Fukuoka panorama

I had an interesting encounter with the group of people you can see in the far right portion of this six-photo photomerge. They were quite drunk (at 7 a.m.) and invited me to join them in their drinking. They had plenty of different drinks to choose from, but I declined their kind offer. We did chat for some time before taking photos together and parting ways. They work in Fukuoka’s abundant night industries (probably with shifts from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. or something similar) and began their party after work. Hence the early morning festivities. They were about to wrap things up and head home for bed. I, on the other hand, was trying to get a little sightseeing in before the forecasted rain began.

Posted on June 23rd, 2013 under Japan. Tags: clouds, fukuoka, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, photomerge. Comments Off on Fukuoka panorama

櫛田神社

During the first half of July this shrine is the center of one of the most famous festivals in Japan (Hakata Gion Yamakasa or 博多祇園山笠). Someday I want to be in Fukuoka to witness this event. I saw preparations being made and video of past festivals. It looks absolutely crazy. Groups of men representing different parts of town race with an extremely heavy float on their shoulders around tight turns and for fairly long distances. Trip near the front of the float and your odds of not being trampled are close to zero. I hear there are some fairly serious injuries on a regular basis and minor injuries are common.

Posted on June 21st, 2013 under Japan. Tags: fukuoka, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, shimenawa, shinto. Comments Off on Morning prayer at Kushida Jinja

Bald Eagle in Beatty, Oregon

I processed today’s photo in the Narita Airport. Tokyo is under a thick cloud cover, and the humidity is high (even in the airport). I can barely see the planes on the runway with all of the white outside. The forecast for Fukuoka tomorrow is no better.

This bald eagle (and its mate) had a nest at a friend’s ranch that we visited last weekend. Unfortunately, I only had my 24-120mm lens with me. I think I could have obtained some really cool images if I had my 70-300mm lens (or 70-200mm with 1.7X teleconverter).

Posted on June 18th, 2013 under Oregon. Tags: beatty, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, Oregon, wildlife. Comments: 1

Walking on water in Alton Baker Park

Between Day Island Road and the Peter DeFazio Bicycle Bridge in Alton Baker Park in Eugene, Oregon there is a pond of sorts with an island in the middle. If the water level is just right you can “walk on water” to the island. This lady had no problem doing so, even with her cane, but her dog wasn’t so sure this was a good idea.

Posted on April 23rd, 2013 under Oregon. Tags: eugene, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on O ye of little faith