We are moving offices in a few months. The great view of Mt. Fuji will be replaced by a different view.
Fortunately, Fuji-san finally came out and I happened to have my camera (Configuration: Canon 5D Mark III, 50mm f/1.2, shot handheld HDR).
The rest of the view. At the bottom is a huge cemetery. I need to get there.
If you look into the background, you will notice that Tokyo is ringed by mountains.
I will miss the sunsets ……
The other day I wanted to see something different, so I walked a different way home. The best sight was this wall, covered in flowers; Canon 5D Mark III with 50mm f/1.2 in hand.
Up close.
I made a quick stop to pick up some sparkling sake at this shop. I have become a big fan of sparkling sake over the last couple weeks. It is a very light summer drink and perfect for sitting out on a deck or in a backyard with a low alcohol content (5%ish).
Reminds me of the wonderful sparkling cider that we happened across in Normandy.
To get to the cider I had to walk down this stairwell which was a case of the “old” and the “new”. On one side was a gleaming metal wall (protecting a construction site), on the other an old wall with a very old stone stairwell. It wasn’t until afterwards that I noticed the mirror at the top … in case you were walking around the corner too fast (smile).
One more old and new.
An interesting stroll. Need to do that more often.
Thanks for dropping by.
The sun is here.
A few strong climbing roses.
On a different tangent, they have the oddest names for hair salons in Tokyo. I have yet to figure out how these two words relate to cutting hair (smile).
Once the cherry and plum blossoms are gone, the Japanese cities explode with Azaleas. They are everywhere. 5 shots from around town via my Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 50mm f/1.2.
High on an embassy wall.
After the rain.
Through the gate lies tradition. This little outpost has a group of people living the “old way”. I do not know the difference from others as we did not have an opportunity to see how contemporary Balinese live, but here are a few shots. (Canon 5D Mark III, armed with my 28-70mm f/2.8).
Through every gate lies a new visual experience.
Of course, a family temple. Decorated and ready for a festival.
A simple shot. A Balinese home.
He smiled as he carved.
In the middle of the country, in a little town with a name I did not know. Just another town along the road and another breathtaking temple, built by locals over hundreds of years. Famous? No. Breathtaking? Yes.
A lot of the gates had lions. I wonder why?
The owner of this scooter was no where to be seen. Because it was about to rain again … hard.
This shot gives you a sense of this rural Balinese village temple. It is huge and multi-sectioned .. and yes, about to rain.
Deity carvings were everywhere.
And many of the carvings were decorated.
The intricacies of this door are remarkable.
It was the entrance on this kori agung gate (roofed) with a candi bentar gate beside it (right).
And the detail across the temple caught the eye at every turn.
They had not gotten out all of the decorations yet, but were starting.
Truly amazing. So much care and beauty .. in a remote location. One of a thousand temples, that will never be famous.
Glad we stopped. And thanks for stopping by.
As I mentioned in a previous post, driving in Bali is different than in South American countries. In Bali every meter has some form of life jammed into it. I don’t know how to describe the press of humanity, at every corner and every meter. We just stared out the window and watched as scene after scene passed by. A few observations ….
You would see bottles of Vodka or other large glass alcohol containers at the front of many stores. It is not Vodka, it is petrol. I saw very few gas stations except in the more modern towns. Correction, these are the gas stations.
As in most 3rd world countries, their use of the scooter was impressive.
And helmets were discretionary, as were the number of passengers.
Surprised to see a little bit of Canada, on a remote road. Life insurance anyone?
The shops are visually fascinating with ornate carvings, huge pieces of wood for tables and the most amazing doors.
We were feeling extra safe at our hotel (Westin Nusa Dua) as there was a big conference going on. There were military and police everywhere.
I understand that a few different Presidents were in town, with impressive motorcades.
One morning we took a walk outside of the tourist campus (As you can see above, very clean and well manicured). The economic collapse has hit Bali also.
I stopped at this abandoned shopping complex to take a few shots.
Things are tough all over.
There are two types of parks in Bali, the larger zoo-like park and the more remote Elephant Safari Park.
We chose the second. The notion of elephants in captivity is a tough one, but the facility covers their conservation focus throughout their brochures and website. For animals that would love to be free but are facing extinction and an ever shrinking habitat, this becomes a second best choice.
The facility is beautiful, clean and they clearly take good care of the elephants.
As with everything in this country, the North American notions of “behind the glass” and “at a safe distance” are not in play. At the restaurant you stand behind a waist high fence and get the opportunity to greet the elephants.
It was a moving experience to stand at the foot of such a huge, and majestic animal.
This shot pretty much say it all. I was in awe.
What a truly unique place. To stand beside such a beautiful creature is a true privilege.
A few shots of Tokyo a week ago. Spring is upon us but it cannot decide if it wants to be warm, cool, cloudy or raining. Handheld HDRs via Canon 5D Mark III with 70-200mm f/2.8.
Makes interesting viewing out the window.
It wasn’t raining, but it was foggy. I don’t know why I woke up, but I took this shot at 2AM.
The sunset against the clouds.
I work in that office .. for a few more months.
I threw my 2X extender on to get this shot (handheld).
Loved looking at this lonely cloud.
A few hours later, it was raining.
Thanks for dropping by.
Bali is a lush and beautiful country and one of the “must do’s” is to stop at a small town with the rice fields new Ubud. You look out on the river flowing through the terraced fields .. and all you see is green. As viewed through a Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-70mm f/2.8, mostly shot in handheld HDR.
You hike down one side, cross a bridge and hike back up to the other side. Along the way there are a few farmers collecting “donations” .. donation 1 was at the bridge.
It is quite steep.
Row upon row of rice, with carefully crafted ledges around each terrace to keep the water in.
And a simple mode of getting the water from level A to level B.
What is at the top of the hill?
Nothing but a great view of this spider, who is almost impossible to spot .. even after I edited the photo to bring out highlights and confirm that she/he was the focus point.
A great hike.
For the Mt. Batur part of our Bali trip we did not hike the volcano (another time), but we had lunch at the base. It is a beautiful sight.
The view from the restaurant.
Glad we didn’t hike it. We would have gotten soaked. A storm was on the way in.
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The rain hit just was we stopped for fruit at this stand.
The colors were spectacular, even under a very grey and growing black sky.
If you are in Bali, make sure that you try all of the different fruits. Some will surprise you and you probably won’t see them again.
Spent last week in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. A whirlwind of a tour with very little free time but I did snap off a few shots.
Canon 5D Mark III with a 50mm Sigma f/1.4 – my only non-Canon lens, most handheld HDR.
On the redeye.
Off the redeye.
A war monument in Brisbane.
I do like the way that Australia has preserved their buildings. So much character.
The clock outside the Westin in Sydney.
A few shots around the Westin.
No time …. just 18,453 km.
I continued my Haikyo, ready to explore the insides of the building. It was getting dark quickly so I shot a mix of handheld HDRs and RAW depending on light conditions. I was also worried about stepping on a few floors, the hallways were concrete but the rooms?
The first room I looked in. It is like the fire happened and everyone just ran, never to return. So odd.
OS/2?
I would have left the Beethoven behind too. But Tchaikovsky? Heresy.
It must have gotten quite hot to melt whatever that is on the shelf …
I was fascinated by the piano.
I would have left it behind too.
A fully stocked kitchen.
Proof that the CD is dead. Why else would leave behind such a fantastic boombox?
And this is where my camera died. When I finally figured out where to go I parked quickly and decided to leave my camera bag and all of the piece parts behind. I was in a hurry. The only problem is that I didn’t look at my battery status.
It went dead. If I hurried I could run back to the car, move it to the closer parking spot, and then hustle back onto the site before all of the light disappeared.
Urban exploration can be a lot of work when you wing it.
Coming home for dinner.
Would love to know what is on those tapes. Some Magnum P.I. perhaps?
Student dormitory kegger …
I should have grabbed the worlds worst tie.
Cool afternoon out.
After the Ghibli Museum we stopped at a random Tokyo intersection to grab lunch. Here are a few shots; a mix of handheld HDR and others via my Canon 5D Mark III.
A busy Tokyo street.
What is a pepper lunch? Have I mentioned how I find it odd that even in the outlying areas of Tokyo there is so much random English?
For example, English advertising signs. I am not quite sure that this sign would go over well in Canada or the US? Made me smile.
We decided on “Japanese BBQ” which they call Yakiniku. The front of the restaurant was a huge open kitchen with open BBQ grills.
It was very smoky. A combination of people smoking and the BBQ fumes. On a Saturday afternoon, people enjoying a beer and some BBQ.
I didn’t get a shot of what we ate, it disappeared too fast.
Definitely a “true” Japanese exploration for the family.
One last shot from the street; we came across another Japan first for us – a bicycle parking lot. There must have been 500+ bikes.
Here is where you pay.
A good wander.
The sunrise yesterday via Canon 5D Mark III with 70-200mm f/2.8 with 2X III extender (The extender is my Christmas toy), shooting a handheld HDR.
Our first beach Christmas (smile). They say Merry Christmas in Manly Beach … the handheld HDR way.
The trees decked for Christmas.
In Sydney they say Happy Christmas and I did find a Christmas tree.
A very Merry Christmas in the sun.
A flowering bush in December. In December! No snow …. –4 in Toronto today. Don’t miss the snow.
Lots of fall colors. Amazing that the HDR has zero ghosting even though I am not using a tripod. Well done Canon.
The sake barrels. The guide told me they are empty.
The downside of the HDR, look at the edges of the trees. As it takes the 3 quick photos, if the trees are moving it creates what looks like a halo.
One final barrel shot.
I have been “playing” around with the HDR on my 5D Mark III. I definitely do not like the embossed setting, but the “natural”, “vivid” and “artistic” settings are interesting. I am torn between “vivid” and “bold”. All were taken with a 2 second delay (to avoid shaking), resting on a railing (I really need to replace my tripod). I did not mirror-lock.
HDR natural. It looks a little washed out.
Artistic standard.
Artistic vivid
Artistic bold
A new set. HDR natural …
Artistic standard
Artistic vivid
And last, bold. I don’t like the bold.
It definitely gives some cool effects, without the protracted editing phase. I figured out how to turn off the setting which keeps all of the originals (as it shoots 3 shots) which were filling my camera quickly.
A few more. The sunrise.
The sunrise clouds ….
The pink in the clouds is from the sunset behind me.
One more test, of Roppongi Hills and the Mori Tower (I deleted the embossed). I like the 2nd photo the best but I did not record the setting (smile).
We have come a long way on the camera front. Now if they would just build in the GPS ….
I have been playing with the HDR settings on my Canon (in handheld mode). You can read about it here. You can see a few samples below. It warrants more exploration.
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