says
Boracay looks stunning. We’re hoping to go in April 🙂