My Very 1st Autumn Shots (2008, Sapporo)

As promised (to myself) that I'll create a post just for my autumn shots. Here we go...

The 1st three shots were taken during an autumn trip organized by Hokkaido University International Student Association.

Photo below is the famous Otaru Canal...



See photo below, the B&W polarizer is so powerful that it made the trees 'pop up' from the sky as if it's fake... At close up, the leaves look very attractive in yellow, be it in focused (the foreground) or off focused (the background), the whole shot give me a golden touch, so I believe many ppl will love this shot very much too - who don't love 'gold' anyway! Again, all these shots are taken from the same street- One of the main entrance into Hokkaido University (North 8, West 4). At both sides of the street are rolls of these tree (I don't know the name) that turn yellow at late autumn. Thus it's one of the attraction during autumn where it will be visited by thousands of people (or maybe million?). My apartment is at North 11, West 4, so I pass by this road everyday when going to my lab. I usually cycle to the university, but start walking after the trees turn yellow.
I am not a poet, so I don't know how to express how beautiful is the scene, but hope that my photos do... Many artist visited the place for painting, while I paint too; As photography is defined as "painting with light", so I am right to say that I am painting too, just that when the artist uses paints, brushes and paper, I am using lights, lenses, and photo sensor.
And guess what, there are other's painting in my painting :p As mentioned before, there are so many people visited the place, so happed that my friend is one of them... she was passing by when I am busying 'painting'. I said to her "Hi!... how about..." and so she became my 'painting' subject too.
The shot required great patient, because the place is so crowded while I wanted my portrait shot without distracting background... Finally the following shot is made with a long wait and a little touch out in Photoshop; to get rid of people that I can't avoid while in the scene.
Photography tip of this post:
So from the last paragraph, you should have noticed that I pay serious attention to the background of my shots, just as I would to the subject.
Go look around photos that you think best, they all have the same feature - Non-distracting background!
Just imaging that while my subject is posing there, background are old nanny collecting fruits on the floor, while obasan here and ojisan there taking photos of their grand, and some children playing with the fallen leaves - The whole shot will be spoiled!

向左走向右走

‘向左走向右’看了吗？剧情真的很假哟…

但，一部爱情片的成功与否，不是在于它够不够真实，而是在于它有没有让你感动了:’(

Miniature world of Otaru-music-box shop

Otaru, one of the very romantic tourist centre in Hokkaido, is well known for its artistic glass works, music boxes, and seafood. I have the opportunity to visit this town via Autumn Trip 2008, organised by HUISA (Hokkaido University International Students Association) the last Sunday.
My intention of joining the trip is mearly to photography autumn scenary, but to my supprise, I ended out shooting the most the miniatures in this music box shop...


Here we go for series of shots I did in the shop (bear in mind that most of them are just about the size of a thumb)...






















Technical considerations:

f/2.8 (As I don't have tripod with me, this large opening is in order for me to use higher shutter speed in the indoor, dim light; Again, my investment in the canon EOS 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM II paid)

1/60 sec (so that I can shoot hand-held in closeup)

ISO1600 (noises reduced at 4 in postprocessing using Canon's Digital Photo Professional 3.4)

p/s: BTW, how about my autumn scenery! well, will create a post especially dedicated to it :) After all, it's the 1st autumn that I experience, so don't want it to be messed up with something else.

New apartment!!!

As you may already know that I've been kicked out from the Hokkaido University dormitory the end of last month, this blog is about my new apartment...
The move in begins with a total mess...
There are on toilet, kitchen, tatami room, and balcony. Tatami room is a room with Japanese style flooring (see following pictures). Long before I think of to pursue my phd (coming to Japan not even cross my mind at that time- life really unpredictable), I've been thinking of to create such Japanese style atmosphere in my Malaysia house, so now it's something like a dream come true...
At Hokkaido, room heating system (at the left of above picture) is essential, you don't need to ask whether they have heater, because it is there just like toilet. What you need to ask is what kind of gas they use, because that's what determine the amount of your bill during the 6-month-long winter. The white sliding doors (shoji in Japanese), can be opened to the left or right, freely. Shoji is used as room divider. The kitchen area (in the 1st pic) is right behind the 3 pieces shoji. While the area behind the 2 pieces shoji is a 'store room'.
[Note: Distortion in the above picture is a result of Photomerge process in Photoshop; this process combined 6 photos into one to produce such panorama image, as if it's captured using wide angle lens.]
See, futon and many other stuffs are hinding there:
BTW, futon is Japanese style bedings. You lay it on the tatami floor only when going to bed, and keep it away other times in order to empty the room for other purpose.
That means you'll have your room space if you can maintain the discipline of folding and unfolding the beddings - an extreamly challaging task for male... as for me, so far so good.

See, the room looks quite big when without futon:
Notice the lamp, also very Japanese; a shoji lantern!

Through the door-window is the balcony and night city view...

The toilet is like a hotel isn't it? It's located right behind the kitchen in the 1st picture, and at the left of the pic is the entrance door.

What've made me miss Malaysia...

There is a Cantonese's saying to housewives, "The way to keep the heart of your husband is through good soup." (Note* For Cantonese family, soup is a must-have dish during lunch and dinner)

I am not someone's husband, so I can't tell if the saying is true. However, after been to Japan for about 3 months, I have never felt that I miss Malaysia until I came across this website:
http://masak-masak.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html

I left a comment to the blog owner:
"I hate you, for making me miss Malaysia"

On the way back - Photography Expedition Finale

On the way back from Oirase, I first boarded on a limited express train with unreserved sit. Eventually, it was fulled, so I've to be standing for a 2 hours journey from Aomori to Hakodate.
If you want to know how was it felt to have to stand for that long, I think it's kind of fun if you are doing it only once in a year, and have a camera with you to play with.
However, for people who does it often, maybe you'll just do what she did...


During my stay at Oirase youth hostel, I met two backpackers. One is a Japanese who has stayed at Malaysia for two years. So I felt very happy as we can chat almost everything. There are no communication problem as he speak fluent English. He told me that he love Malaysian foods, and I asked "Really? for example?"
When you receive question like this from someone, chances are he is very surprise and is interested to know more, or he don't believe you so he wants to see how you can prove it.
Anyway, I am very glad to know that he love nasi lemak too.
We've also talked about the purpose of our trip. He is kind of setting himself off from his university life, trying to open his mind by traveling around different places in Japan, in search of answer as to what he should do about his life... wow, honestly, did you ever did that?
He is now taking fundamental courses, will choose his major soon, but is doubting that if he should go for what he is more interested in or what is generally believe to promise a brighter future.

I then shared with him what I believe to be the answer about the way to live a happy life. I got it from my University professor (an American) who teach the subject Education Technology when doing my Diploma of Education. Only three simple lines though:

LIFE IS SHORT
DO WHAT YOU LOVE
and LOVE WHAT YOU DO

I reminded him that being a Japanese, who is going to spend a very long hours of his life in work, make sure he really love what he is doing, or else he is bound to suffer in this life time!
No kidding, how would you enjoy your life when you didn't love what you're doing?

I also met a Spanish who speak English with a little British accent. He seems trying to travel the whole Japan with the help of a travel guidebook publishes by Lonely Planet. I'm almost convinced to get one of this book too (almost!). See, the book never leave his hand:
A friend told me that (to her) a good photo is the one that tells a story. I agree with her. So when taking picture (I mean making), I have this in mind "A good picture speaks."
From Hakodate to Sapporo, I've got a reserved sit. So it's time to enjoy a vanilla ice scream, a cheese cake, while listening to songs from Ghibli Studio. The colour of the trees outside seems telling me that autumn is coming... it will be the very 1st autumn of my life...

Oirase photos - Photography Expedition Part 3

Making picture and taking picture are two different thing; I didn't go to Oirase to take picture, but to make picture. You'll see what I mean by 'making picture' if you know what is going on in my mind when considering a shot. Here we go...

To photography waterfall or stream with many trees, the use of polarizing filter (known as PL filter in the world of photography) is a must. It will brings out the true color of all the objects (like tree, foliage, stone, etc) as well as cuts off the reflection of the water and allow you to see through it. As some of the light is filtered out, the amount of light gets to the sensor is reduced, usually by as much as 2-stop. This allow the use of longer shutter speed, which makes the water looks like in motion.
In any landscape photography, we usually like a greater depth of field (DOF). DOF means the depth in which as you look into the field of your photograph, things are in focus.
To illustrate, see the photo below where the depth of field in which things are in focus is very narrow - Only the mushroom is in focus, anything in front and behind is off. In landscape photography however, we want things to be in focus from the foreground extending to the infinity (if possible).

Greater DOF is accomplished with the used of larger f-stop setting. However, there is limit imposed in each lens where going beyond the setting will cause diffraction problem. In my case of using the Canon ES 16-35mm f2.8L lens, f8 seems best.

By knowing the optimum setting of my lens, I fixed my aperture opening to f8, the shutter speed is then adjusted accordingly; in the woods where sunlight is block by canopy, you need a very long shutter speed for f8, usually in between 1/2 and 4 sec - long enough to make the water looks in motion. Also, for that kind of long shutter speed, the use of tripod is a must!
In digital photography, you need to record your photo in raw format and do some post-processing work for obtaining best result. That is what I did as 'best result' is what I'm after, as a person who 'make picture' instead of taking picture.
If you do the same (shoot in raw), I suggest you go over exposure a little and later decide if you need to bring it back (to normal). I found that most of my picture looks better if I over exposed them a little - they look brighter and flasher.
The above picture is a composed of three shots (using CS3). There is no other way because the dynamic range of the scene is too wide.
See (below), if I expose for the water, the surrounding is too dark, and if expose to the surrounding, the water is over expose.
Beside water and woods, there are also spider: