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Archive for March, 2012

PHOTO OF THE DAY #330

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 31, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“Curly Column” : Porto, 10th September 2011

There are various types of architectural columns, but I’m sure you’ve never seen anything like this: a small section of a much longer wiggly artefact that was holding up some monument or other in the centre of Porto’s historic old town. Notice the wreath which seems to be causing, implausibly, this bizarre warping of the stone.

An artisan bent on being different, or just a stonecutter’s joke? We’ll probably never know…

See a larger version of this photo here.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #329

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“Sunset Silhouette” : Porto, 10th September 2011

When I took this photograph I didn’t think that it would turn out to be anything special, but now I come to process and publish it, it suddenly seems as though it’s one of my best. Strange how things sometimes turn out that way…

You can see a larger version of this photo here.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #328

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on March 29, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“Porto Afternoon” : Porto, 10th September 2011

The clouds and rain having withdrawn, I was granted a couple of hours in the late afternoon to get out and record the last parts of Porto I hadn’t yet photographed.

Here, with my back to the river, I could survey the entire town between the two large church spires on the horizon.

Right at my feet were a charming row of tiled Portuguese houses, a little worn at the edges, and home to some colourful characters, with the dying sunlight striking the most attractive building…

Not a perfect composition by any means, and none too revolutionary, but I’m very pleased with how it turned out.

You can see a larger version of this photo here.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #327

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“Green Girders” : Tokyo, 16th March 2012

Somewhere in central Tokyo, between Ginza and the central station area, and I was slightly lost, trying to make my way to the Imperial Palace gardens when I just happened to look up as I walked beneath a flyover. What beauty to behold in both the lines and the interesting two-tone scheme the local authorities had decided to paint the thing in. Why green? Well, perhaps it was an unconscious attempt to in some tiny way make up for the ubiquitous concrete grey so much in evidence throughout the city…

You can see a larger version of this photo here. And you should!

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #326

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 27, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“Dead House” : Porto, 10th September 2011

Sad to say, but from what I saw, there are many abandoned buildings like this one all over the urban areas of Portugal. Some, as we have seen, have been transformed into interesting and cheerful street art, but this forlorn shell in the centre of Porto has had no such treatment.

Despite this, however, the building retains a certain proud grandeur and is resplendent in its gorgeous facade of green tiles (it is a feature of traditional Portuguese architecture to have a tiled frontage, though more often than not this is blue or patterned rather than green).

I hope the money can be found to rescue this once grand residence before it crumbles into dust…

You can see a larger version of this photo here.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #325

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , on March 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“Shiodome Monochrome” : Tokyo, 16th March 2012

Still in Tokyo’s shiny new skyscraper district of Shiodome, this is actually the other side of the building to the previous Tokyo shot.

This one just came out better in black and white, although, rather annoyingly, I tried two monochrome versions and in the first the top of the building looked best, and in the second the mother-of-pearl hexagon in the foreground looked best. Sigh – if only I had Photoshop and possessed the skills to use it, I could have combined them. In the end I went for the second version.

What I love about this building is not only its clean lines, but also the very subtle wave-like curve at the top – very beautifully done.

Check out the larger version of this photo here.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #324

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“Polka Dot Mall” : Porto, Portugal, 10th September 2011

This may look like a rejected design from the 1970′s, but I love it – the tones, the lines, the whole thing.

It was a rainy day when I took it, and so was forced to go in doors, much to my good fortune as it turned out.

As usual, plenty of people gave me strange looks and were obviously wondering what the hell I was doing with a professional-looking DSLR in a crappy old shopping centre, but hey, nothing new there…

Click here to see a larger version of this photo.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #323

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on March 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“Looking Up in Shiodome” : Tokyo, 16th March 2012

My first full day in Tokyo started off with a visit to an old favourite, the futuristic Shiodome area which turned out to be very close to my hotel.

Formerly marshland, then an early railway station, this is now one of the most modern-looking parts of Tokyo, with a close cluster of thirteen enormous skyscrapers housing the headquarters of various big-name corporations.

The place is an architectural delight, and just the kind of subject I like – huge, shiny, impersonal, and impressive!

I don’t know the name of this particular mirror-glass encrusted marvel, but it’s contoured like a gentle wave in the sky, made more dreamy here by my processing choices (soft focus, low-key).

See a larger version of this photo here.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #322

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“Urban Carapace” : Hamamatsucho, Tokyo, 16th March 2012

Just back from a week-long trip to Tokyo where I immersed myself in photographing the urban architecture of this great metropolis.

It was a great trip – I saw a lot of new stuff, despite having been there many times before, and now I’m home again with about 800 shots to wade through and process – and I’m still not done with the ones from last September’s trip to Europe!!!

Here’s a little opener – I just loved this smeared transparent shell over the staircase on the long walkway to Hamamatsucho station from my hotel on the first morning of my holiday, all excited to be free and let loose in the Big City with only a map and a camera for companionship…

A deceptively simple and low-key beginning that is just the tip of the iceberg…

See a larger version of this picture here.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #321

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on March 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“Porto Panorama” : 9th September 2011

OK, it’s a fairly touristy view I know, but hey, it had to be done.

Porto has a very changeable climate : in the few days I was there, it went from cold and rainy to sweltering heat and blue skies, sometimes both on the same day.

I had to act fast to shoot everything in decent light. Look carefully at the top of the picture, where the river meets the sea. You’ll notice a bank of ominous low cloud that rapidly swept up the valley shortly after this photo was taken, making everything hazy and grey…

See a larger version of this photo here.

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