Tag: Photo of the Day

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Blog Photography Thailand Travel

Photos of Wat Phra Kaew

The work of adding photos from Asia to the gallery continues and I invite you to check out my images of Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha located inside the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

I spent a good portion of my time in Bangkok waiting for some decent weather that would allow me to shoot the temple in the best conditions, but whenever those opportunities arose, it seemed I was across the city an unable to head back in time to make the most of the blue skies. I wanted to be able to show off the gleaming golden architecture with the blue skies serving as a backdrop.

On the day I decided to finally go to the temple, I had to wait three or four hours to be able to see any patches of blue sky and they only lasted about 20 minutes. During that time, I ran around the (by now) thoroughly explored temple, trying to get the shots I wanted. I succeeded in a few places, but it would have been nice not to have to hustle around the temple with all my camera gear in the midday sun.

But if there’s a good place to spend a few hours in Bangkok, Wat Phra Kaew is probably it. The architecture is varied, ornate and frequently stunning. The crowds filtering through the temple make for fun people watching. The murals on the walls surrounding the temple are imaginative. And the interior of the main hall is a fine spot to sit, relax and contemplate the mysteries of the universe with the Emerald Buddha presiding over your ruminations.

For all the photos, click here and here’s a quick sample:

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Blog Calgary Canada Photography Travel

Travel Photography at Home

Freshly home after travelling for months? Feeling a little bit bored by the offerings your home town has to offer? Wishing you could fill up your day with culture and spectacle?

Yesterday, I answered yes to all of those questions. But since a quick hop over to Asia wasn’t on the agenda, I had to make due with Calgary’s offerings. Fortunately, Calgary’s offerings were a bit more interesting than usual.

My afternoon was occupied by a trip into Chinatown where I was able to feed my addiction to Asia. I’ve had the chance to visit that area a few times since being home and each time has offered me a glimpse of that part of the world that has become my second home. I’ve become comfortable in the oddities of Asia and I miss being bombarded by its endless surprises.

But yesterday, Chinatown was even more appealing than usual. A Street festival took over the area with a market hawking Asian wares and a stage featuring performances from the area. Karate, Thai dance, Chinese Opera and more entertained the sun-baked crowds and of course, I was there in the front row, snapping away.

After spending a couple hours in Chinatown, I wandered downtown for a while where a host of wedding photographers and their subjects were swarming around the Hudson’s Bay building. Brides and grooms mingled and I could hardly figure out who had married whom.

I then headed over to Mark and Kara’s where they and James were getting ready for our evening of fireworks. Calgary’s Globalfest was wrapping up its final night and the final night of the fireworks competition was the main draw.

The four of us headed in the direction of Elliston Park but not before stopping for some fantastic Indian food (there’s another country I’ll have to visit).

At the park, we claimed our spot in front of the lake and waited for darkness to fall while the mosquitoes hovered over my head. Kara, James and I all had our cameras propped up on our tripods leaving Mark as the only one of us that probably maximized his enjoyment of the show.

I have to admit that I have been a bit spoiled by some of the fireworks extravaganzas I’ve witnessed in Japan. They seem to have a surplus of explosive material in that country which leads them to draw out their displays for a good 90 minutes or more. This finale at Globalfest lasted around 20 minutes, but it was an impressive 20 minutes. A good diversity of colourful blasts and bursts were well coordinated with the music and made for a fine spectacle.

A day like that was just what I needed. After some of the adventures I’ve had this year, it’s certainly an adjustment to be back home, back in a world where everything seems familiar and sometimes even predictable. Maybe I just need to look a little harder to find adventure, trouble, and fun – it’s not always going to fine me as seems to happen when travelling.

Thai Dancer

Chinese Opera Singer

Downtown Wedding

Globalfest Fireworks

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Blog Japan Photography Travel

More Photos of Kyoto Temples

On my last full day here in Bangkok, I have another couple sets of photos to present to you. I have just uploaded a couple more groups of photos of temples in Kyoto: Sanjusangendo and Ginkakuji.

Sanjusangendo is home to 1001 human-sized Buddha images inside Japan’s longest wooden building. Unfortunately, photos are prohibited inside the temple. As it turns out, photos of the inside of the temple are also prohibited from the outside of the temple. I found this out after I snapped a shot through an open doorway and one of the caretakers promptly shut the door in front of me. Thus, I only have one shot of the Buddhas and it only gives a tiny sample of the grandeur inside.

Ginkakuji is referred to as the silver pavilion despite not being silver at all. Long ago, plans were in place to have it covered in silver to make it more like its cousin across town, Ginkakuji, the golden pavilion. That goal was never reached but the building’s wooden frame still retains its metallic moniker. It stands in front of a pool, carefully-sculpted zen gardens and lush hillside forests.

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Blog Japan Photography Travel

Photos of Kanazawa

While living and working Japan, my office at the Board of Education in Ichinoseki planned a trip to Kanazawa. Both Sarah and I were invited along, so we took the chance to go see an area of the country that wasn’t especially accessible from our northern position.

The big draw of Kanazawa is the garden of Kenrokuen which has been labelled one of Japan’s three most beautiful gardens. Yes, the Japanese like to make lists like this. But, in this case, maybe they got it right. Of all the gardens I visited in Japan, this was definitely towards the top of the list.

On our first evening, we partied with the folks from our section and I was treated to my favourite bit of dialogue ever heard from my supervisor. As we were leaving, he and his best buddy at work were the last ones out of the room with me. With arms around each other and faces flushed red with the evening’s sake, they turned to me and my supervisor said rather seriously in his meagre English, “We… are drunk.”

He then proceeded to break into song, “We love love love love drinking!” while doing an uncoordinated dance all while never letting go of his friend’s shoulder (a wise idea since I’m sure it was about the only thing keeping him upright).

The next day, I woke absurdly early to walk over to Kanazawa Castle to catch the morning light then hustle back to the hotel to meet the rest of the group to part together for the day’s activities.

And yes, I got to be a Japanese tourist. On a precise schedule, we rode through town never lingering too long at our stops and being suitably impressed at each site along the way. Happily, we had some extra time at Kenrokuen and it was just enough time for the afternoon’s rains to momentarily so that I could take some photos of the gardens.

I would have gladly stayed longer, but of course, that’s just not how you do things in Japan.

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Blog Japan Photography Travel

Photos of Kiyomizudera Temple

I’ve added yet another batch of photos to the gallery. Photos of Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto are now available for your viewing pleasure. It’s both interesting architecturally and ritualistically. Countless locals visit this temple to worship, to find luck and to taste the water that pours from a nearby spring. The long lineups to sample the spring suggest that the rumoured healing properties of the water may be worth a substantial wait.

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Blog Japan Photography Travel

Photos of Odaiba in Tokyo

The photo processing machine keeps rolling on here in Bangkok. I have again opted for some images from Japan with some photos of the Odaiba district. This series of man-made islands in Tokyo bay features futuristic architecture that will make you feel like you are in a video game while the Rainbow Bridge arcs across the horizon back to Tokyo’s the glow of distant Tokyo. I only visited during the evening, but that is when I imagine Odaiba is at its most futuristically surreal.

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Blog Japan Photography Travel

Photos of Sensoji Temple in Tokyo

Just as with my photos of the Petronas Towers, I noticed that my photos of Tokyo’s Sensoji temple were not representative of a few visits I had made there. I’ve stayed in the Asakusa area and walking over to the temple with camera in hand is a great way to spend an evening. It may not be the most architecturally ornate or elegant of Japan’s temples, but the size of the gates, the iconic, five-story pagoda, and the active visitors of the temple make it a great shooting location.

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Blog Malaysia Photography Travel

Photos of the Petronas Towers

Last night, while trying to decide what photos I should next process and upload, I realized that my photos of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia did not include one of my visits to the twin towers. I had only uploaded some shots I took on my second time around in Malaysia, but the first shots I took there were idling on my hard drive. So, to right that wrong, I quickly went though the earlier photos and now a few more shots can be found in my Petronas Towers Gallery.

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Blog Japan Photography Travel

Photos of Osaka

I was only able to spend a few short days in Osaka when I was travelling through Japan. It seemed, even more than Tokyo, the very definition of ‘urban.’ Many people have a vision of Japan as a futuristic, modern city that covers virtually every inch of the archipelago and if they only visited Osaka, they would be justified in believing that.

The photos I have uploaded include images of the Osaka Skyline, the Dotonbori Shopping and Entertainment District and The Umeda Sky Building. When time permits, I also have images from Osaka castle and Osaka Aquarium that I intend to process and upload as well, so stay tuned.

And as always, a few samples:

The Umeda Sky Building

Osaka Skyline

Dotonbori

Categories
Blog Japan Photography Travel

New Photos of Japan

A few new sets of images from Japan are now up in the gallery section. This time it is a bit of old and new with photos from two Kyoto Shrines (the Yasaka Shrine and the Heian Shrine) as well as the brightly-lit Ginza shopping district in Tokyo.

And of course, a few examples of what to expect in the galleries:

Yasaka Shrine

Ginza

Heian Shrine