Focx Photography » Culture

Nakafurano Fields III

Christoph — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:40:25 +0000

EX-Z57 , 5.8 mm, 1/640 sec at F 4.3.
Taken on July 31, 2006 14:36.

Lavender fields, from a 2006 visit to the colourful fields in Nakafurano, Hokkaido, Japan. I believe the fields belong to the Tomita farm. These photos also show two things: cheap and old cameras (here my compact Casio Z-57) produce lower image quality, but that doesn’t mean the photos can’t be beautiful :)

Nakafurano Fields II

Christoph — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:11:02 +0000

EX-Z57 , 5.8 mm, 1/500 sec at F 4.3.
Taken on July 31, 2006 14:34.

From a 2006 visit to the colourful fields in Nakafurano, Hokkaido, Japan. I believe the fields belong to the Tomita farm. These photos also show two things: cheap and old cameras (here my compact Casio Z-57) produce lower image quality, but that doesn’t mean the photos can’t be beautiful :)

Nakafurano Fields I

Christoph — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:00:52 +0000

EX-Z57 , 5.8 mm, 1/500 sec at F 4.3.
Taken on July 31, 2006 14:33.

Spontaneous Vegetation VII

Christoph — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:00:59 +0000

E-5 , 55 mm, 1/320 sec at F 7.1.
Taken on June 22, 2011 15:22.

Spontaneous vegetation breaks rules. It grows where nothing is supposed to grow, where plants were not part of the plan. It finds chances and uses them without regard for place, context or human intentions. Humans, however, help constructing space for spontaneous vegetation, influence it and are influenced by it in various ways: spontaneous vegetation is therefore also part of our culture, as we are a part of nature.

Spontaneous vegetation: “…defined as all plants that develop without intentional horticultural input, is a characteristic element of the urban environment. It grows at no financial cost, is authentic and is always appropriate to site conditions.” (Kühn, N. “Intentions for the Unintentional: Spontaneous Vegetation as the Basis for Innovative Planting Design in Urban Areas”, 2006), “the de facto native vegetation of the city.” (Del Tredici, P. “Wild urban plants of the northeast”, 2010).

Spontaneous Vegetation V

Christoph — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:54:48 +0000

E-PL1 , 17 mm, 1/130 sec at F 3.5.
Taken on July 12, 2011 17:03.

Unplanned, unused, useless? These are the places we often overlook but sometimes notice, especially when plants manage to use them and grow against all odds. To spot spontaneous vegetation, we need to re-focus and look away from the points our attention is naturally (or better, socially) drawn to.

Spontaneous Vegetation III

Christoph — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 07:41:29 +0000

E-PL1 , 17 mm, 1/160 sec at F 4.
Taken on July 12, 2011 16:47.

This tree grew in the small space between a wall and a building. I find it intriguing to see the workers left it standing when they demolished the building. Location: Nagoya, Japan.

Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers

Christoph — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:10:40 +0000

E-5 , 18 mm, 1/640 sec at F 10.
Taken on June 22, 2011 15:04.

The Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers near Nagoya Central Station is certainly one of the cooler educational buildings out there! As you walk by, the view changes and so do the things reflected in the glass.

Gold Coast Evening

Christoph — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 11:51:29 +0000

E-5 , 12 mm, 1/200 sec at F 4.5.
Taken on August 12, 2011 17:16.

While sometimes hundreds of people dwell at this place near Surfers Paradise, on this evening only very few people enjoyed the color of the sky and the clouds together with the moon.

Granite Belt I

Christoph — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:07:52 +0000

E-5 , 21 mm, 1/500 sec at F 9.
Taken on August 15, 2011 12:13.

Traveling in Australia means spending time on the road watching the fascinating countryside fly by. Winter in the Granite Belt is yellow – the dry grass and meadows make for a nice change to the green of the Gold Coast!

Gold Coast I

Christoph — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 08:56:12 +0000

E-5 , 12 mm, 1/80 sec at F 11.
Taken on August 6, 2011 06:55.

Today I decided to make use of the nice light just after sunrise, got up early and went to the beach near Anzac Park in Southport. With relatively low tide, the sand had nice lines and the rocks provided a nice contrast.

Frog barrel

Christoph — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 09:23:30 +0000

E-5 , 36 mm, 1/100 sec at F 8.
Taken on July 3, 2011 15:52.

Another great piece of pottery from Tokoname, Japan.

Brick chimneys in Tokoname

Christoph — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:42:13 +0000

E-5 , 32 mm, 1/250 sec at F 3.6.
Taken on July 3, 2011 15:20.

These brick chimneys are part of a museum brick factory in the famous pottery town of Tokoname, Japan.

Abandoned shed

Christoph — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:14:46 +0000

E-5 , 14 mm, 1/500 sec at F 8.
Taken on July 5, 2011 18:17.

Even in densely built Japanese cities, some areas remain undeveloped and one can find rice paddies, fields or empty lots. This shed stood next to such a field.

Oh!

Christoph — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 10:56:50 +0000

E-5 , 60 mm, 1/130 sec at F 4.
Taken on July 3, 2011 15:11.

Another visit to the pottery animals of Tokoname, Japan!

Chestnut rice

Christoph — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 08:21:27 +0000

E-5 , 25 mm, 1/60 sec at F 3.4.
Taken on June 25, 2011 13:34.

The shop Daikokuya in Magome offers delicious sweet-salty rice with chestnuts and azuki beans, seen on this lovely traditional shop curtain separating the souvenir shop from the restaurant.

Better Days

Christoph — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:00:22 +0000

E-5 , 60 mm, 1/400 sec at F 7.1.
Taken on April 23, 2011 16:32.

The abandoned farm tools together with the late afternoon light made for a perfect reflection on the better days these tools had seen. I deliberately went for a different look to my usual style – less color, more dark blacks and a structurally complex image composition.

Echinacea

Christoph — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 07:32:36 +0000

E-PL1 , 17 mm, 1/400 sec at F 6.3.
Taken on December 5, 2010 10:45.

Echinacea has a long history of use as a medicinal herb. Even though there are still scientific studies going on to lear more about its effects, the flower is pretty enough as it is! This specimen is growing at the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens.

Kitesurfing

Christoph — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 07:24:40 +0000

E-620 , 12 mm, 1/1600 sec at F 11.
Taken on December 31, 2010 14:48.

If there’s a nice wind going when I am on my way to university in the morning, almost always someone is kitesurfing next to the beach. This picture is from a trip to Wellington Point south-east of Brisbane. With the help of their kite, the surfers can jump up to 2 meters above the sea!

Abandoned Barn

Christoph — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:00:47 +0000

E-620 , 54 mm, 1/130 sec at F 11.
Taken on October 18, 2009 16:15.

This old barn can be seen from the trail around the Yashimagahara wetlands. The evening light made it seem even lonelier.

Apple juice

Christoph — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 02:00:52 +0000

E-520 , 32 mm, 1/80 sec at F 5.6.
Taken on March 31, 2009 16:47.

As you can see, it’s not exactly apple juice but apple juice in the making. A lot of work cutting all the apples, but it fills the house with a delicious smell!