Bad smell? (何か臭い。。。)

Dude! Did you fart?? お前、屁をこいた？！


Hehehe, yep!　へへへ！ん！！

Sunset Quackers (鴨サンセット)

First Sale! (写真売れた！)

Well I made my first sale today! It was this pic and in the form of a digital download from my website IT's a pic of the Seto Inland Sea near Hiroshima.
今日は初めて写真売れた！俺のウエッブサイト からのダウンロードというかたちだった。この一枚だった。瀬戸内海のサンセット。

Egret with Bigma (鷺と新しいレンズ)

I recently bought myself a second hand lens known as the "Bigma". It's a Sigma 50-500mm, and is a big bugger! It weighs about 2kg and coupled with my new D300 is about 3 kg to lug about! Anyway, I have heard that it takes quite some getting used to, especially if used hand-held, so I took it out on the weekend for an hour or two in Kyoto. My arm was aching after, but I was very happy with the results. Here is a one of the shots I got of it.

最近シグマの50−500mmを中古で買った。2kgでとっても重くて、撮り終わったら腕が痛くなってた！（笑！）この鷺の写真は結構満足した一枚になる。今からこのレンズを使うのはとても楽しみだな！

Another Momiji shot (もう一つのもみじ)

Momiji (もみじ)

This is a shot I took in Kyoto a few years back. Being autumn here now, I should get out and try to see what I can find like this.

3年前ぐらい、京都で撮った写真。今ちょうど秋だからこれを見たら紅葉とかの写真を撮りたくなる。

New Toy: D300 (新しいおもちゃ：D300)

Well I got my new camera, the Nikon D300 on Friday, and haven't had much chance to use it, but my first impressions are that this is a very good camera. I shot some pics at iso1250 that had very little noise. Obviously it is a great improvement on my D70. I want to try it out some more, but so far so good. Here are a few pics from the weekend.

金曜日にやっとD300を手に入れた！まだ使う機会は少ないけど最初の印象はとてもいい。iso1250で撮ってみた結果、ほとんどノイズのない写真だった！言うまでもないが、前のD70よりかなりパフォーマンスの良いカメラになる。まだまだいろいろ撮ってみたいけど、とりあえず、週末に撮った何枚の写真を載せる。

Dragonfly #3 (とんぼ＃３)

One of my favourite dragonfly shots.
気に入ったとんぼの写真。

Crap Photos or Art?? (汚い写真か芸術的？？)

Well we don't always get the shot we are trying for. Sometimes the subject gives us a little gem, a nugget of inspiration to work with, so to speak. Enjoy.
時々狙ってる写真ではなく、意外な写真が撮れちゃう。その対象になるのから時々イイモノがもらえる。。。

The slight smudge:
ちょっとした汚れ：



The Streak:
少し伸ばした染み：




The artistic swish:
芸術的な撥ね：

Night Fun #4 (夜撮影#4)

Night Fun #3 (夜撮影#3)

Open air cinema along the Ota River.
太田川での外の上映。

Night Fun #2 (夜撮影#2)

Night Fun (夜の撮影)

I went out to try a few new ideas on Sunday night. I'll post some of them over the next few days. Here's the first one.
日曜日の夜、やってみたかった撮り方があったから撮りに行った。

Cosmos (コスモス)

Last weekend we went to a park in northern Hiroshima Prefecture. They had approxiamately 1.5 million Cosmos plants all in full bloom. It was quite amazing. Check out the cosmos gallery on my webpage (link on right) for more pics.
先週末広島県の北部にある国営備北丘陵公園に行って、満開の１５０万本のコスモスを見た。とても奇麗だった。(もっと見たいなら右の"Giphsub Photography"のリンクをクリックして、”Cosmos - Japan”のギャラリーを見てください。 )

Fruit Suicide (フルーツ自殺)

Time for something a little different today....

Food Fight: Kites v Crows (鳶対烏)

Last weekend when I was on my way home from the photography club trip, I stopped to watch the kites and the crows fighting over the dead fish that for some reason were strewn all along the river banks. Crows often hassle the kites when they fly through their air space, and the kites just fly away. But this time the tables were turned, and the kites were very aggressively fighting off the crows who were sneakily trying to snatch the fish away from the kites. I was too far away, and the pics are cropped and enlarged, so they are not great quality, but you can still see what is going on. It was very amusing.
先週末、写真部の撮影会の帰りに、川で鳶と烏の喧嘩を見てた。何故か分からんけど死んだ魚はあちこちにあって、鳶と烏がいっぱいおった。普段は、烏が鳶を追いかけて逃がすけど今回は、逆で鳶の方が攻撃してた。遠くて、写真を拡する必要があったからあんまり綺麗な写真でもないけど、その内容は面白いと思う。まあ、見るのはとても面白かった。

Himeji Castle (姫路城)

This has got to be one of my favourite places in Japan. It is said to be one of the most beautiful castles remaining in this country. I used to visit Himeji quite often for work, and every time I would take a wander through the grounds (which are quite huge) and enjoy the scenery. If you ever come to Japan I highly recommend making your way there to take a look.
姫路城はとても奇麗で日本で一番気に入った所場所。数年前、仕事の関係でよく姫路に行ってた。その時、いつも必ず姫路城に行ってうろうろしてた。行ったことないなら、一回でも、行くべきだと思う。

Photography Club Trip (写真部撮影会)

On Sunday we went to a nearby historic town for our school photography club trip. It was a dark, overcast day, and not too great for taking photos, but I was happy with a few of them.

日曜日、うちの学校の写真部の撮影会があった。近くの古い町に行ったけど天気が悪かったので写真を撮るには、あんまり適切じゃなかった。それでも、まあまあ良い写真が撮れた。

Kingfisher (カワセミ)

I went back down to the same spot I took those egret photos the next day, and got a few good shots of some black kites, but I quite like this shot. I spotted this little kingfisher sitting in the shade on a rock. The shot was a bit dark, and my zoom not big enough, but I quite like this. You can see the kite shots in the following gallery:
www.giphsub.smugmug.com

大鷺を撮った次の日、同じ場所に行ってみた。こんどは鳶とかの写真も撮れたけどこのカワセミの写真が気に入った。陰に座ってたし、望遠は足りんかったし、あんまりはっきり見えないけどこの写真が好き。鳶とかの写真を見たいなら上のリンクをクリックして。

Great Egret #2: Kiss my... (大鷺 #2)

Another shot from the same session 2 days ago.

この間のやつ。

Great Egret #1 (大鷺： 命！！)

Well I got my new Nikkor 18-200mm lens last week and had been raring to get out and give it a spin. I went down to the river today and spend a couple of hours stalking this fella. After a while he got quite used to me and I was able to get pretty close. I wish the lens had a bit more reach on it, but the results were much better than my Tamron 28-300mm lens. Very clear shots.

先週、新しいレンズを買った。Nikkor 18-200mm。今まではTamron 28-300mmを使ってたから、そのレンズとの違いを見たかった。そのために川に行ってこの大鷺を二時間位追いかけた。結構近くまで行って撮れたのでとても嬉しかった。かなり奇麗な写真が撮れた。この大鷺は命のポーズしてる！

Dragonfly #2 (とんぼ #2)

I snapped this little fella while I was out walking around on the weekend.
週末に近所を歩きながらこれを撮った。

War Of The Worlds (宇宙戦争)

I took this while out wandering around my neighbourhood yesterday afternoon. It looks like a giant caterpillar is invading the earth.

昨日、近所を歩きながらこの写真を撮った。巨大な毛虫が地球を襲ってるみたいに見える。

The Invisible Spectrum: Infrared Photography #2 (赤外線:#2)

Long Exposure (長時間露出)

Well I had been wanting to try and get some good night shots for a while, so when I was back in Perth last year I decided to head up to Kings Park overlooking the city and have a fiddle with some long exposure shots. I hadn't really tried before so it took a bit of experimenting, but it really wasn't that hard to get a decent shot with a tripod. This shot seems to be one of the more popular photos on my website (http://www.giphsub.smugmug.com/) I quite like the result and definitely want to try and do some more long exposure photography.
去年パースに帰った時に、この写真を撮った。長時間露出の写真を撮ろうと思っていたので、キングズパークに行き撮ってみた。この写真が撮れた。実はそんなに難しくはない、三脚さえあれば。僕のウェブサイトで(http://www.giphsub.smugmug.com/ )この写真は結構人気があるみたい。

Momiji: Autumn Leaves 2 (紅葉：2)

It's almost getting to that time of year here and I'm really looking forward to it. It needs to cool down a bit first, but autumn is definitely in the air.

秋はそろそろ来るので紅葉を楽しみにしてる。まだ暑いけどちょっとだけ秋って感じになってきた！

Frost & Snow (霜と雪)

After a big snowfall in Hiroshima a couple of years ago, I went out to get some pics of the white scenery. I found this at a nearby shrine. This is where you wash your hands and mouth to purify yourself before entering into the shrine grounds.

二年前位、広島には雪がいっぱい降った。次の朝雪の風景を撮りに行ったら近くの神社でこれを見つけた。

Tiny Frog (ちび蛙)

I was just looking back through some of my old pictures from my old point and shoot Kyocera digital camera that I had before I bought my D70. I found this one. This little frog was tiny. Look at the thin stem of the leaf he is sitting on! He was living in a friend's pot-plant on his balcony overlooking a rice field.

この蛙は一眼レフを買う前に使ってたカメラで撮った。本当に小さい蛙だった。親指と同じサイズ！座ってるところ（葉）を見て！友達のバルコニーの鉢植えに住んでた。家の隣にはたんぼがあったから毎年そこまでやってきてたようだ。

Bums Up! (お尻！)

Ever wondered if a duck's bum really was as tight as people say? Well this photo might help you get to the bottom of it! Twice! This is a tale of two ducks. I took this shot in Hyde Park in London a few years ago, and it still brings a smile to my face. I was just lucky to get both diving at the same time.

3年前くらい、ロンドンのハイドパークで撮った写真。今でも見たら笑っちゃう。アヒルのお尻はこんなんだ！と思う。2羽共、同時にそういう姿勢になったのはたまたまだったけどなかなかおもろい写真だとおもう（＾＾）

Know your equipment! 知識

I was just thinking about a hike I took up one of the peaks in the Japan Alps with some friends last new years. We hiked a few hours up the snow covered mountain, to get about 10 to 15 minutes of fun riding down a sweet gully, and a further hour or so back out down to the top of the resort we had hiked out of. It a was tough hike up for me without any snowshoes, and with a board strapped to my back I was fairly knackered by the time we reached the top. I had packed my dslr into my pack and planned to take some pics, but when we finally got to the top, my camera wouldn't work. I kept getting the Error signal. Shit! It was bloody cold up there at that point, and all I could think of was that the cold was shutting my dslr down (I had had this happen with a smaller point-and-shoot camera). So I grudgingly packed the camera away and came back with no shots of the scenery or the riding action. I was bummed. Anyway, back at my mate's lodge, I pulled the camera out, just to find the same error. After a few minutes of fiddling (and worrying) I realized that the lense had been unlocked slightly and was no longer set to the auto f-stop position. Maybe the cold affected my thinking up on the mountain, but I sure won't make that mistake and miss a chance for some great shots again...

去年、友達とバックカントリースキーを楽しむために雪山ハイキングに行った。3時間のハイキングの末、ようやく目的地に到着。意気揚々とカメラを取り出したが、ハプニング発生！！カメラが動かない。。。エラーの表示。。。寒さのせいか？？？結局、原因は、寒さとは関係なくレンズが基本の位置から少しだけズレていただけだった。バックカントリースキーは、とても楽しかったが、写真が1枚も撮れなかったのは、今でもすこし悔いが残る。。。

Here is a pic I snapped from my mobile phone before we hit the gully. Checking the snow layers for avalanche risk.　かろうじて携帯で撮れた1枚「なだれを防ぐためのチェック」

Momiji: Autumn Leaves (紅葉)

Coming from Australia where the trees and countryside more or less swing between shades of pale greens and dry yellows, I was amazed when I saw the countryside turn blazing red and yellow in my first year here when autumn hit. It really gives a different feel to the season change, and makes you think "Ah winter is on its way!" Anyway, this is a photo of some momiji leaves (maple) which I took in a small park over the back of the mountains near where I live.

これは近くの公園で撮った写真。オーストラリアとは違って、紅葉になったら「ああ、冬はもうそろそろ来るなぁ」と思える。オーストラリアでは紅葉が日本みたいにほとんどない。乾いた国なので、緑とか黄色のほうが多い。しかも、多くの木は落葉性の木じゃないのだ。季節の変わりが温度とかで判るけど紅葉があったほうがその変わりがよく感じるよな。

Lily Bug (ユリと虫)

Squirrels

These cute little buggers were running all over Hyde Park in London, and were relatively easy to get good shots of because they were so used to the people everywhere.

ロンドンのハイドパークにはリスがいっぱいおった。かなり人間になれてたから比較的に撮りやすかった。

The Invisible Spectrum: Infrared Photography (赤外線)

I have been dabbling a bit in infrared, or IR photography. You use a lense which filters out everything but the near-infrared spectrum of light. The raw images look like this.



But with a bit of post processing (mostly just removing the colour), you end up with images like this. Infrared light bounces off foliage making it shine bright white. So trees or grass can look quite surreal in IR photography. I still haven't got it completely down, but I'm working on it.




IR Photographyって何？！（このリンクにクリックして）

Snow and Huge Mountains (雪山)

There is nothing quite like the stoke of getting into big mountains in the middle of winter when they are covered with massive amounts of snow. Every year my mates and I head to Nagano, home of the 1998 winter olympics, and spend a few weeks snowboarding and skiing. A mate owns a lodge in Hakuba (the olympic village) and it makes a great base to hit the many resorts and back country in the area. This picture brings back a lot of great memories for me. The mountains are really impressive! Most people don't realize just what Japan has to offer by way of snow, but there is a lot of awesome terrain and snow to be had. Check out the Snow Japan link on the right for a glimpse of what can be found. Or have a look at my Snow in Hakuba gallery on my website at http://giphsub.smugmug.com/ for more pics like these of the snow in Hakuba.

これは長野県白馬村から撮った写真だ。長野県の雪山は凄く奇麗で何回見ても感動する。この写真見たらまたボード行きたい！

Castles

One of the cool things about being in a country like Japan, having grown up in Australia, is that they have castles everywhere which are centuries old. My favourite castle has to be Himeji Castle. I have spent hours wandering around the grounds and inside the buildings. This pic, however, is Hiroshima Castle. It was actually obliterated in the atomic bombing, but they rebuilt it. It's only a small castle, but it is quite pretty when lit up at night

Black Kite

Here is another shot of one my favourite birds in Japan - the tonbi (black kite). Usually you see these fellas from below, so it is quite uncommon to see what they look like from above.

I've been spending the last few days tinkering with my photos website and changing bits and pieces. Check it out at http://giphsub.smugmug.com/ or click on the link for Giphsub Photography on the right.