As zefrank says, "Valentines day is like a box of cat-poopy"
I'll leave you to interpret that as you wish.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Monday, December 04, 2006
Experimental Fisheye Photography
After Dan's birthday(documented here) we went clubbing in A-Life: A club in Roppongi.
Apart from the usual chanting and disco dancing (disco STU loves the sexy disco laydeez) I took my fisheye lomo and new colorsplash flash out for some fun. The results were unpredictable and fairly random, partly because I decided to try slide film in there as an experiment.
For the funky long exposure shots, I put the camera in B [Bulb] mode and took a couple of exposures of people dancing, then just kept the shutter open and pointed the camera at the lights for a while.
I'm quite happy with the results and apart from the difficulty of framing exactly what I wanted to capture (there is no viewfinder on the camera) it mostly worked. The slide film - although very colourful - was a mistake. It has taken about a month to get them developed then scanned. Grrr. Also - given that the lens really isn't that sharp, I just have some very colourful but blurry fisheye shots.
Apart from the usual chanting and disco dancing (disco STU loves the sexy disco laydeez) I took my fisheye lomo and new colorsplash flash out for some fun. The results were unpredictable and fairly random, partly because I decided to try slide film in there as an experiment.
For the funky long exposure shots, I put the camera in B [Bulb] mode and took a couple of exposures of people dancing, then just kept the shutter open and pointed the camera at the lights for a while.
I'm quite happy with the results and apart from the difficulty of framing exactly what I wanted to capture (there is no viewfinder on the camera) it mostly worked. The slide film - although very colourful - was a mistake. It has taken about a month to get them developed then scanned. Grrr. Also - given that the lens really isn't that sharp, I just have some very colourful but blurry fisheye shots.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Decacentenery
My Flickr stream recently hit 10,000 views. To celebrate I thought I'd put up one of my better photos from the last couple of batches.
This one was taken at Cherry's Birthday. I really like the bokeh on the wine glass front right.
Thats all folks
SAB
This one was taken at Cherry's Birthday. I really like the bokeh on the wine glass front right.
Thats all folks
SAB
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Up We Go
(Photo courtesy of DJChan)
I went outdoor rock climbing for the first time on Sunday the 12th of November 06. Thanks to DJC, we were able to get down out to a big park with lots of routes and try our hand at a couple of climbs. Its hard work, and quite different from climbing in the gym. For a start, I'm covered in scratches and insect bites. But its totally worth it.
The weather was fantastic and those of us that were able to make it had a great time. The wall in the picture actually beat me in the end, despite a good first haul up the lower section, I just couldn't make use of the footholds to get the leverage I needed. I eventually made it up a much easier wall, but it was still a bit of a hair-raiser. I was much more afraid of falling than I was in the gym... maybe because it was my first time outdoors or maybe because I was out of practice.
The surprising aspect of the whole experience (to me anyway) was that there were so many people there. I wasn't counting but there were probably thirty climbers nearby: young, old, japanese, gaijin, men and women. Everyone was taking part. There were also vending machines selling hot drinks (trust me, hot corn soup kicks ass when you are half way up a mountain) as well as sports drinks. The convenience of Japan came through yet again.
Looking forward to the next trip...
SAB
I went outdoor rock climbing for the first time on Sunday the 12th of November 06. Thanks to DJC, we were able to get down out to a big park with lots of routes and try our hand at a couple of climbs. Its hard work, and quite different from climbing in the gym. For a start, I'm covered in scratches and insect bites. But its totally worth it.
The weather was fantastic and those of us that were able to make it had a great time. The wall in the picture actually beat me in the end, despite a good first haul up the lower section, I just couldn't make use of the footholds to get the leverage I needed. I eventually made it up a much easier wall, but it was still a bit of a hair-raiser. I was much more afraid of falling than I was in the gym... maybe because it was my first time outdoors or maybe because I was out of practice.
The surprising aspect of the whole experience (to me anyway) was that there were so many people there. I wasn't counting but there were probably thirty climbers nearby: young, old, japanese, gaijin, men and women. Everyone was taking part. There were also vending machines selling hot drinks (trust me, hot corn soup kicks ass when you are half way up a mountain) as well as sports drinks. The convenience of Japan came through yet again.
Looking forward to the next trip...
SAB
Monday, October 09, 2006
Fisheye Karaoke
Had a great time on Friday thanks to Andy and co.
For posterity's sake -
- Zero east is a good live venue. Cut Chemist absolutely rocked.
- The K place next to Don Quijote ain't bad. I expected any non-shidax places to suck
- I took my new fish-eye camera along for fun. The photo you see was taken with four exposures I think. Tried to squeeze in as much of hte sensation of Karaoke as possible in one distorted image...
- Muse is better when its late on a Friday or Saturday. But still pretty lame. It makes up for it with the Table Tennis though!
For posterity's sake -
- Zero east is a good live venue. Cut Chemist absolutely rocked.
- The K place next to Don Quijote ain't bad. I expected any non-shidax places to suck
- I took my new fish-eye camera along for fun. The photo you see was taken with four exposures I think. Tried to squeeze in as much of hte sensation of Karaoke as possible in one distorted image...
- Muse is better when its late on a Friday or Saturday. But still pretty lame. It makes up for it with the Table Tennis though!
Monday, October 02, 2006
Its bright in here
There really is no food in my fridge (just wine, chuhai, water and japanese tea)
Update. Those shades were broken at the weekend. I bought them in HK about a year ago and unfortunately they got mashed during a game of park american football.
Update. Those shades were broken at the weekend. I bought them in HK about a year ago and unfortunately they got mashed during a game of park american football.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Nev and Jim (in a Fridge)
The less said the better I think.
Just a variation on this group, which caught my eye. Take a look...
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
If you want to send me a gift...
Please don't send me Money Orders or Cheques. I've heard this a couple of times now but the anecdote is still good. Sometimes Japan can suck:
"[He] got a 10 GBP cheque sent to him as a present.
It was going to cost him 3000 yen to cash.
They were effectively saying 'You give us 1000 yen, and we'll throw this nasty piece of paper away for you!'"
Great huh?
Just send me Irn Bru instead...
"[He] got a 10 GBP cheque sent to him as a present.
It was going to cost him 3000 yen to cash.
They were effectively saying 'You give us 1000 yen, and we'll throw this nasty piece of paper away for you!'"
Great huh?
Just send me Irn Bru instead...
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
I want... GREEN JELLY!
This one is for Nev. There was an aquarium display next to my office on Monday night. There was quite a bit of variety but the surprising thing were the Jelly Fish tanks. I've never seen that before. There were a few of tanks there and they all had these glowing jelly fish. Very cool.
They also had some specialist tanks - Disco, Goth, Titanic... all terribly bad taste.
Nev - when can I expect your order?
They also had some specialist tanks - Disco, Goth, Titanic... all terribly bad taste.
Nev - when can I expect your order?
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Abstract Sunset
In the office last night (sigh - it was meant to be a TKO holiday). I looked out the window around 5.30 and saw the beginnings of this sunset.
It was amazing - there had been a storm through the night, crazy high winds, rain, and bizarre clouds all day.
I took a couple of hours out to watch it and snap some photos. Click on the picture to see the results. The photo set is on Flickr as usual.
Enjoy
SAB
It was amazing - there had been a storm through the night, crazy high winds, rain, and bizarre clouds all day.
I took a couple of hours out to watch it and snap some photos. Click on the picture to see the results. The photo set is on Flickr as usual.
Enjoy
SAB
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Onjuku Surfing Trip
Some of you know i've been off surfing recently.
Here are a couple of the videos I've taken:
And here is the Flickr badge:
Here are a couple of the videos I've taken:
And here is the Flickr badge:
www.flickr.com
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Monday, August 28, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Take Anything You Want
Thanks to Stuart Croy for pointing me towards this gem:
I honestly can't comment. It speaks for itself.
I honestly can't comment. It speaks for itself.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Rock Climbing Photos
I took a trip back to Fuchinobe with the crew for another rock climbing trip. Pretty much the same as before but these photos were taking with my shiny (actually, matte black) new camera. I actually gave some of the safety and starter lessons to the newcomers which was fun. I'm slightly worried that the Japanese only speakers might not have understood me very well but they seemed safe enough (for the rock gym). Anyway - below is a photo of one of the rock gym regulars. This guy looks well over 60 but is able to hang upside down for at least five minutes:
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Hawaii Rocks and the rocks of Hawaii
Don't have much time to fill out the details here so I'll mostly link to my photos of Hawaii and point out how much of a surprise the place is...
(update, I've fixed that link...)
I had a great time in Hawaii. Mostly thanks to the great company (Thanks again Akane and Dave for Organising most of it, and Yuka too of course for the car rental). I feel kind of bad that I couldn't really organise much so next time I'll make a bit more effort.
Trip highlights included: a surprising amount of rain, volcanic wastelands, golf lessons, beautiful golf courses, great food, lack of extreme tourist nonsense (as expected in European resorts), sea turtles and of course the volcanoes.
Hawaii really wasn't what I expected. That despite the research I did on-line. Most of the stuff I looked up was focused on surfing (which I didn't do anyway) and golf. The thing that shocked me was the landscape. The beaches in Hawaii are really _nice_. Like most beaches. Hawaii stands apart by its incredibly variable ecology and geography. Specifically Big Island. The north of the island is a mix of North American coniferous forests, arable farmland and sub-tropical foliage. The South is a mix of desert, volcanic wasteland, rolling plains and volcano. In a five hour drive its possible to see much of the worlds geology and ecology on one island.
So my advice is that if you ever go to Hawaii for more than a week, try to take a plane to Kona or Hilo and rent a car to go up to the volcano park. We trekked across an old crater and looked down into a more recent but still old crater. [I'll link to the photos here if I get a chance].
Apart from that, if you are a golfer - be sure to golf. Surf if you can because I stupidly missed out and snorkel/swim/dive/photograph your heart out. You'll have a great time.
Oh, and make sure to eat the local version of sashimi. Spicy raw tuna... Mmmm.
SPIFF OUT
ps, This is my favourit photo of the volcanic area we went to:
(update, I've fixed that link...)
I had a great time in Hawaii. Mostly thanks to the great company (Thanks again Akane and Dave for Organising most of it, and Yuka too of course for the car rental). I feel kind of bad that I couldn't really organise much so next time I'll make a bit more effort.
Trip highlights included: a surprising amount of rain, volcanic wastelands, golf lessons, beautiful golf courses, great food, lack of extreme tourist nonsense (as expected in European resorts), sea turtles and of course the volcanoes.
Hawaii really wasn't what I expected. That despite the research I did on-line. Most of the stuff I looked up was focused on surfing (which I didn't do anyway) and golf. The thing that shocked me was the landscape. The beaches in Hawaii are really _nice_. Like most beaches. Hawaii stands apart by its incredibly variable ecology and geography. Specifically Big Island. The north of the island is a mix of North American coniferous forests, arable farmland and sub-tropical foliage. The South is a mix of desert, volcanic wasteland, rolling plains and volcano. In a five hour drive its possible to see much of the worlds geology and ecology on one island.
So my advice is that if you ever go to Hawaii for more than a week, try to take a plane to Kona or Hilo and rent a car to go up to the volcano park. We trekked across an old crater and looked down into a more recent but still old crater. [I'll link to the photos here if I get a chance].
Apart from that, if you are a golfer - be sure to golf. Surf if you can because I stupidly missed out and snorkel/swim/dive/photograph your heart out. You'll have a great time.
Oh, and make sure to eat the local version of sashimi. Spicy raw tuna... Mmmm.
SPIFF OUT
ps, This is my favourit photo of the volcanic area we went to:
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
A Scanner Darkly
Want to see my brain? Then click below.
I highly recommend you visit the Brain Scan Set page and click on the 'View Sideshow' button. You can set the transition time to be 1 second.
I highly recommend you visit the Brain Scan Set page and click on the 'View Sideshow' button. You can set the transition time to be 1 second.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Three days tilll Vacation!!
Yes yes, I'm looking forward to my vacation. In fact, its about all I can think about right now. Health problems excepting of course. I went back to the GP yesterday and they gave me a random MRI (not that random, I have an ear infection, but the symptoms could have been attributed to something directly affecting the brain. When you go to the correct Doctor, they can be very thorough). I ordered the CD so hopefully I'll be able to upload some images tomorrow. So if there is one reason I'm looking forward to my Vacation its because I'll get a chance to rest. Also, I'll get a chance to get away from work which has increasingly become a chore. In fact, I'm tempted to believe that work is what is making me sick - even if its psychosomatic - because as soon as I left the office today my mood was vastly increased and my symptoms were easier to ingore.
Anyway, another random bit of news. I bought a Digital SLR today. I've uploaded the results at The usual place so feel free to take a look. So why the new camera? Three reasons 1) I've been thinking about it for a while out of genuine photography interest (I'm sure you've noticed the 600 odd shots on Flickr) and 2) I haven't been able to take a lot of the Macro shots I've wanted. Finally 3) I just wanted to cheer myself up with a new toy to play with in Hawaii.
Oh, didn't I mention. My holidays will be in Hawaii. Watch this space for updates.
SPIFF OUT
Anyway, another random bit of news. I bought a Digital SLR today. I've uploaded the results at The usual place so feel free to take a look. So why the new camera? Three reasons 1) I've been thinking about it for a while out of genuine photography interest (I'm sure you've noticed the 600 odd shots on Flickr) and 2) I haven't been able to take a lot of the Macro shots I've wanted. Finally 3) I just wanted to cheer myself up with a new toy to play with in Hawaii.
Oh, didn't I mention. My holidays will be in Hawaii. Watch this space for updates.
SPIFF OUT
Saturday, July 08, 2006
OH! PRETTY!!
Thought the juxtaposition here was worth sharing. This pass was obviously designed for cute Japanese kids, not hulking face pulling gaijin.
Anyway, as theme parks go, Fuji-Q is pretty good. If you are here for a long time, it might be worth a visit (on a quiet day)
Anyway, as theme parks go, Fuji-Q is pretty good. If you are here for a long time, it might be worth a visit (on a quiet day)
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
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