A crossing for people and people crossing each other.
Stranded, she once felt alone.
The same crossing but one for mechanical serpents.
A meal and mirror and we can smile.
Showing posts with label japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label japan. Show all posts
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Day 2 : Part 2 - Osaka
Stranded, she once felt alone.
The same crossing but one for mechanical serpents.
A meal and mirror and we can smile.
Friday, 15 August 2008
Fukuyama Matsuri #4
Pentax M 50 mm 1.7 : f/1.7 (?) : ISO - 560 : Shutter - 1/180
A beautiful woman should always be in focus and luckily, this one is. The reason I cropped the photo square was due to the distracting elements in the background which took away from the young lady and her graceful movements. This is one of the few photos of the night that were actually well exposed and in focus.
On another note, I also found the Pentax M 50mm 1.7 a little difficult to focus while 1: under pressure as my mother-in-law wanted to see every photo I took on the LCD, 2: lack of light and 3: The M 50mm lens focusing ring is smaller than the Super Takumar 55mm 1.8.
On another note, I also found the Pentax M 50mm 1.7 a little difficult to focus while 1: under pressure as my mother-in-law wanted to see every photo I took on the LCD, 2: lack of light and 3: The M 50mm lens focusing ring is smaller than the Super Takumar 55mm 1.8.
Fukuyama Matsuri #6
Pentax M 50 mm 1.7 : f/4 (?) : ISO - 400 : Shutter - .7 sec
This is one of the images that even though interesting, I had trouble with taking in focus photos of the issues I mention in the last post. It's a little more artistic and which makes it hard to see what it is (Japanese men dancing at a Matsuri). The sense of movement, tone and use of available light along with some post processing makes this one of the better shots of the evening.
Friday, 11 July 2008
Give Me Structure
Auto Tamron 35 mm 2.8 : f/5.6 : ISO - 200 : Shutter - 1/60
"Give me convenience or give me death" - Jello Biafra.
Gotta admire the Japanese and their love of building things, just like kids with lego. Anyway, I really like how this image turned out in black and white with the strong contrasts. I took this image from a train so I was blessed with a nice reflection of what looks like a wire fence...don't know where that came from but I like it there because it shouldn't be.
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Serenity
Auto Tamron 35 mm 2.8 : f/5.6 : ISO - 200 : Shutter - 1/125
On the train to Hiroshima from Fukuyama, this is the area just after Onomichi and it's really beautiful with the ocean and mountains in the background. I used to travel this way every morning and looking at it made me not think of where I was going, which was work.
I had about 4 seconds to quickly take this shot of the lone boatman and overall it came out pretty good, this image isn't cropped or straightened (as I try and think more about composition) with only a b&w conversion and added vignette to help center the boatman.
I had about 4 seconds to quickly take this shot of the lone boatman and overall it came out pretty good, this image isn't cropped or straightened (as I try and think more about composition) with only a b&w conversion and added vignette to help center the boatman.
Monday, 30 June 2008
Nagoya Spiral Tower #1
Auto Tamron 35 mm 2.8 : f/2.8 : ISO - 100 : Shutter - 1/1500
A photo of the unfinished Spiral Tower in Nagoya, Japan. I'm not one usually for photographing architecture but it's a pretty cool building with some great lines and shapes. I was in a rush for a meeting and should have taken the photo at about f8 to f11 but at f2.8, it's still pretty sharp.
Saturday, 7 June 2008
Nagoya - Sakae
Auto Tamron 35 mm 2.8 : f/2.8 : ISO -400 : Shutter - 1/1000
I was in Nagoya last month for work and took the K10D "just in case". I was walking around the Sakae area and came across this really cool mural.
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Deconstructing Thoughts
Auto Tamron 35 mm 2.8 : f/5.6 : ISO -400 : Shutter - 1/30
A little undernourished this photo. I had to keep this image dark because the ugly digital noise it has when I brighten it. In RAW, the image looks pretty good but converted to an 8 bit JPG, it's pretty shit. So keeping her in the shadows one, allows for a decent JPG conversion and two, adds to the mood of the shot.
Here's the same image in black and white...which may actually be better that the above image while still retaining a sense of moodiness.
A little undernourished this photo. I had to keep this image dark because the ugly digital noise it has when I brighten it. In RAW, the image looks pretty good but converted to an 8 bit JPG, it's pretty shit. So keeping her in the shadows one, allows for a decent JPG conversion and two, adds to the mood of the shot.
Here's the same image in black and white...which may actually be better that the above image while still retaining a sense of moodiness.
Thursday, 8 May 2008
Amanohashidate - "Bridge in the heaven"
Amanohashidate which translates to "Bridge in the heaven" is one of the three main attractions of Japan, the other two being Miyajima and Matsushima and all three are called Nihon Sankei.
Today I challenged myself to not use any other lens, only the Tamron 35mm 2.8, although I did have my 28-105 with me in case the manual shots were shit. The Tamron proved to be a great lens and the best $45 AUD I've ever spent (although my Takumar's were a steal too) and was sharpest between f/5.6 ~ f/11. Taking photos of the stretch of sandbar from the lookout, I focused to infinity, set the aperture to f/11 ~ f/16 and snapped away.
Auto Tamron 35 mm 2.8, f/16, ISO -100, Shutter - 1/180
Auto Tamron 35 mm 2.8, f/5.6, ISO -100, Shutter - 1/1500
Auto Tamron 35 mm 2.8, f/2.8, ISO -100, Shutter - 1/3000
Auto Tamron 35 mm 2.8, f/11, ISO -100, Shutter - 1/180
Auto Tamron 35 mm 2.8, f/2.8, ISO -100, Shutter - 1/1000
Sunday, 4 May 2008
Kinosaki - Old School Onsen Town
Took a road trip to Kinosaki with the wife for our 1st year anniversary, it's a beautiful little onsen (hot spring) in Hyogo prefecture. We stayed in a Ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) with it's own private onsen, free tickets to other bigger onsens and dinner/breakfast included. Not bad for $300 AUD for two people.
We arrived just after lunch time and went straight to the Kinosaki Marine World (Japanese) which was pretty cool. It had rained earlier in the morning and the day was still cold, windy and the seas were rough creating some nice coastal photos.
We arrived just after lunch time and went straight to the Kinosaki Marine World (Japanese) which was pretty cool. It had rained earlier in the morning and the day was still cold, windy and the seas were rough creating some nice coastal photos.
Pentax FA 28-105, f/11, ISO - 800, Shutter - 1/750, Focal Length - 50 mm (bleach bypass)
Pentax FA 28-105, f/11, ISO - 800, Shutter - 1/1000, Focal Length - 28 mm (b&w conversion)
Taking photos of the animals was a new experience for me, the easiest being the Penguins, the big ones that just stand there and look like their chatting about the weekend. The most difficult being anything indoors and moving, even with the Pentax M 50mm 1.7 attached although I did get a good shot of a Stingray.
Pentax M 50 mm 1.7, f/1.7, ISO - 560, Shutter - 1/90
Pentax M 50 mm 1.7, f/1.7, ISO - 560, Shutter - 1/250
Pentax M 50 mm 1.7, f/8 or 11, ISO - 560, Shutter - 1/2000
Pentax FA 28-105, f/4.5, ISO - 280, Shutter - 1/250, Focal Length - 105 mm
Pentax FA 28-105, f/16, ISO - 1100, Shutter - 1/20, Focal Length - 50 mm
Pentax M 50 mm 1.7, ISO - 800, Shutter - 1/20
Auto Tamron 35 mm 2.8, f/8, ISO -1100, Shutter - 1/8
Pentax M 50 mm 1.7, ISO - 800, Shutter - 1/45
Sunday, 17 February 2008
Mob Rules
Location - Butsuji, Japan
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5
Focal Length - 105mm
ISO - 100
Shutter Speed - 1/20 sec
f stop - f/4.5
Post Processing - B&W conversion
Comments - Not much too say, I just think the bokeh in this image is pretty rockin!
Maiko Hands
Location - Kyoto, Japan
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Pentax M 50mm 1.7
Focal Length - 75mm (1.5 crop factor)
ISO - 200
Shutter Speed - 1/1500 sec
f stop - f/1.7 (probably)
Post Processing - Faux Bleach Bypass
Comments - I have been using the Bleach Bypass effect on a lot of my images lately but am aware not to overdo it. The reason I like this effect is that I like when hidden details are revealed and shadows become a mysterious black.
Sunday, 27 January 2008
Flammable
Location - Kyoto, Japan
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Pentax M 50mm 1.7
Focal Length - 75mm (1.5 crop factor)
ISO - 100
Shutter Speed - 1/250 sec
f stop - f/1.7
Post Processing - Brightness, contrast and vibrancy, Bleach Bypass
Comments - I wanted to see how the 50mm 1.7 lens would handle this very dark situation as the only light was coming from the candle flame. I also wanted to see how difficult it was to be able to focus in such low light. I focused on the flame (although it was flickering), focused, pressed the green button on the K10D and took the shot.
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Pentax M 50mm 1.7
Focal Length - 75mm (1.5 crop factor)
ISO - 100
Shutter Speed - 1/250 sec
f stop - f/1.7
Post Processing - Brightness, contrast and vibrancy, Bleach Bypass
Comments - I wanted to see how the 50mm 1.7 lens would handle this very dark situation as the only light was coming from the candle flame. I also wanted to see how difficult it was to be able to focus in such low light. I focused on the flame (although it was flickering), focused, pressed the green button on the K10D and took the shot.
The Mediator Between Life and Death
Location - Kyoto, Japan
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5
Focal Length - 105mm
ISO - 100
Shutter Speed - 1/30 sec
f stop - f/4.5
Post Processing - B&W conversion
Comments - This was a very spur of the moment photo when I looked up and quickly took the photo. I like the effect of leafless branches contrasted against a cloudy sky as it looks fairly depressing. That a Raven was sitting on a branch was an added bonus. The photo is not super sharp but the effect is there.
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5
Focal Length - 105mm
ISO - 100
Shutter Speed - 1/30 sec
f stop - f/4.5
Post Processing - B&W conversion
Comments - This was a very spur of the moment photo when I looked up and quickly took the photo. I like the effect of leafless branches contrasted against a cloudy sky as it looks fairly depressing. That a Raven was sitting on a branch was an added bonus. The photo is not super sharp but the effect is there.
Saturday, 26 January 2008
Taiko #1
Location - Fukuyama City hall, Japan
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Super Takumar 55mm 1.8
Focal Length - 82.5mm (1.5 crop factor)
ISO - 100
Shutter Speed - 1/20 sec
f stop - f/1.8
Post Processing - B&W conversion
Comments - I kept the shutter relatively slow with just enough speed to not get a blurry photo but enough to get motion blur in the taiko stick.
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Super Takumar 55mm 1.8
Focal Length - 82.5mm (1.5 crop factor)
ISO - 100
Shutter Speed - 1/20 sec
f stop - f/1.8
Post Processing - B&W conversion
Comments - I kept the shutter relatively slow with just enough speed to not get a blurry photo but enough to get motion blur in the taiko stick.
Maiko Step
Location - Kyoto, Japan
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5
Focal Length - 34mm
ISO - 400
Shutter Speed - 1/250 sec
f stop - f/3.5
Post Processing - Basic B&W conversion, nothing special.
Comments - I especially like this shot. It's simple, B&W suits it and the light shuffle walk seems very Japanese.
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Not So Frail
Location - Kyoto, Japan
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5
Focal Length - 50mm
ISO - 200
Shutter Speed - 1/30 sec
f stop - f/4.0
Post Processing - Bleach Bypass, contrast and vibrancy.
Comments - I like the composition of this photo and the bokeh is quite nice too. I think the the face of the rail is pretty sharp with no added sharpening filters. I added a light Bleach Bypass effect in post to lift the details in the design.
Purification #2
Location - Kyoto, Japan
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5
Focal Length - 105mm
ISO - 100
Shutter Speed - 1/60 sec
f stop - f/4.5
Post Processing - A little under exposed (easily fixed in PP) but I decided to keep it relatively dark. I then converted it to black & white which I think adds more mystique to the photo.
Monday, 21 January 2008
Maiko Feet
Location - Kyoto, Japan
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Pentax M 50mm 1.7
Focal Length - 75mm (1.5 crop factor)
ISO - 200
Shutter Speed - 1/750 sec
f stop - Either 1.7 or 2.8 for the bokeh produced
Post Processing - Bleach Bypass effect
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Pentax M 50mm 1.7
Focal Length - 75mm (1.5 crop factor)
ISO - 200
Shutter Speed - 1/750 sec
f stop - Either 1.7 or 2.8 for the bokeh produced
Post Processing - Bleach Bypass effect
In Gloom
Location - Kyoto, Japan
Camera - Pentax K10D
Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5
Focal Length - 50mm
ISO - 200
Shutter Speed - 1/500 sec
f stop - f/4.0
Post Processing - Converted to B&W with contast & brightess adjustments.
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