Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged blossom, flora, flowers, Japan, nature, park, petals, spring, Tokyo, trees on April 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Spring Blossom” : Tokyo 19th March 2012
It was too early for the quintessentially Japanese cherry blossoms to have put in an appearance, but still these other varieties (sadly unidentified due to my poor knowledge of flora) made up for it with their beautifully contrasting tones.
You see – it’s not all cold architectural lines with me – I can still turn my lens to living objects on occasion 
You can see a larger version of this image here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged branches, cold, flora, Japan, photo, photography, snow, stark, trees, winter on February 4, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Snow Trees” : Hiroshima, 3rd February 2012
Last night it snowed for only about the second time this winter, and by morning there was still enough left on the ground to warrant taking the camera in to work and sneaking around the campus before the 9am class looking for things to photograph.
It was one of those classic winter moments, with blue skies and the crystalline deposits still pristine and untouched, a fairly rare occurrence in this neck of the woods (no pun intended), given the global warming that has taken place over the last few decades.
I say blue skies, but of course in post-processing I opted for this duotone rendering which really emphasises the stark cold of winter more than the natural colours, in my opinion.
As usual, you can see a larger version of this photo by clicking here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged architecture, building, hedge, Japan, trees, wedding parlour on January 27, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
“Secret Building” : Hiroshima, 28th December 2011
It isn’t a secret building at all, of course, but it caught my eye popping up over the hedge, and knowing that it was on the other side of the river, made it seem somewhat mysterious.
It looks like one of the many faux European-style structures that you can find all over Japan: at a distance they look convincing, but when you get close the illusion evaporates into cheaply-constructed fakery.
Invariably these places turn out to be ‘wedding parlours‘ where you can tie the knot complete with a fake western priest mumbling the service in Japanese. Nobody seems to mind the obvious tackiness of the whole procedure, but then again the Japanese long ago dispensed with their fabled sense of aesthetics…
You can find a bigger version of this photo here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged fortress, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan, landscape, photography, snow, stark, trees, winter on November 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
“Stark Winter Scene” : Hakodate, Japan, 4th March 2009
Hokkaido is Japan’s northern-most major island, and a place most folks go to in summer to escape the terrible humidity and heat of the southern part of the country.
I, however, went in March when it resembles the Siberia which is geographically very close. From the top of Hokkaido you can actually see Russian territory on a clear day.
The town of Hakodate is a kind of stepping-stone, a gateway into Hokkaido and the wild north.
It’s had a cosmopolitan history, the remains of which can be seen in foreigner’s cemeteries and a smattering of churches, the Orthodox one still having an incumbent priest.
There’s also a large European-style fortress, no doubt modelled after those of Vauban in France, a huge five-pointed star of moats and emplacements which is fun to clamber round, and where I took this stark image of winter.
At times in Hakodate you can almost be fooled into thinking you are in Europe…
A larger version of this photo can be found here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged canal, Europe, lanscape, reflection, river, summer, trees, verdant, water on November 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
“Nature’s Mirror” : Strasbourg, France, 1st September 2011
There’s a whole side to the French city of Strasbourg that most tourists don’t get to see.
Once you leave the quaint picturesque timbered medieval houses of the old quarter, there are the grand boulevards and impressive public buildings of more recent times, giving way to the university, the botanical gardens and then the area dedicated to the assemblies of the European Union.
It was on the edge of this latter region that I stumbled upon this beautiful, and somehow typically European scene, bringing out the latent landscape photographer in me.
Incidentally, this will be the last photo from France for a while, since I have now finally begun processing the pictures I took in the last third of my summer trip, which took me to Portugal, so expect a change of atmosphere.
As usual, you can glimpse a larger version of this photo by clicking here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged branches, creepy, Ferrara, Italy, monochrome, nature, perspective, photography, trees, tunnel on November 8, 2011 | 8 Comments »
“Scary Trees” : Ferrara, Italy, 25th March 2011
I must admit I didn’t much like Ferrara, an historic town in Italy’s northern Emilia-Romagna region.
It certainly had its fair share of architectural wonders, but all the museums I wanted to visit seemed to all be closing just as I arrived, and the city was awash with so many cyclists I was forever dodging them.
In the end my discovery of the ancient city walls and the beautiful walks atop them (which stretched for kilometres) more than made up for the annoyances of the town. And no bloody cyclists!
This line of trees (sorry, I couldn’t tell you what variety they are) was magnificent, the upper branches and twigs so thick they looked like a solid mass. I took several shots of them but found later, much to my horror, that the best ones were blurry. Never mind, this one ain’t too shabby, eh?
The monochrome gives them something of a threatening air, I think – almost as if they are coming to life, menacingly curving round to form a dark tunnel over the pathway. Must have been quite creepy at night…
See the bigger version here.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged clouds, gloomy, night, photo, reflections, river, trees on October 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
“Reflections under a Swollen Sky” : Strasbourg, 29th August 2011
I love strolling around on my own after dark. Or at least I do in cities where I know I’m not going to come to any harm.
Here I found myself in the old quarter of Strasbourg, which by day is bustling with tourists come to admire the narrow streets bordered by quaint medieval timbered houses, the quintessential Alsatian architectural look.
By night, most folk have retreated to the restaurants to unwind after a hard days’ sightseeing.
Not me, though. I’m perversely skulking about with my camera, intent on transforming the picturesque urban landscape into a gloomy foreboding twilight of unspoken evil.
OK, OK, I’ll shut up now…
You can stop by my gallery and take a look at the larger version if you so wish, readers.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged autumn, green, leaves, nature, orange, photo, photography, red, trees 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.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged creepy, moon, night, photo, photography, spider, trees, winter on August 23, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Without a doubt, one of my best photos – or at least, one of my favourites.
Instead of just taking a straight moon shot, I’d thought I’d look for some more creative ways to approach the subject.
As the moon was low in the skies, it seemed only natural to frame it with these two stark winter trees.
Look closely, and you can see a spider in there, too…
Yes, I know a pro would’ve had the moon properly exposed and in focus as well as the silhouetted trees, but hey, I like it as it is.
Taken in my garden.
A larger version of this picture can viewed here at my dedicated website and store, Andy Lightfoot Photography.
Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged Japan, monochrome, park, photo, photography, Tokyo, trees on July 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This shot is deceptive for two reasons: first, the condition of the trees might lead one to suppose that it was midwinter, when actually it was May and quite hot (note the parasol).
Second, the type and deployment of the trees suggests Europe, but in reality this was central Tokyo, in Shinjuku park, an oasis of green in an otherwise solidly concrete and neon megalopolis.
Monochrome can radically alter a photo’s mood…
A larger version of this picture can viewed here at my dedicated website and store, Andy Lightfoot Photography.
