I was told they they are filled with rapeseed, a popular crop used to yield rapeseed oil which can be used for cooking and biofuel. 13% of India’s farmland grows the crop.
It makes for a beautiful field.
FIELDS OF YELLOW, INDIA
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Tag Archives: Canon 28-300mm f/3.5 USM
BLOW YOUR HORN, INDIA
Our trip to India involved 3 cities (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur) with driving in between. What would be considered a fast and simple drive in Europe or Canada was arduous in India. The country is filled with half completed roads, which (I was told) stands as a testament to the bureaucracy and corruption that plagues the country.
For a tourist that means long – bumpy drives. Each city would be 5-7 hours apart. We booked a van.
The benefit of that distance is that you can open the window and watch the people go by. As we drove I truly enjoyed watching the trucks.
In Canada, truck drivers pride themselves on how shiny their truck is. In India, it is all about the colors and the bling.
Another big cultural difference. In Canada blowing the horn is an act of anger – done infrequently.
In India, everyone does it, all the time. I mean, all .. of .. the .. time. It is one of the things that makes traveling in India such a full on, sensory overload. On almost every truck, they actively encourage it.
I also learned that inflammable is not the opposite of flammable. English can also be a mysterious language. I particularly enjoyed the “specialist advice” to stay upwind.
Incredible India.
HOW MUCH CAN YOU CARRY? INDIA
As seen on the road from Delhi to Agra, India. The farmers take this to the extreme.
All along the route, there was much to see. People still collect wood to cook and heat their homes. Agra at this time of year is coolish (6C).
This vehicle was doing around 80 km/h and that last fellow was barely on.
In India you see everything and the contrasts are significant. As you drive you will see a $250K Mercedes driving beside a camel. There were a lot of camels.
They fit in well with the water buffalo.
These water buffalo also provide insight into the speed of traffic in India. They roam free along with the cows.
TREE TRIMMING AND CONES, TOKYO
As I wandered around Chofu I started to get lost. Fortunately I had my iPhone and used it to locate where I was and where I had left the car. Somehow I had gotten quite far off track so I cut through a park to get closer.
I came across these gents heading out for work. They were trimming trees in their tiny little truck. There seems to be a lot of little specialty vehicles in Japan.
You are not allowed to do a lot of things in the park. The “no golfing” was the one that caught my eye.
I do not know why, but apparently this guy is a lucky man. Why does his poster have English on it? You have got me.
I wandered past a train station. It seemed like everyone on the platform was looking at their phone.
It never stops amazing me how many bikes there are in Tokyo. Probably one of the reasons why there are very few obese people in Japan, they all ride bikes (and don’t eat western fast food). The bikes are everywhere on the streets and at certain train stations, they even have their own parking lot.
A friend of mine is constantly writing about the cone culture in Japan. They are literally everywhere and often, head scratchers. Cone madness.
The “this is a sidewalk” coning.
The “garden in waiting” coning.
The “please don’t walk into my air conditioner that is closely tucked away and you would never hit it anyway” coning.
My final shots of Chofu. As you walk through Tokyo, a land of 40 million, you will also come across random plots of land that have remained farm land. This “farm land” is often crammed in between apartment buildings and 2 story houses that are 500 square feet per level (including land).
And like so many farmers that I know, they have a tough time throwing things out. You never know when you will need it …
A greenhouse waiting for spring.
Love the look of this building. I cannot begin to guess the age.
A good wander.
CANON’s HDR
I love the Canon 5D Mark III. The only thing that I wish it had was integrated GPS. I have to use a GP-E2 which connects to the hot shoe – I find it bulky.
One of my favorite features is the HDR. It is a little trick shooting hand-held HDR with the camera as you get some odd effects and at times it will end up out of alignment. That is why I use the setting which keeps all of the pre-HDR shots. If the HDR shot doesn’t work, I can process one of the others.
It is much more convenient than doing it post processing and candidly, I just don’t have enough time to be fiddling and building the images. Sure, it means that the chances of my shots getting to the front page of 500px are nominal, but so be it.
While on my “Chofu wander” I was mixing between hand held HDR and “normal” shots with my 28-300mm lens. I accidentally selected emboss. It came out quite interesting.
Not sure I would use this setting other than by accident?
OBVIOUS
Wandering around Chofu (a district of Tokyo) I came across this place. I am not sure what is going on, is it a shop?
There was a very helpful sign in English. If anyone could help me out with the translation, that would be great.
Foreigner in a foreign land.
SHOTS AROUND A TEMPLE, TOKYO
A small temple, tucked off the road in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan. As seen by one of the many mirrors on the road. The mirrors are in place as the buildings are so close to the roads that it is almost impossible to see around corners.
No one was around .. just a pair of boots.
The temple was across from the tracks. Everything in Japan (and Tokyo) is so tightly packed in and usually close to some type of train track.
Being Canadian, seeing lemon trees like this in January when it is 6C is a bit baffling.
Near the temple was a workshop of some type. Odd seeing what appears to be a machine shop in the middle of what feels like a residential area.
As always, Tokyo is filled with random English.
People often refer to India as “Incredible India”. Seems like Tokyo needs a adjective inserted.
CARS, TOKYO
No matter where you are in the world, people love old cars. Japan is no different. I happened on these while killing time in Chofu.
There was a shop restoring them.
All good junkyard like shops have vicious guard dogs. This one was not happy that I was lurking near the cars.
Remember, always look up. When I was a kid I did a lot of Japanese Tamiya models. It would appear that the owner likes working on all sizes of cars.
One more car. I wonder what is under the tarp?
And the config, as you might guess: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-300mm f/3.5 USM. Might need to blow the dust off the other lenses soon.
THE TAJ MAHAL, INDIA
When we went to India over the Christmas break we did not realize that we were taking such a risk. When I say risk I am not talking about safety. I am talking about weather.
Little did we know – it was a terrible time to go to India. In the evenings it gets cold and that causes fog. Lots of fog. According to our guide he went to places like the Taj Mahal many times and all they saw was fog. How terrible would that be?
With this new insight we made a plan as we traveled from Delhi to Agra; the weather would dictate where we would go when and Anu would pick when we went to the Taj Mahal.
It turns out, we were very lucky. According to our guide .. very, very lucky.
Before I get into the Taj Mahal, I need to backtrack. The experience is an interesting one. You stop off at the tourist arrival area where you board electric buses to head to the Taj. This is in an apparent effort to reduce pollution.
They also provide you with some clear guidelines on what you should not do. I am very glad I left behind my nife, colors and helmate.
Very glad because the Ministry of Defense was ready to jump into action in their very intimidating car.
You get dropped off and have to walk to the entrance – through stalls, craftsmen and tourist hawkers. Oh yes, we also had to stop for water buffalo. They were crossing .. near the Taj Mahal.
They came up from the river bank onto the road and back down .. a normal day in the life of a water buffalo, passing through thousands of tourists.
It has to make you smile. On your way to the Taj Mahal, and you get stopped by a herd of buffalo. Incredible India. I expected the sights below, not the water buffalo.
In moments we arrived. This ticket got us past the long local lines and in to see one of the wonders of the world.
The Taj Mahal.
THE USED HORSESHOE
I thought it odd that this man would re-shoe his horse in the middle of a busy Old Delhi street.
It turns out that used horseshoes are very valuable in Indian culture. Business people buy them for good luck.
The man on the left is waiting for the horseshoe – money in hand.
OLD DELHI MARKETS, INDIA (Part 2)
The Old Delhi markets are a real mix. Inside a city block you can find everything; spices, food, textiles, with a little bit of everything in between.
When it comes to colors and textiles, the Indian culture is all about color.
The Indian culture also loves their marigolds. Street vendors were selling them everywhere – especially near temples.
Did I mention that watching the street vendors and not being able to try any of the foods was torture?
This fellow was making these amazing deep fried, cinnamon, crispy sweet cakes. How do I know? They had them in the hotel at breakfast – a place where we could eat the food.
The Indian spice markets are like the textiles – filled with colors. I had one vendor try to sell me a huge bag of cardamom for a couple dollars – definitely not Tokyo prices.
A wonderful “wander”.
STAY AWAY EVIL SPIRITS, INDIA
Throughout India you see these on doors, walls and hanging in the air – to ward off evil spirits. In this case they are warding the spirits and locking them out.
Remember, always look up. They were hanging all around the markets.
I think it is a lime – with chilies.
THE DELHI MARKETS, INDIA
How do you describe the Delhi markets? Many words come to mind. Rich, alive, colorful, crammed, dusty, packed, rambling, chaotic. All apply including “interesting”. On Christmas eve day, we wandered the textile and spice markets of Old Delhi. Every alley filled with sights.
These are two of my favorite shots – capturing the essence of the alleys of Old Delhi (Config: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-300mm f/3.5 USM)
This sign was hanging outside a string of fireworks shops.
A few fireworks with very interesting names.
The fireworks were right beside the “Dental Depot”.
And this empty office, which our guide said was the sanitation office – they must have been out and hard at work.
More tomorrow.
BUILDING REFLECTIONS, TOKYO
Buildings reflecting buildings. Config: Canon 5D Mark III with a Canon 28-300mm f/3.5 USM.
I took this shot for two reasons. First, the reflection caught my eye. Second, the slogan. This is a grocery store – if anyone knows what their slogan means, let me know. A Jenglish head-scratcher for sure.
Still scratching my head …
I add this building not due to the reflections, but because it is doing a great impersonation of a haunted house.
Last shot. A side street. For some reason even though there are a lot of cables, they look more orderly than India.
Thanks for dropping by.
DOWN THE STREET, TOKYO, HIROO
Through the gate .. down the street .. as shot from a shrine’s parking lot.
Config: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-300mm f/3.5 USM.
FISHERMEN, DOWNTOWN TOKYO
In Arisugawa park on a chilly but clear Saturday. I would expect they practice catch and release.
Config: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-300mm f/3.5 USM.
A great spot.
THE BLUE DOOR, OLD DELHI, INDIA
One of my favorite shots in India. We were wandering down the back alleys and I happened to look left. What is behind the door?
Config: Canon 5D Mark III (I love my Canon), Canon 28-300mm f/3.5 USM.
I also posted this shot to 500px. I don’t know why but whenever I post to that site (I do it sporadically) it always feels like I am entering a competition …. the shot did hit ‘popular’.
DESCRIBING OLD DELHI, INDIA
If there is one photo that I took while in India which “describes” Delhi, this would be my choice.
Modern capabilities (electricity, communications, internet and everything else in between) strewn across the street in chaos. The word I would use is “chaotic”.
How these two guys make heads or tails of the wiring is beyond me?
TOKYO MOON, JAPAN
Especially bright a few weeks ago. My first shots with the new Canon 28-300mm f/3.5 USM of the Tokyo sky. I have been reading about night shots. These were shot at f/22 with a long exposure to get the Tokyo Tower as clear as possible.
On this night the moon rose from the buildings to a crisp, clear sky.
TOKYO SNOW
I do not miss snow. Not a very Canadian thing to say but it is true. Snow is highly over rated. Great for winter sports, a nuisance for everyday life.
The winter has been mild in Tokyo – quite warm, in the 10C range until a few weeks ago when the city was hammered with two storms and a chill. The chill meant that the snow stayed around.
I arrived home from a long business trip to the snow and a traveler’s flu – unfortunately an all too common incident this year despite a regime of face masks, Cold FX, Zinc, hand sanitizer and vitamin water.
I looked out the window, the snow was falling and the trees looked beautiful but I was not up for venturing out (unfortunately). I did pull out the Canon 28-300mm and snap a few shots. It would have been magical clomping around in the night with a 50mm – an opportunity missed.
Snow can be beautiful.
THE SAKURA ARE COMING, TOKYO
Last year due to a late cold snap the traditional plum and sakura seasons were shorter and a little different on their timing. We happened to miss the best flowering as we were away on holiday. Hopefully the same will not happen this year.
The weather in Tokyo remains cold, but the trees have begun to flower – in this case the plum blossoms. Config: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-300mm f/3.5 USM.
On Saturday I walked through Arisugawa park, a hidden treasure of Tokyo. The green was starting to peak through. The families were out, enjoying the sun.
I will not miss the blooms this year!
THE MAD LINE, HIROO, TOKYO
Tokyo is a busy city. Everywhere is always busy. Despite being busy, it always feels orderly and most of the time – the crowds are not overwhelming.
But one thing is for sure. The crowds are always there – it goes hand in hand with a population of 40 million. At times, those crowds are inexplicable to a foreigner. The popcorn stand being one of those ‘scratch my head’ examples.
I have found another in Hiroo. This line was a couple hundred meters long – which I estimate as a two hour wait (minimum – it was not moving fast).
Why? Three guesses.
“AND THE FRIET”
Yes. A tiny little French fry shop. Seriously.
Michael Weening: a few pictures 