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Archive for August, 2011

PHOTO OF THE DAY #118

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on August 31, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

This wooden Buddha stands atop a large speaker in my room.

Behind him is a reproduction of a painting by Caravaggio; to the right, a postcard depicting Vladimir Lenin; to the left, a postcard featuring a 1930′s advert for Guinness. In front, at his feet, is a large lump of pumice stone someone gave me, a small piece of lava I stole from Pompeii, lots of rounded pieces of glass from the Pacific Ocean off Kochi, Japan, a pine cone from Norway, and an assortment of coins from various countries.

Strange to say, I can’t remember where I bought him. Laos? Thailand? Bali?

It doesn’t really matter…

A larger version of this picture can viewed here at my dedicated website and store, Andy Lightfoot Photography.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #117

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on August 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

I found this next to some construction works down near an industrial zone in the south of Hiroshima.

It’s typical of the way the Japanese dress up even a stern warning in comic-book cuteness, despite the sour look on our cartoonish safety officer’s face.

Perhaps also it hints at the more authoritarian and less pleasant aspects of Japanese society and culture…

A larger version of this picture can viewed here at my dedicated website and store, Andy Lightfoot Photography.

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INSTANT IMAGE #13

Posted in Instant Images, tagged , , , , , , on August 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

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Now in Strasbourg, Alsace, just a few kilometres from the border with Germany, and it’s a great city.

Long a bone of contention between France and Germany, the architecture of the place clearly reflects the latter, but the inhabitants are most definitely Gallic in language and culture.

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Well, I got seriously into the Gallic spirit of the locals today, and did what they all do – buy a baguette from a boulangerie and nibble the top off while walking along the street.

Later on, in the shadow of Strasbourg’s amazing cathedral, I flung myself more fully into the national culture, or at least my clichéd version of it…

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #116

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on August 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Behind the grandiose Palace of Versailles lie extensive gardens which range from the fancy and ornate to the plain and homely.

The latter can be found in Marie Antoinette’s faux farmhouse, a long way back from the main palace, and thus rarely visited by the vast numbers of tourists who flock here.

I must admit I preferred its rustic charms to the cold splendour of the main palace – warm, down to earth, and a chance to get a bit of peace and quiet…

A larger version of this picture can viewed here at my dedicated website and store, Andy Lightfoot Photography.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #115

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , on August 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

You don’t need to have the Taj Mahal or the Leaning Tower of Pisa in front of you to make striking images (although if they are in front of you, they’ll help).

Just wandering around the place you live will reveal all kinds of things which, when framed correctly, become not only bold and artistic visions, but have the added advantage of most likely never having been photographed before.

And you can’t say that about the Taj Mahal or the Leaning Tower of Pisa, can you?

A larger version of this picture can viewed here at my dedicated website and store, Andy Lightfoot Photography.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #114

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , on August 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Someone once told me that you can point a camera anywhere in Venice and you’ll get a good picture.

Not strictly true, but there certainly is a lot of detail beyond the well-worn tourist traps.

I passed these ancient chimneys several times on my walk from the hotel in the north down to the centre, and waited for the right occasion to photograph them – blue sky, late afternoon.

Venice is a truly unique place: if you ever get the chance to go there, do so before it crumbles. Despite the hoards, it retains its magic, particularly if one strays into the less well-known quarters.

A larger version of this picture can viewed here at my dedicated website and store, Andy Lightfoot Photography.

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INSTANT IMAGE #12

Posted in Instant Images, tagged , , , , , , on August 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

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My third night in rainy not-very-exciting Dijon.

I’d hoped to use it as a base to go hiking among the vineyards around Beaune, a short train ride south, but the weather (and a damaged toe) have precluded this.

Managed some night photography this evening, and before that I took the above picture on the iPhone in a Pizzeria.

Yes, I know, why am I eating pizza in Dijon? To make amends, my meal was accompanied by a glass of ‘kir’, a Burgundian speciality of red wine and cassis.

À votre santé!

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #113

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , on August 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Harbours are always great places to find things to photograph – lots going on, and always the possibility to do something with reflections.

In Oslo, about to board a ferry, and the irresistible colours of the reflected sky and the yellows and browns of the boats, punctuated by dots of red, made for a great image.

For the viewer, the colours shapes and textures are all, and it doesn’t matter where it was taken: for me, there is the added element of the memory of a wonderful trip to Norway in more innocent times…

A larger version of this picture can viewed here at my dedicated website and store, Andy Lightfoot Photography.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #112

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Autumn leaves – yes, I know it’s about the most clichéd thing possible for a photographer to take, but it’s slightly better than dogs and babies, if you ask me :)

This one dates from last November, on the first outing with my new Nikon D7000, when the contrasts between the three colours of leaves caught my eye as I strolled in the grounds of Hiroshima castle.

A larger version of this picture can viewed here at my dedicated website and store, Andy Lightfoot Photography.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #111

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , on August 24, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Well, I bet there are few visitors to Venice who’ve taken a picture of the Campanile on St Mark’s Square like this…

Late at night, cold, foggy and rainy, and I decided to play with the white balance a bit (although the sky really was a sickly brown colour).

I didn’t defocus deliberately – the camera couldn’t operate properly in the gloom, and so the shutter fired without having acquired focus.

Modern art!

A larger version of this picture can viewed here at my dedicated website and store, Andy Lightfoot Photography.

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