Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged abstract, blue, glow, Japan, railing, staircase, steps, Tokyo on April 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Urban Glow” : Tokyo, 18th March 2012
Yep, that’s right, another view of that weird blue staircase I found in Aoyama, Tokyo. This time, though, there’s a strange yellowish glow seeping through the plastic….
Click here for a larger version of this picture.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, balcony, design, dots, interior, mall, polka dot, railing, seventies 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.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged bridge, cables, distance, ines, metal, perspective, posts, railing on March 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Metal Lines” : Porto, 9th September 2011
Another view of the same bridge featured in yesterday’s post, again focusing on perspective, this time achieved by that sophisticated technique known in the trade as ‘dumping the camera on the floor and hoping for the best.’
Have a look at a larger version of this photo here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged bridge, figure, lines, path, perspective, railing, shadow, walkway on March 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Man in Perspective” : Porto, 9th September 2011
This was taken on a large bridge spanning a gorge, with fairly hair-raising drops on each side.
You can see a larger version of this photo 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 bridge, Japan, monochrome, perspective, railing, urban, winter, woman on January 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Bridge in Winter” : Hiroshima, 28th December 2011
Just to demonstrate that I do occasionally include living things in my photographs, I present this study in humanity, a woman so swaddled in winter clothing as she crosses the bridge that nothing at all can be seen of her flesh. Even her hands have vanished up her leaves. She could be a mannequin for all you know…
You can find a larger version of this picture here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged bannister, Italy, railing, spiral, staircase, stairwell, swirl, Vatican, wrought iron on January 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Spiral Stairway” : Vatican City, 12th March 2011
I came upon this amazing spiral in the Vatican Museum. Apparently it’s a great draw for photographers : while there I noticed quite a few serious-looking folk with big pro lenses snapping away. Amazingly, though, everybody else was taking their shots from the top of the staircase – I was the only one trying from the bottom with a wide-angle lens.
I have to say that this must be one of my best photos. I even tried to submit it to the elitist 1x.com site, but they rejected it. Maybe they were right to do so, actually – my image falls short of perfection in several areas, but what annoyed me was that another photographer’s photo of the same thing had been accepted, but his was the inferior (and done-to-death) top view, albeit heavily post-processed and overly vibrant (mine is straight out of the camera). Well, enough sour grapes from me – you can judge yourself by looking at the other guy’s picture here.
A larger version of this poor rejected image can be found here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged bridge, figure, grass, monochrome, mysterious, outline, railing, shadow, silhouette on January 1, 2012 | 2 Comments »
“Silhouette Self Portrait” : Hiroshima, Japan, 28th December 2011
First picture of the day for 2012. Yes, when your time zone is GMT +9 you get to experience these ‘important occasions’ way ahead of your family and friends back in Europe or America. Although any relatives in Australia or New Zealand are even quicker off the mark, of course.
Honestly, I have no idea why people commemorate New Year, birthdays, or any other ‘special’ days. It’s just totally arbitrary, random, and ultimately meaningless. Personally, I like to think that I can give people presents, contemplate the future or past, eat and drink too much and celebrate the joy of being alive any time, anywhere, as my mood takes me, and not at the behest of any calendar, religion, nation-state, or anyone else.
But that’s just me. Go ahead and enjoy yourself as and when you see fit!
And yes, that amorphous shape in the picture almost sporting a halo is indeed my good self.
Click here for a larger version of this image.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged abstract, bokeh, dark, minimalism, railing, steel, tube on December 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
“Stark Steel” : Hiroshima, Japan, 28th December 2011
Went out for another photo shoot yesterday, hoping to get some good cloud pictures from a location I’d scouted out before, but the weather didn’t cooperate, and not a cumulus was to be seen.
However, as I got off the train at a minor and somewhat dilapidated station, I discovered a whole world of abstract possibilities and got really inspired.
Here we have the ultimate in minimalism: just a steel railing with blurry gravel in the background. Cold and inhuman, just the way I like it. 
Get a look at a bigger version of this photo here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged balcony, canine, dog, observer, pet, railing, street, window on December 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
“Curious Canine” : Lisbon, Portugal, 5th September 2011
I’m not a great fan of dogs as a rule. I prefer cats (and live with five of them), but I couldn’t resist taking a few shots of this photogenic little fellow in a Lisbon side street last summer.
Looks like he was checking me out as much as I was him…
See a larger version of this picture here.
