Before coming to Japan i was never that keen a photographer, i hadn’t owned a digital camera when i was in Australia so the expense and effort in getting photos developed from traditional camera i had put me off.
Since moving here i’ve bought a few cameras with the current one being this Canon IXY Digital 2000 IS, and most recently i picked up a Sanyo Xacti HD 1010 video camera that shoots stills too. I try to take at least one of these with me everywhere i go, there’s usually one in the bag i take to work each day.
On the weekend however, especially at night, i usually rely on my iPhone to capture a few random photos, not the best quality but it does the job.
Any-hooo, with all these devices i manage to end up with quite a few pictures, some interesting some not so interesting, here’s a few i came across when freeing up some space.
I pass this cool fluffy black dog on my way to work most mornings.
Fireworks are readily available in supermarkets, this was at the last Hanabi Party i went too.
Saturday saw me head out to Furukawa for a Hanabi Party. Furukawa is an hour from Shinjuku on the Shonen Shinjuku line and heading out there i once again thought to myself, i’m glad i live closer to the action.
It’s good to have a reason like this years Hanabi Party to get out to Furukawa, otherwise it’s a place i can probably say i would never get to otherwise.
As usual i went with the same group or Friends i go to the onsens with, all the guys from the local Sushi bar. It was a late afternoon start and an hour long train ride to get to Koge station and then grab some supplies and head to our designated spot.
I grabbed some footage and put it up on Vimeo and also took few photos. I’m still a novice with the camera and not editing it yet but will do shortly when i get some appropriate software or buy a mac.
Before i get into the pics if you haven’t already voted, please head over to the Seven Wonders of Japan and cast your vote now, it closes at the end of this week.
There was plenty of colour on arrival.
The video turned out really well. This time i used the Fireworks setting and remembered to have the resolution scaled back a bit. For the best effect check out the HD version on Vimeo.
Update: Created an account on Vimeo and starting to post some videos there. Or you if you can’t be bothered going to Vimeo you can check them out here, Summer In Japan and the First iPhone In Japan but don’t expect too much, i haven’t got any editing software yet do they’re still as shot, they will get better though. Lastly if you want to check out how to fold a shirt the Japanese way then you can see that here.
Since moving to Japan i’ve developed a bit of an interest in photography and now own a nice Canon Digital Camera which often gets a good workout on the weekends as i make my way around the Yamanote Line.
Japan is such a great place to take photographs and there’s certainly no shortage of inspiration as you walk the streets and visit different places on the weekend.
So last weekend, after considerable time spent reading reviews on various sites, i decided to step things up a bit and buy a High Definition Movie Camera and after only a few days playing with it i’m glad i did.
Update: The best clip i’ve taken with it so far, still raw footage but i’ll be editing it soon. Check it out on Vimeo for full HD.
