I took this with a small pocket Casio. Not too clear, but it serves my purpose of a background for web page. The page has a Christian mission theme, and I wanted to capture the idea of the world being a very dark place, with the light of God’s love just beginning to light the darkne
ss. There is a huge idol in Kurume that’s the same height as the Statue of Liberty and its base combined. It represents the original pagan religion established by Nimrod toward the beginning of the world in defiance of the True God, and as such is a classic symbol of inner darkness, so I took that as the theme.
The actual conditions looked something like this. I liked the reflection of the late afternoon sun in the water. Sometimes its an advantage to have a small pocket camera instead of a big professional model. I’m using a Casio Exelim 7.2, which has a lot of features, including a huge selection of preset style options. I chose “sunset mode” to see what would happen.
Here’s the result I got. Not bad, but I wanted to emphasize the idea, so I moved the shutter speed setting over just a bit to get the darkened effect, then cropped it to bring the idol closer to the center, arriving at the version above. I’m happy with the top photo. The contrast between light and darkness is pronounced, and I have ample black space to add some text. I could use this for a banner or title for the page as well.
Posted 3 years, 4 months ago at 5:20 am. Add a comment
I like Asahi Super Dry (silver can), Kerin Ichiban (Premium, white can) as a hunter and Karin Beer (Yellow Can) if nothing else. For Japanese whiskey I lean toward the Suntory. The malt is Hokuto and I think he has a heavy interface, but immediate support. I like 12 years pure malt Hakushu Sundory-Well-rounded in all aspaects. What Japanese beer and whiskey that you like?
On your list, I like Kirin Ichiban and malt, Hokuto. If I can choose between Japan, I'd say … Yamazaki pure malt whiskey (Suntory) http://www.suntory.co.jp/whisky/yamazaki/index.html or all of the malt (Nikka) This is not expensive and not old, but tasty. And http://www.nikka.com/product/recommend/newmalt/top.html Suntory malt beer (Suntory) http://www.suntory.co.jp/beer/malts/ oh by the way, do you know this machine? Http: / / www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhXP1wgkEhk
In this age of high technology automatic electronic equipment it pays to take a step back to the simple things such as the Pentax K1000 camera. The fully manual 35mm SLR obviously requires complete user control but for the photographer who doesn’t want to be limited by a camera’s ability, this is the one for you….
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A popular symbol of prosperity and good fortune across Asia and around the world, Lucky Cat beckons good luck with his raised paw. Learn about this cheerful cat’s significance, his origins in eighteenth-century Japan, and his fascinating history and folklore, as well as how to display your own Lucky Cat and invite good luck into your life. Includes:- Hand-painted Lucky Cat statue – Colorful displa…
Our nature photography tips so far have covered only straight lines. The next step is obviously curved lines. We’ll bundle up all possible curved lines into one quick lesson, as you can really only have an arc or an s-curve. Curved lines tend to express beauty and grace along with a sense of quietness, smoothness and dignity. Prominent curved lines invite the eye to travel along them in a relaxed and leisurely manner, noticing other details in the photo. This tends to get people to spend just a little more time looking at your composition, which is definitely a good thing!
This photo emphasizes the curved lines in these ancient stairstep ricefields in Japan. The red flowers along the edge bloom in the late summer just before the rice is harvested. I’m not sure what it is with red flowers. These flowers in Japan have a tradition that if you pick them, it will rain, just like the red bottle-brush in Hawaii. Here’s a classic arc type example of curved lines. The mountain in the distance on the right is Mt. Unzen in Shimabara, Japan. You may remember years ago reading about a volcano in Japan that continued to release a pyroclastic flow off and on for over a year. The mayor of the town that was being systematically buried under the scalding volcanic dust determined not to shave until his town was back to normal. The poor man ended up with a beard down to his waist. Nature Photography Tips:
As usual, look for curved lines in your nature photography files. Notice how the curved lines contribute to the beauty and dignity of the composition. Be aware of both s-curve and arc type curved lines when you are deciding on an angle to shoot from in the next few days. See if you can get the same subject with and without the curved line, and compare how you react to the photos.
Remember these quick photography tips, and you will be able to create great nature photography without much time or thought. Simply decide what you are trying to express, and then look for those types of lines.
Vertical lines indicate strength and power.
Horizontal lines suggest freedom and wide open spaces.
Diagonal lines give an impression of movement and speed.
Curved lines show grace, beauty and dignity.
Posted 3 years, 5 months ago at 12:22 am. 4 comments
Japan – the financial responsibility of adult children?
In Japan, adult children are financially responsible for their elderly parents, legally? I know this was the case in Korea until recently – is or has always been the case in Japan? If it used to be so, but no longer, could let me know approximately when things changed? Thank you very much! That's exactly what I mean, yes. Thanks!
It depends what you mean financial responsibility. If parents have older children, can not get welfare. Children are responsible in that regard. Addendum: The older generation (60-80) spent their working age in the high economic growth (1970-1990). So most of them have to store or receive a good amount of the pension. Moreover, children (30-50) do not have much luck. Those between 40 and are somewhat better. But the younger generation (20-40) graduated from the school during the period of stagnation Japan (1990-2010). Many of them are unemployed or have an unstable job. Many people are concerned about what happens when elderly people 30 years later.
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It’s fitting that the Kid Rock revival got started when the Beastie Boys featured him in their Grand Royal magazine–and not because the kid from Detroit shares their skin tone. Rock has often been compared with the early Beasties–the boys of “Fight for Your Right to Party” and “Brass Monkey,” the boys no one ever thought would grow up. With lines like “I ain’t straight outta Compton, I’m straigh…
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Posted 3 years, 6 months ago at 1:23 am. Add a comment
The Shinto religion in Japan requires parents to take their children to the shrine at ages 3, 5 and 7 to be dedicated to the Shinto gods, and recieve protection as they grow up. The children are dressed in brilliant kimonos, or finely embroidered “hakama,” the samurai costume of ancient Japan, and taken to the most prestigious shrine in the area.
The shrine of choice in Kurume is on the mountain near my house, as it’s over 500 years old, so I drove up there to see if I could get some photos of beautiful children. I got so many good ones I had a tough time choosing just a few, but here they are.
Kids will be kids in any culture, and this one was definitely not cooperating. She wanted out of all those fancy clothes right now. I managed to take this shot just before her father told her to sit up straight and smile for the camera. The Japanese lettering on the banner says “Congratulations: 3,5,7 worshippers.”
I was really just trying to capture a shot of some pretty clothes when I took this one. When I got home and looked at it closely, I noticed the story for the first time. The girl in the foreground is looking over her sister’s head at the boy in the suit, who has obviously captured her interest. Alas, just as she realizes she wants to meet him, her father leads him away. Ah well, such is life at times.
I had to work hard to get a photo of this little prince. He was just going in to the inner chambers of the shrine to be “blessed.” His mother was somewhat annoyed that I wanted a photo, but his grandmother had recognized me from somewhere and tried to speak to me in English, so she let me have one split second. Even in a public situation like this, people in Japan take off their shoes when they go inside. Thus the shoes lined up all around him.
And finally, my personal favorite. This picture forces the deep philisophical question of how we should raise our children. The young boy is pointing toward the Shinto shrine as if to say, “Dad, are we really going in there? Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Of course we all teach our children our own traditions and values, but this picture made me wonder if that father had thought through whether the path he has chosen for his son is based on truth and reality, or just the traditions he’s been handed down.
Most people in Japan practice both Buddhism and Shinto. Nearly all of them will tell you that it means nothing to them, and they just go through the motions because it’s a tradition, but whenever something goes wrong, you will find them at a temple or shrine, trying to appease the gods so they will leave them alone.
Oh! did you notice the girl in the green kimono in the background of the last photo? That’s the same girl who was so disgruntled in the first shot. Don’t forget to click on the photos to see an enlarged version!
Posted 3 years, 6 months ago at 12:02 am. 6 comments
Our nature photography tips so far have covered only straight lines. The next step is obviously curved lines. We’ll bundle up all possible curved lines into one quick lesson, as you can really only have an arc or an s-curve. Curved lines tend to express beauty and grace along with a sense of quietness, smoothness and dignity. Prominent curved lines invite the eye to travel along them in a relaxed and leisurely manner, noticing other details in the photo. This tends to get people to spend just a little more time looking at your composition, which is definitely a good thing!
This photo emphasizes the curved lines in these ancient stairstep ricefields in Japan. The red flowers along the edge bloom in the late summer just before the rice is harvested. I’m not sure what it is with red flowers. These flowers in Japan have a tradition that if you pick them, it will rain, just like the red bottle-brush in Hawaii.
Here’s a classic arc type example of curved lines. The mountain in the distance on the right is Mt. Unzen in Shimabara, Japan. You may remember years ago reading about a volcano in Japan that continued to release a pyroclastic flow off and on for over a year. The mayor of the town that was being systematically buried under the scalding volcanic dust determined not to shave until his town was back to normal. The poor man ended up with a beard down to his waist.
Nature Photography Tips:
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The shrine of choice in Kurume is on the mountain near my house, as it’s over 500 years old, so I drove up there to see if I could get some photos of beautiful children. I got so many good ones I had a tough time choosing just a few, but here they are.
And finally, my personal favorite. This picture forces the deep philisophical question of how we should raise our children. The young boy is pointing toward the Shinto shrine as if to say, “Dad, are we really going in there? Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Of course we all teach our children our own traditions and values, but this picture made me wonder if that father had thought through whether the path he has chosen for his son is based on truth and reality, or just the traditions he’s been handed down.