Author: travel67

The Future of Light?

Published by

For several years I have had LED flashlights. They produce a bright white beam of light and use far less power than a regular incandescent flashlight. (I even found a flashlight that uses the same Lithium CR123A batteries as my Pentax 67II and Sekonic Light Meter.) I was most impressed therefore when I saw LED lightbulbs on the shelves of my local store. The great thing about them is that they use even less power than a compact fluorescent bulb. The bulb I got produces 565 lumens of light (similar to a regular 60W bulb) while using only 6.9W. The main disadvantages is that they are still quite expensive, for example the bulb I got was 3,880 yen (US$40) but this should pay for itself over several years due to the lower running costs. Household lighting consumes a huge amount of electricity. The introduction of LED lighting provides a simple way to reduce the amount of energy we are using. Manufacturers of green products need to be supported by consumers, so next time you are at …

A Well Preserved Specimen.

Published by

Went to the import food store. Bought ridiculously priced jar of Mackays Spiced Ginger Preserve so that I can have freshly brewed coffee and ginger jam on toast for breakfast. Opened jar… “made in traditional open pans with 100% Natural Fruit to create that special “home-made” taste and flavour.” I have a cunning plan… this midge may have landed on, and possibly sucked the blood of the Loch Ness Monster. Unfortunately for the midge it did this just before landing in one of Mackays traditional open pans. I shall extract the blood from the preserved midge, extract the DNA from the blood, and then splice the DNA with that of the Japanese giant salamander to produce a new creature the likes of which the world has never seen. I shall call the creature Ginger as a clever nod to its humble beginnings. I shall keep Ginger a secret until the next time Tokyo is attacked by Godzilla. Ginger and I will save the day then return home for tea and toast.

Manza-mo

Published by

Preparing for a couple of events next month. Today I’m making some prints of images that are currently not available through the prints section of the website. This one of Manza-Mo stood out. I think the Canon imagePrograf printers are able to produce much better blues than the equivalent Epson models. Something that is vital when producing images with vivid blue skies and a turquoise ocean.

Hokkaido in the Fall

Published by

Just back from a three day weekend in Hokkaido. Attended a friend’s wedding in Sapporo, met another friend’s baby in Yoichi, and glimpsed some  amazing fall foliage. There used to be direct flights from Okinawa to Sapporo. Now you have to change in either Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka or Fukuoka. It makes the journey longer, more expensive and less environmentally friendly. Hopefully they’ll bring back direct flights in the future.

Calton Hill, Edinburgh

Published by

Today in my inbox was an email announcing the latest pictures by Stephen Wiltshire. Stephen’s an amazing artist whose work I admire and whose career I have followed since I was about 8 years old. One of his latest drawings is  the view from Calton Hill, Edinburgh. Made me smile as I was there just a few years earlier. The original of Stephen’s drawing  is available for purchase on his website at £8250. And even Jeremy Clarkson’s been to Calton Hill. He drove there from London and back on a single tank of gas. Impossible? It appears not…..

Photography on the Big Screen

Published by

There have been a couple of biographical films recently about photographers. The first is Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens. It was released in the US in 2007 but I didn’t manage to see it in Japan until it was released on DVD a few months ago. I found it interesting especially the behind the scenes stories of working with various publications and the evolution from journalistic fly on the wall images to high fashion. The second movie Visual Acoustics is about the architectural photographer Julius Shulman. You can see the trailer for the movie here. It was released at cinemas in the US last Friday (October 9th), so it may be a couple of years before I get to watch it. Something to look forward to!

Hachiko & Greyfriars Bobby

Published by

Hachiko was an Akita dog that used to meet his owner at Shibuya station when he came home from work. One day his owner suffered a stroke while at work, died and never returned to the station. Hachiko, however, would return each night to the station ever waiting for his friend and master. A bronze statue of Hachiko stands near the main crossroads in Shibuya. It is one of the most famous meeting spots in Tokyo. Over on the other side of the world in Edinburgh, I photographed the statue of Greyfriars Bobby a Skye Terrier who spent  fourteen years guarding his owner’s grave. Although unlikely, if I ever make it to the grave of Bobbie, the Wonder Dog in Oregon, I will have completed the Super Dog Triple.