Snow Light Path at Otaru

From Feb 5 to 14, there is a very interesting event held at Otaru called "雪あかりの路" (yukiakarinomichi), can be literary translated as "Snow light path".
This event involves people at Otaru voluntary light up the streets or some walkways with candle lights, or some snow decorations, as well as with floating light at the very famous tourist spot- The Otaru Canal. Thus creating a very romantic atmosphere during the night.
There are all together 8 locations where they put on the candle lights as shown, thus proper planning is required if you want to see them all:
As for us, we only visited locations 1 and 2.

When we (me and Ring) visited Otaru on 13 Feb, we only know that they will put on lights at the canal, have no idea at all about the 'snow light path' event. Hence, the whole fantastic experience was mere a result of accidentally discovery along the way we walked towards the canal from Otaru train station.

This was at location 2, we arrived at the moment the Sun about to set.
The track where the kid was walking wasn't really for walking...
It's for sliding...
but it was suppose to be done on a tire tubing actually, just that the kids earlier can't wait as the volunteers had yet bring up the tubing.
Besides the fun sliding track, there are many kinds of candle-lighted decorations along the 'snow light' pathway.
Some structure are big...This is like igloo ...
You can go in...
Then we arrive at the canal location,
the canal looks fantastic with the many floating candle lights...
*5DMarkII really deliver in landscape photography :)
Times for some model shots...
Ring really admiring the creativity of these wooden dolls...

On our way back from the canal to Otaru train station, we return back to location 2,
to finish the other half of the pathway...
An elder brother dragging his sibling... this is another reason why winter is enjoyable, when you have big brother like this...
Here, some generous Japanese give away mochi (餅 = sticky rice cake)...
Really makes you feel warm, the fire.
There are also some shop selling hot drinks....
Face decorations....
Some big snowman (or to be exact 'snow monster' which is not surprising as it's in Japan where many raksasa can be found) on the street...
These are how people of Otaru contributing to the event, they put on the candle lights in front of their shop.
The design or theme of the container which holds the candle are different from shop to shop.
In this case owl...
Colourful glass container by a hotel...
Some would opt for simpler solution- some cheap plastic ware...
and as for KFC...Finally, I highly recommend the visit to this event, much much much more fun and interesting compare to the famous snow festival (yukimatsuri) at Sapporo.

2010-01-01 Now Shutterstock photo submitter

In Sept 2007, I tried to submit my photos in http://www.shutterstock.com/ for online selling, but was rejected due to picture quality. It was very disappointing and I've written a post related to that: http://sircheng.blogspot.com/2007/09/choise-ill-make.html

Since then I start taking (digital) photography seriously and read a lot from internet about photo gears (especially the low noise one) and technique particularly for "digital" photography.

In a nutshell, this guy Yuri Arcurs influence me the most in term of gear choices and shooting style/philosophy in the path of my learning. To elaborate, while I learn a lot about technique like exposure, photoshop skills, digital noise, compositions etc through some websites... those are all I need to know to take a picture that is technically correct, it is after reading Yuri's sharing that I start to evolve in the way I shot.

2010-01-01 is a very special date for me not because of the 0101 numeric occurrence, but it was the date that my account as photo submitter was approved in Shutterstock. This mean I've achieved one of my aim, and have delivered what I promised! :)

p/s: Now at the bottom of my blogspot page is a mini gallery showing my new images and most popular images at Shutterstock.

Aso beach, Ishikari

Hokkaido has just been through it's very short summer season, with about two weeks of peak summer period in which highest temperature reached around 26 degree C...
One of the most famous spot people visiting during this less comfort yet precious time is Aso beach, located at Ishikari... about an hour by bus from Sapporo.
It is precious because this is the time when people can wear less and short at this cold region of Japan; Thus the only opportunity for bikini girls sighting...
And here I come to make some shots for sharing with some Malaysian friends
This (photo below) is a panel showing the bus rate that you needed to pay when getting off...

A junior high school girl (photo below)...
Well, in Japan, if you can't tell the age of a girl by their look, you can still tell by the length of their clothes; As they move into a higher grade, so as the height of their school uniform risen...
So in Japan, you should expect to see the 18-year-old-about-to-graduate high school girls are all in super short mini skirt uniform [制服誘惑] :)
Alright lets not divert (too much) from the topic of today's post... after arrival at Ishikari, along the way to Aso beach is this house; I like the simple red, green, blue, and white combination of this shot...
Then this very special looking clock...
Notice that the numberings are in kanji [漢字]...
About 5 min walk from where I got off the bus is the entrance into the Aso beach area...
Here car park is quite expensive - 800 yen per car.
Due to very strong wind, the beach was not so crowded...
Here at the beach people came for camping...
Walk on the sand...BBQ and taking picture...

Playing...Walking and chating...
There were also some gulls...
Then here it come the main topic - bikini beauties (泳装美女) ...

In Japan, girls love makeup and decorate themselves, even after they are marriage, so be expecting to see many beautiful housewives [人妻]...


After finished doing favorite for friends, here we go my real photography stuffs...

Hmm... art is a very subjective matter ya...
Perhaps you don't like the legs-showing-photo not because it is that bad... but because you are comparing it to the bikini girls, just like a baby who rejects plain water after tasted the syrup??!

Ok ok, the leg is just for fun, here comes my real photography stuffs...
I love the simple blue-white-green combination - they are colours for summer! (beside the sunflower-yellow of cause)

Here again, a photography tip on using polerizing (PL) filter:
Below are two pictures directly out of my camera without going through any post-processing. On the left was a shot without using PL filter, see how the PL filter (right photo) brings up the real colour of the white clouds, grass and blue sky, making the whole frame very saturate and contrast in colour. Whilst, the above photo was post-processed based on the raw file of the right photo, notice how the colour is further saturated and increased in contrast.

I never learn how to appreciate crow until I come across the one below... they make good photography subject when standing still and not stealing foods or make any mess out of our garbage...
The time we left the beach was already late evening, the Sun was low creating very appealing lighting for landscape photography. Here I passed across a sumurai grass field...
I don't know exactly why I call it samurai grass, maybe from the movie "The last samurai" that I saw this type of grass or from some book...
Anyway, here with the blue mountain as a background and me stading in samurai grass field with hair tie up samurai style - you got to admit that this is a very cool shot don't you!!

Then we went to onsen (温泉), a see-facing hot spring... Entrance is 600 yen per head.
A rock garden in the onsen...
After onsen, I enjoyed a glass of local make beer...
At Hokkaido, all tourist spots have their street lamp pole come with a theme... because Ishikari is famous for it's beach (or for the bikini girls??) so the theme is seabird.

Here the red roof house after sun set... The last schedule for returning to Sapporo by bus is 8 pm, we took the 7 pm one, here I am enjoying soft cream while waiting for the bus; Though my expression didn't seem so I know, but I do...