Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, Buddhism, Hiroshima, Japan, Miyajima, orange, oriental, pagoda, tower on February 29, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Orange Pagoda” : Miyajima, Japan, 22nd January 2011
These five-storied structures can be found all over Japan, but this one on the holy island of Miyajima, just a short ferry ride from Hiroshima, is one of the brightest and most cheerful-looking.
This striking shade also goes particularly nicely with a pale blue winter sky.
You can see a larger version of this photo here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged banner, Catholicism, history, letters, Salamanca, Spain, text on February 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“The History of Spain” : Salamanca, 12th September 2009
I’ve published only one photo of Spain before on this blog, which is because when I went there I only had the lowly Nikon D50, my first digital SLR camera, and, more importantly, I had no idea how to use it. So although I was totally lacking in technical skills back then, and never did any kind of post-processing, I still knew how to frame a good picture. But I’m slightly ashamed to post works that can only pale in comparison with my more recent efforts…
Still, this banner caught my eye in Salamanca’s wonderful cloistered church of San Esteban, part of a very frank exhibition coming to terms with some of the less than pleasant aspects of the Catholic faith during the Inquisition and the conquest of the New World.
Salamanca, incidentally, makes for a great visit but is probably way off most tourist’s itineraries, lying as it does right in the centre of the Iberian peninsular, landlocked, and not that far from Portugal. This genteel old-fashioned town is the Oxford and Cambridge of Spain, steeped in history and architectural splendour, but still lively due to the student population.
See a larger version of this photograph here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged art, chairs, France, hotel, joke, Lyon, publicity, surreal on February 27, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Surrealist Hotel” : Lyon, France, 23rd August 2011
I didn’t actually stay in this place located right in the heart of Lyon, but I almost wish I had. I’ve absolutely no idea what possessed the owner to suddenly decide to stick a load of chairs in random locations all over the front. Or, rather, the reason it was done is obvious – it draws your attention immediately – but what I’d like to know is what led to this particularly eccentric form of publicity in a business not known for its sense of humour.
Nevertheless, it’s great fun, and fits in with one or two other amusing examples of what we might term ‘street art’ that are dotted about this often disregarded, but very interested French city.
Check out the larger version of this photo which is available here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged cathedral, church, Italy, Milan, roof, silhouette, spires, statues on February 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Saints and Spires” : Milan, Italy, 27th March 2011
I’ve been to Milan twice. The first time was about fifteen years ago in the company of a good friend of mine who had lived in Italy for a time and was going to show me around. This ‘showing around’ amounted to getting ripped off in a crappy touristy pizzeria, then drinking beer out of plastic cups in the mosquito-infested gardens of some great fortress or other. Not the greatest of impressions.
My next visit was an impromptu one a year ago. I had been based in Bologna and was nearing the end of a three-week trip to Italy. I’d planned on my final day being a trip out to Ravenna on the Adriatic coast, but as the morning dawned the weather looked dicey and I couldn’t face the prospect of a rainy day stuck in a small town with nothing to do.
At Bologna station I was very pleased to find that for a relatively modest fee I could get a high-speed train up to Milan in only an hour and a half, and even if the weather didn’t cooperate, it didn’t matter, since my goal was a prominent art museum.
When I got their, although it was cloudy and hazy, I couldn’t resist dropping by the extraordinary cathedral, which is quite jaw-dropping in its beauty. I wasn’t interested in going inside, though – my target was the roof. For a fee you could clamber up the stairs and find yourself on the marble-glad top of this enormous edifice, providing some remarkable views despite the poor weather.
A riot of hundreds of spires, statues, gargoyles and ornate stonework, it was worth the trip up to Milan just for this, let alone the excellent art museum I visited shortly afterwards.
I still don’t like Milan too much, especially when compared to Rome, Venice or Bologna, but this was a wonderful end to my holiday.
See a larger version of this photo here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged amber, architecture, blue, building, evening, golden, Porto, Portugal, sky, warm on February 25, 2012 | 1 Comment »
“Evening Architectural Glow” : Porto, Portugal, 8th September 2011
All photographers know that there two times in the day when nature supplies her best tones: shortly after sunrise, and shortly before sunset.
Alas, for people like me who can never willingly get up earlier than ten in the morning, only the latter is available, but I certainly know how to make the best of it.
I’d just arrived in Porto, Portugal’s second city, and after unpacking in my hotel just had time for a quick evening reconnaissance.
Of course I got lost, and found myself on a long street heading in what turned out to be altogether the wrong direction, but as the sun was pouring her last rays of the day onto the tops of the houses on the left side of the street, I looked up and saw these deliciously warm shades contrasted with the deep blue of the summer sky.
It’s good that I managed to get a few such shots in, as the next few days consisted of haze and rain for the most part…
A larger version of this photo can be seen here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged abstract, industrial, light, metal, ocean, railing, reflection, rust, sea, wave on February 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Coastal Bars” : Hiroshima, 19th February 2012
I shot this last weekend when I when down to Ujina, the port area of Hiroshima.
Yes, it’s just some rusty metal bits of a railing with some other dock-like things behind, but what really caught my eye was the light playing on the gentle waves. These looked especially good out of focus, imparting a smooth, glassy look to the sea which is very appealing.
I also like the unknown white stuff speckled over the railings.
Simple things, but together they made for something compelling.
It was quite a successful day photography-wise, with some other pleasing shots which I will no doubt be publishing shortly…
See a larger version of this photo here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged city, Lisbon, night, photography, Portugal, street, street car, tram, transport, trolley bus, urban on February 22, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Night Tram” : Lisbon, Portugal, 7th September 2011
There’s something wonderful about riding a tram. It has far more charm than a bus or a train. Maybe it’s because many tram systems in existence today are ancient and creaking, like this one in Lisbon, an obvious reminder of the past. What I like about them, though, is their immediacy and connection with the surroundings: other forms of transport are more speedy, but seal you off from the places you are passing through, whereas the old tram, with its open windows and doors and snail’s pace mean that you are much more in touch with the environment.
Hiroshima, the city I live in, has trams too, but these days many of the old stock have been replaced by sleek, newer, more efficient models, which are good, but lack entirely that thrill of riding a rickety old one.
Count yourself lucky if the place where you live still has such gems rattling around…
See a larger version of this photo here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged boat, Bruno Schulz, Euopa Universalis, iMac, photography, sky, washing up on February 22, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Boat in the Sky” : Hiroshima, 21st February 2011
Whoa, no time, no time! It’s 1:06am and my contact lenses are sticking to my corneas like crazy, and I still have to go downstairs and wash the dishes else there’ll be BIG TROUBLE.
I was hoping I’d have some time to play ‘Europa Universalis‘ on the iMac before sleep, but it doesn’t look like this will happen now.
Still, hopefully I’ll be in bed by 2am and be able to read another chunk of that crazy Bruno Schulz and his ‘Street of Crocodiles.’ I absolutely love between-the-wars Eastern European writers – they’re completely nuts.
Oh, and about today’s photo: it’s a boat. And it’s in the sky.
Goodnight!
(Bigger version of photo here, blah blah blah…)
Posted in Photography Talk, tagged article, blog, iPhone, notice, photography, snap on February 22, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Just a quick note to inform you that I published an article about smart phones and photography on my other blog, which you might care to read. This blog isn’t usually about photography, it’s just a platform for my occasional ramblings and observations.
And, while we’re on the subject, I now have two dedicated sites for my iPhone pictures:
‘Souvenirs from the Surface of Last Scattering‘ is for my general and quite prolific artistic on-the-spur-of-the-moment shots.
‘The Cutout Kid‘ is…well, perhaps you’d better just go and take a look for yourself! (Don’t worry, it’s totally ‘work safe.’)
Here’s a couple of samples…
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, building, grand, lights, monochrome, night, photography, street, symmetry, urban on February 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Architecture at Night” : Lisbon, Portugal, 7th September 2011
It’s now five months after I came back from my last European adventure, and, unbelievably, I’m still working through the photos I took. I blame in on using the RAW files and buying professional post-processing software. With all that going on, I can only do four or fives pictures a night, since each image has to be treated individually to get maximum benefit from the technology. And I take thousands of pictures…Ah, I’m almost nostalgic for the days when I’d just yank the JPEG straight out of the camera and do nothing except a bit of levelling, since I’m one of these idiots who just can’t seem to hold a camera straight.
You see, people, too much tech can be a hindrance as much as it can be a help.
It’s a good job I’m too poor to go on a trip this spring vacation, otherwise I’d be backed up until next Christmas….
Anyway, tonight’s photo – a modern, but classically styled building whose perfect lines and symmetry just looked so gorgeous under subtle lighting that I knew it would make a good image. It’s not even a famous building, and whoever said that symmetry wasn’t beautiful? (Probably me!).
You can find a larger version of this image here.
