Tag Archives: photo

HOW MUCH FOR THE DOGGIE IN THE WINDOW?

Posted on by
1

If you live in Japan, you know that the Japanese are dog crazy. With a plummeting birth rate, the dogs are clearly filling a gap.

This little fellow is in the pet store down the street. Take a guess at the price.

2014-05-10 14.02.46

You are probably wrong.

2014-05-10 14.02.54

That translates to roughly $20K CDN. Premium, for sure. If you are going to have a dog that expensive, you better buy a dog stroller.

image

You better buy a carrier too.

image

Of course, if you are having a tea party, everyone needs to be dressed up – bow in the hair and all.

2014 04 20 Shrine sale_-30

Japanese love their dogs. Check out this site from some amazing Japan dog photos.

TOKYO POLICE ACADEMY

Posted on by
Reply

It seems that regardless of country, students always get stuck doing manual labor to “build character”. In this case it is weeding and cutting the grass (with their hands) at the Tokyo police academy.

Tokyo police academy

There must have been 200 of them. The only difference between them and their brethren everywhere ? Most of them were wearing a face mask.

ELECTRIC

Posted on by
2

Everyone knows about the pollution problems in China, especially people in Asia. The cities function in a perpetual haze with varying levels of visibility.

While walking down a street in Shanghai the other week I saw a gaggle of scooters coming my way. Not an uncommon appearance in Asian cities.

As they sped towards me I was expecting to be assaulted by the smell of gasoline and the high pitch hum of single stroke engines. To my surprise, they zinged by quietly. It turns out that most scooters in China cities are electric. They are cheap to power and cheap to buy ($100-300).

photo 7

A DEBATE ON COLOR AND B&W FOR STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

Posted on by
8

I was recently having a discussion with a friend about the merits of black and white versus colour photos.

I have not been a big black and white shooter (mostly because black and white is a process for me with Lightroom). However, I have become a fan of black and white for people. In a black and white photo the focus become the characters in the shot, you are not distracted by colors.

Take this shot for example, a street vendor around the spice market in Old Delhi  (Config: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-300 f/3.5 USM)

We happened to be stuck in traffic and these guys were having an animated conversation. Perhaps about the weather or the latest cricket scores? I post both shots, with the black and white being my favorite.

2013 12 24 Old Delhi-4-2

To me color of his head scarf and the mangos is a distraction while the muted wardrobe of the street vendor means that he is not a focal point. The street vendor almost fades into the background.

2013 12 24 Old Delhi-4

I am going to start producing a lot more black and white. That being said, I remain a handheld HDR fan – a great feature of the Canon 5D Mark III – for other photos.

Interested in the experiences and opinions of others.

GOODBYE CAMERA? Not me

Posted on by
6

The New Yorker article Goodbye, Camera is a thought provoking article suggesting that the era of the networked device will displace the need for a camera:

One of the great joys of that walk was the ability to immediately share with family and friends the images as they were captured in the mountains: the golden, early-morning light as it filtered through the cedar forest; a sudden valley vista after a long, upward climb. Each time, I pulled out my iPhone, not the GX1, then shot, edited, and broadcasted the photo within minutes. As I’ve become a more network-focused photographer, I’ve come to love using the smartphone as an editing surface; touch is perfect for photo manipulation. There’s a tactility that is lost when you edit with a mouse on a desktop computer. Perhaps touch feels natural because it’s a return to the chemical-filled days of manually poking and massaging liquid and paper to form an image I had seen in my head. Yet if the advent of digital photography compressed the core processes of the medium, smartphones further squish the full spectrum of photographic storytelling: capture, edit, collate, share, and respond. I saw more and shot more, and returned from the forest with a record of both the small details—light and texture and snippets of life—and the conversations that floated around them on my social networks.

Reading through this quote I was left with a question – is the networked device destroying the camera .. or is it destroying the moment? He spent his time slogging through the mountains, shooting his photos, editing, instagramming and texting instead of .. enjoying the mountain path and the moment. I can just see him doing what I see so often in beautiful travel destinations .. this fellow tripping along, distracted, glancing up from his phone while he types and Facebooks … Seen it 100 times.

Does it enhance the moment? Personally, I don’t think so.

When I am shooting with a camera I am in the moment, observing, enjoying – not thinking about who I am going to share the picture with. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a time for the camera phone, but for me there will always be a time for a camera.

It would be interesting to hear what others think.

2013 11 18 San Francisco_-35

(San Francisco, China Town)

FLOATING VILLAGES OF TONLE SAP LAKE, CAMBODIA

Posted on by
4

As mentioned in the previous post, the boat picked up speed and we headed to the next village. One of the first boats we saw as we entered the main village was this floating restaurant, looking for customers.

2013 11 26 Osmose_-84[3]

The lake will rise and fall 9-10M in a year and the people will float from location to location, following the water. It is a bit unfathomable to live your entire life .. floating.

2013 11 26 Osmose_-87[3]

Moored into the trees or to each other, the homes at mid/high-tide. At low tide, those trees will be 20m high.

2013 11 26 Osmose_-89[3]

2013 11 26 Village tour_-4[3]

2013 11 26 Osmose_-81

The village delivery system … gas, fruit, you name it.

2013 11 26 Osmose_-94

Everyone drives a boat. No matter how old.

2013 11 26 Village tour_-94

2013 11 26 Osmose_-83

Some boats with motors.

2013 11 26 Osmose_-98[3]

Many boats with only a paddle.

2013 11 26 Osmose_-82

Of course, there is a phone store.

2013 11 26 Osmose_-100

A completely different way of life. Thanks for dropping by.

OPEN AIR MUSEUM, HAKONE, JAPAN

Posted on by
3

I didn’t know what to expect when we arrived at this museum as I have never been to an outdoor museum.

Set in the stunning landscape of Hakone, the Hakone Open-Air Museum opened in 1969 as the first open-air art museum in Japan. Constantly changing with the seasons, our spectacular grounds are the permanent home for approximately 120 works by well-known modern and contemporary sculptors. We also have 5 exhibition halls including the Picasso Pavilion, as well as pieces where children can play, a footbath fed by natural hot springs, and a variety of other facilities where our visitors can relax and enjoy the splendor of art in nature.

It was as one would expect; open, beautiful grounds at the foot of the mountains. Config: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-70mm f/2.8 with a mix of handheld HDRs.

2013 07 19 Open Air Museum_-24

“Intersecting Space Construction” …

2013 07 19 Open Air Museum_-25

Japanese maples are beautiful all year round and plentiful here. They do not grow well in my home country due to the winters.

2013 07 19 Open Air Museum_-28

I saw this ball’s cousin at the Vatican … Sfera con Sfera (sphere within a sphere).

2013 07 19 Open Air Museum _-28

The “symphonic sculpture”, a wonder of colored glass. It became a symphony of children’s laughter and screams about 3/4 of the way up as the school kids streamed in (smile).

2013 07 19 Open Air Museum_-29

2013 07 19 Open Air Museum_-35

The grounds are scattered with sculptures and beautiful flowers.

2013 07 19 Open Air Museum_-38-2

A few hours well spent.

KYOTO FIELDS, JAPAN

Posted on by
Reply

Part of having a guide is that he takes you into different places (if  she is good). Our guide took us out of the city of Kyoto to show us the countryside and the rice fields. It was a 15 minute detour, but worth it.

2013 06 17 Kyoto fields _-5

I didn’t get a shot of their planting machines but they reminded me of a celery planting machine that relatives used on their farms in Canada.

2013 06 17 Kyoto fields _-7

As mentioned, the hydrangeas were in full bloom. Not a white one in view.

2013 06 17 Kyoto fields _

This pond is privately owned and once a year the farmer who owned it would drain it and “harvest” the fish.

2013 06 17 Kyoto fields _-8

It is beautiful land. Which reminds me of a random observation on Kyoto. If you do travel there, you will find it a city of contrasts. The city itself is like many Japanese cities, clean but wall to wall people, large drab concrete residential buildings with shops jammed in-between. Rather uninspiring, until you turn a corner and come headlong into Japan’s historic buildings which are beautiful, unique and well crafted.

It seems to me that during their post war rush to modernization, their architects discarded the intricacies and beauty of Japanese style for function, people per square meter, concrete and efficiency. This isn’t a stretch of the imagination as one colleague imparted that when he was a child living in Tokyo, the city was rapidly industrializing and as polluted as Beijing until the government took drastic action (as the country became wealthier and was able to afford it).

2013 06 17 Chionin Temple_-4

Too bad. Even concrete can be beautiful, with some thought. (Above: The entrance to Chion Temple)

NIJO CASTLE, KYOTO

Posted on by
1

Our first stop on our big “day tour” was Nijo Castle, samurai and shogun home.

In 1601, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, ordered all the feudal lords in Western Japan to contribute to the construction of Nijō Castle, which was completed during the reign of Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1626. Parts of Fushimi Castle, such as the main tower and the karamon, were moved here in 1625-26.[1] It was built as the Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa Shoguns. The Tokugawa Shogunate used Edo as the capital city, but Kyoto continued to be the home of the Imperial Court. Kyoto Imperial Palace is located north-east of Nijo Castle.

There is so much history hidden in these very thick walls.

image

A few interesting facts from our guide on the castle:

The building is raised off the ground. The shogun would sit on his mat with a large piece of wood under him to protect him from someone shoving a sword up and through the floor

The 500 year old paintings were made from crushed shells to add white color

In the main hall where the shogun received guests he would keep 15m between himself and the guests. Beside him was a sliding door filled with samurai ready to jump through in the event of a threat. Although the threats often had a large preamble, where someone would stand up and honourably declare “I (insert name), son of (insert name), grandson of (insert name) from the city of (insert city) will kill you” – giving the samurai lots of time to line up.

The roof of the entrance to the main hall is made of thatch. It is a small section, but costs millions to replace. (The brown sections at the front)

2013 06 17 Nijo Castle _-36

image

The floor boards are built with a U shaped device to hold the board and a nail through it. This is built to make the floor boards creak when someone walks on it to warn of intruders. I got the sense that being a shogun was not the most “secure” of positions.

2013 06 17 Nijo Castle _-50

A corner guard house.

2013 06 17 Nijo Castle _-35

The handle on a large bell in the main courtyard.

image

The gardens beside the main hall.

image

2013 06 17 Nijo Castle _-52

The entrance to the main castle, which is a reproduction as the original burned:

In 1788, the Inner Palace was destroyed by a city-wide fire. The site remained empty until it was replaced by a prince’s residence transferred from the Kyoto Imperial Palace in 1893.

In 1867, the Ninomaru Palace was the stage for the declaration by Tokugawa Yoshinobu, returning the authority to the Imperial Court. Next year the Imperial Cabinet was installed in the castle. The palace became imperial property and was declared a detached palace. During this time, the Tokugawahollyhock crest was removed wherever possible and replaced with the imperial chrysanthemum.

We crossed the bridge, but did not enter.

image

2013 06 17 Nijo Castle _-57

What I found amazing is how the intricate work has survived, even though it is exposed to the elements.

image

2013 06 17 Nijo Castle _-45

Thanks for dropping by.

RZ350

Posted on by
Reply

I came across this picture the other day and it invokes two distinct thoughts:

  1. What a wicked bike.
  2. I am very lucky I did not die.

I bought this at the end of my first year of university and dropped it 4 days after taking ownership. I then proceeded to run through 2 engines (blowing the first engine at 220kmph) and was almost ran over by a dump truck when I lost it in a torrential downpour. I hope my boys never get a bike ……

But it was still pretty cool. Matching red, white and blue leather jacket and red helmet with tinted visor and while it red lined at 220 kmph, it was wickedly fast off the start leaving those big, ugly Harleys in the distance …..

RZ350