JAPAN Spring 2007

[janshim]

Spent a week in Japan between March 16 - 23, shot 2,600 images and filtered out 444 for my blog. Temperatures varied from -10 nights to no higher than 10 Deg C days.

The blog/gallery is here http://travelandliving.wordpress.com/

[PhantomGTR]

great photos! Photography is allowed inside Toyota Megaweb?

[janshim]

It seems to me that I was able to take over 2500 photos in Japan without anyone telling me otherwise. Toyota Megaweb was no different except when inside the Gran Turismo simulator.

[zoossh]

Originally Posted by janshim Spent a week in Japan between March 16 - 23, shot 2,600 images and filtered out 444 for my blog. Temperatures varied from -10 nights to no higher than 10 Deg C days. The blog/gallery is here http://travelandliving.wordpress.com/

dun mind if i share my "feel" about the above photo?

have you push too much contrast in post processing? the texture of the stones and metal are lost. it would be nice if you intend to have an anime-like effect, but for travel photography, i think if can retain the texture and fine details would be better. same thing for the halo around the statue, should be fine for split rays of the sun, but may not have the same effect for uneven halo during post processing.

last thing is the tilt. but i think that is subjective still. i prefer a vertical alignment for the stand, but i think the tilt also works and give more drama to the statue.

anyway, post more here. mix with some food pics to entice our appetite too.

[zoossh]

i think you should post more, as there are many more better pictures in your gallery.

dun mind if i help you post one that i like. it has the various elements of a successful picture, correct moment, vibrant colors with sufficient exposure and enough leveling, long shadows and perspective, nice simple background.



only pity is that the hand is not covered in the top left. the halo here is more acceptable as the details and colors of the people inside are still retained.

[nikkie]

should reduce your amt of PS...
got halo ready.

[zoossh]

and so many nice pictures, just can't help not to post for you.....







what is that in the last picture?

[janshim]

Originally Posted by zoossh dun mind if i share my "feel" about the above photo? have you push too much contrast in post processing? the texture of the stones and metal are lost. it would be nice if you intend to have an anime-like effect, but for travel photography, i think if can retain the texture and fine details would be better. same thing for the halo around the statue, should be fine for split rays of the sun, but may not have the same effect for uneven halo during post processing. last thing is the tilt. but i think that is subjective still. i prefer a vertical alignment for the stand, but i think the tilt also works and give more drama to the statue. anyway, post more here. mix with some food pics to entice our appetite too.

Thanks zoossh for visiting and your comments.

I'm sure by now you've noticed consistency in my photographs and post processing technique. I do not batch process my photographs and every one of my pictures is PP'd individually to have that signature look. This sometimes means that certain details are sacrified for that "big picture" result. I find that as my skills and experience develops, I can no longer accept ordinary pictures so I went on to develop a unique blend of photography and post processing techniques to bring "a real nice pop" to the pictures (as is often quoted by viewers).

What I can accept is that people may find it distasteful and perhaps even "too much". When I work on my images I am completely aware of the "defects" such as Halos. I have a 24" high resolution widescreen LCD so these effects are very noticable and in all cases I have to find them (Halos) acceptable before posting the finished work online. Appreciation is such a subjective thing - you either like it or you don't and I'm OK either way.

[janshim]

Originally Posted by zoossh and so many nice pictures, just can't help not to post for you..... what is that in the last picture?

Picture this ... you're getting on the coach and looking up and you'll understand. The group name tag "Halim Tours" is folded and I saw an photo opportunity combining the clouds, glass reflection and our travel agent.

[planetg]

Nice pics.

I'll be making a trip to Tokyo this August too. Nice to see pics of Japan and their food

Cheers

[grainpixel]

hey....

many nice photos..
and i have to agree that the contrast is push too high in some photos.
especially, when those with people in them..

the high contrasts, makes them look "aged"....





dont mind me posting these..
will remove if requested.

still a great gallery that i enjoyed viewing!

[zoossh]

not aged, but got a plasticky barbie-like effect. actually i quite like that.

hi, jan, is that your children? i vaguely remember your family dinner pictures.

[janshim]

Originally Posted by zoossh not aged, but got a plasticky barbie-like effect. actually i quite like that. hi, jan, is that your children? i vaguely remember your family dinner pictures.

Yes, that's Jamie and Jewel, 9 and 7 respectively. Both very different in character, notably the Jewel is adventurous and loved the snow at Mt Fuji. Her first exposure to low temps was at Snow City, we were freezing outs butts off and she refused to leave. Similarly, at Mt Fuji with all the snow at her disposal she was disappointed we all had to leave. Temperature was either 0 Deg C or lower that morning.

[zoossh]

whole family with J, going Japan. your wife also named J-something?

[janshim]

Originally Posted by zoossh whole family with J, going Japan. your wife also named J-something?

Perceptive, but wife's name begines with 'C'. On a side note but related to my signature post processing technique, I'd like to share with you a sunrise in my kampong. I think city people might warm to images like this http://www.shimworld.com/images/sunrise.jpg something I get to see nearly every morning, and this may be unique to where I live too, far away from the Brunei capital.

[zoossh]

that's nice, and hard to have the bird flock spot on, becos they can easily becomes seemingly a whole patch of streaky dirty lines when they are not frozen, like what happened when i shot esp with a wide angle, they are small.

but i thought not enough kampongness in that picture. perhaps a tall prominent coconut tree, or the silhouette of the locals would be splendid. i guess becos in sg, we dun have that great a landscape variety, hence a lot of ppl in sg shoots sunrise/sunrise that can quite similar to each other and to your picture, esp if there is not enough uniqueness in the subject in the silhouette. i saw arttl's silhouette for angkor wat, and the wah factor is there. contrary to what many believes the secret is in the sky, i think the secret is still in the silhouette (which relies on the choice of venue/viewpoint, rather than the skill in handling light)

[zhangyb]

to each his own, your colours work for me and i love them!