« November 2007 | Main | January 2008 »
December 24, 2007
These boots were made for...?
Posted by Marcus at 12:16 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 23, 2007
2007: The Year in Review
Around this time every year newspapers, magazines and blogs take stock of the past twelve months' events and pass judgment on which achieved success which were failures. Whether it's the year in domestic politics, new technology or tabloid scandals, December means you can be sure a pundit somewhere is giving their (only mildly) informed opinion. Always on the lookout for bandwagons of various shapes and sizes, ourmanintokyo.net couldn't let an opportunity like this go by. But rather than focus solely on the year in photography, I'm offering something a little more personal - an overview of where I am at with this site and my photography. Without further ado, I proudly present '2007: The Year in Review'.
Let there be Light(room) In February, photographers celebrated the official release of Adobe's Lightroom. A RAW converter and workflow tool for both professionals and serious amateurs, Lightroom quickly became indispensable for anyone who (like myself) has more than one hard drive full of RAW images. There are a number of features which make Lightroom so special - development presets, the ability to quickly create web galleries, an intuitive interface, powerful spot-editing tools, photo keywording, to name just a handful. No longer do photographers have to spend hours running actions in Photoshop after a shoot. It has completely reshaped the way many photographers approach post-processing.
Getting the band back together This was also the year in which I started taking band and music photos. In July, I placed an ad in the back of Metropolis magazine saying that I was building a photographic portfolio and that I was looking for bands wanting images for their website or for other promotional material. Right from the start I had a good response (the key no doubt being that I'm free) and in the first couple of months I shot photos of folk rockers, classical pianists, funk bands and indie musicians. Some of the work was of live performances, some of it the kind of promotional stuff you see in magazines like NME - boyish musicians backslapping while chowing down on pizza... that kind of thing. I'm still trying to decide which I prefer. The conceptual work is 'very me', I guess, but listening to the music while trying to capture the atmosphere at a gig is also fun. And who doesn't enjoy rolling up to the after-show party with the band?
And I ride and I ride and I ride 2007 wasn't just about my masquerading as Anton Corbijn. I kept up the travel photography and was pleased my keeper ratio (the number of good photos to 'Meh!' photos) increased over the course of 2007. Early in the year I made a fleeting trip to Shanghai where I joined thousands of other tourists snapping photos of the Oriental Pearl Tower and the city's rapidly expanding skyscraper district opposite The Bund. I wrote at the time how at that time of year the city's cold and grey streets seemed to cry out for black and white photographs. I'm looking foward to going back again soon and capture more of the city before it's cleared to make way for all that development.
In May, I traveled to the small southern town of Tübingen in Germany to participate in one of Chris Marquardt's photo workshops (see separate entry below). While I was in Germany I also took the opportunity to visit Berlin - still my favorite European capital, although looking very different from the city I first visited as a university student back in '95. One thing thing that hasn't changed: Berlin still has the coolest nightlife in the world. Sure, not everyone will enjoy ordering their drinks from a guy dressed up like Interpol's Carlos D and being yelled at for mispronouncing Caipirinha in German, but it works for me.
On the way back from Germany, I made a quick stop in Hong Kong where, despite monsoon-like rain, I got some nice images of Victoria Harbor from the back of a Star Ferry. I wish I'd had longer to wander around the Kowloon's backstreets and try more of the delicious food on offer.
Finally, in late October, I had an unexpected opportunity to visit my friend Feodor in Cambodia. I met up with the Scourge of Moldova in Phnom Penh, where we spent three days mostly lamenting that we'd never been to Russia together. I then bid him a brief farewell and traveled north west to Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor. There is little I can say that will do the experience justice. I suggest you just check out the photos.
'Scuse me while I geek out for a moment Both Nikon and Canon released new DSLR cameras in the second half of 2007. Nikon's D300, with its amazingly low noise at high ISOs, large LCD screen and 51 point AF system, currently tops my wish list. Their other offering is the D3x, Nikon's first foray into the full-frame camera market. While many Nikon DSLR users have long been jealous of their Canon brethren, upgrading to a full-frame camera comes with a price-tag too hefty for most. Not to be outdone, Canon meanwhile released the 40D, a 'prosumer' offering with a 10 megapixel sensor and the ability to improve highlight detail. There are also rumors about the EOS 7D which is set to replace the very popular 5D. If the Canon fan-boy sites are to be believed, this ought to be an amazing camera.
TFTTF workshop host, Chris Marquardt
Touring Tübingen Still with me? One of the most enjoyable events of the year was taking part in the TFTTF photo workshop. I learned a great deal while I was there - about studio lighting, about Photoshop, about dealing with cooperative models and uncooperative weather. It was in Tübingen that I had my first real introduction to Lightroom. It was also fantastic to meet so many like-minded souls (Tobi, I will model for you anytime, but only if you let me borrow your lederhosen).
And what of 2008? On the travel front, there are plans to visit family in Melbourne in January. Later in the year I'm hoping to return to Germany. I also have a Canadian friend threatening to hold a wedding in Halifax in the summer. As far as my photography goes, the next year is also shaping up to be very exciting. There are a number of workshops that I'd like to take part in. Friends of mine have been talking about putting together a join exhibition for February or March. I've also started teaching myself about food and macro photography - something which until now I've had little experience in.
Finally, 2008 promises to be a big year for this blog... stay tuned for more news soon.
Posted by Marcus at 7:05 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
December 20, 2007
Japanese Santa
Posted by Marcus at 12:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Now you're talking
Google Talk's new translation feature.
Picture: Google
It works like this: you invite a bot to join your chat, and everything that you then type is translated into one of 24 target languages. The bots use names which identify their function, taking the form "[from language]2[to language]@bot.talk.google.com" So, if you want to translate a conversation in Japanese and English, you would invite your Japanese-speaking friend together with the bots to translate (here, ja2en@bot.talk.google.com and en2ja@bot.talk.google.com)
As with all other machine translation systems, accuracy varies. Such software (like AltaVista's Babel Fish) just doesn't do context and can't recognize different words with identical spellings. Writing to my friend Zac in Japanese, Google's bot insisted that his name be translated as 'a little money'! Despite such limitations, however, the new translation feature is a welcome addition to the IM world.
Now if they would only get this running on my phone...
Posted by Marcus at 11:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 16, 2007
Samurai Chop!!
Posted by Marcus at 11:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 15, 2007
Flickr Stats
Flickr, the Yahoo!-owned photo sharing site, has announced that statistics are now available to pro account holders. Users can view a graph showing daily aggregate views and get numbers for views per photo. They can also access referrer information, although this feature seems to be limited to big names such as Facebook, Google and so on.
Pro users wanting to try it out, click here.
Posted by Marcus at 9:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 14, 2007
Sony's wind-up camera
Sony's 'Twirl N' Take' camera.
Picture: AFP
Sony unveiled its "Twirl N' Take" wind-up camera at the Eco Products expo in Tokyo yesterday. Still only a prototype, the camera joins a range of Sony products designed to be environmentally friendly. Shaped like a pizza-cutter, the user has to charge the camera by rolling it across a surface for 15 seconds to take a photo.
While many will scratch their heads and ask 'So what's the point?', I think Sony deserves some credit here. Few Japanese companies are treating the issue of environmental responsibility seriously. Hopefully these first tentative steps by Sony towards developing environmentally friendly consumer products will be followed by other Japanese companies.
More information at Electronista and Engadget.
Posted by Marcus at 12:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 4, 2007
Bon Odori
Posted by Marcus at 11:57 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 3, 2007
Ourmanintokyo FAQ
Taking my cue from Strobist, I've put together a FAQ to give a little background on this site and just who that funny-looking guy on my banner is. Please let me know via comments if you think something is missing and I'll update the entry.
What is this blog all about?
Originally intended as a way of keeping in touch with friends and family in Australia, ourmanintokyo.net has evolved into more of a photoblog. The site features stories and photos of life in Japan, photography-related discussions as well as the occasional rant. I'm also keen to introduce the work of photographers whose images I like. In the coming months I plan do write more of these pieces as well as link to online portfolios.
A little about me: I'm a 32 year-old Australian who has been living in Tokyo for the past 5 years. Aside from photography, I'm also interested in music, literature, history, politics, media, linguistics and pretty much anything else that falls under the (admittedly wide) banner of cultural studies.
Does anyone actually read this stuff?
Apparently so. Seems there's a few of you who keep coming back for more. Thanks for your support!
Can I link to photos on the site?
Well... it depends. Recently I've been having a lot of problems with people linking to my photos without permission. This is not OK. Ask, and its more than likely that you will receive, unless of course you want to add random images to a badly designed MySpace page, in which case you will be summarily rejected on aesthetic grounds. It isn't difficult - a comment and an email address under the photo you wish to link to should suffice.
Whats that Twitter thing on the sidebar?
Twitter is a form of micro-blogging. At first I was skeptical as to whether Twitter was worth the time, but I'm now convinced that it's one of the most useful 'Web 2.0' applications around. Sure there are other, similar applications (jaiku, pownce) but Twitter remains the most popular.
It's particularly useful when you want to keep in touch with a small group of friends/colleagues. Most of my 'followers' (makes me sound like some kind of cult-leader) are photographers or friends geeky enough to twitter from their phones during their lunch-breaks. If you feel you belong in either of those categories, then feel free to add me to your own twitter list.
Can you translate some Japanese for me?
No, you're better off trying Babelfish.
I'm interested in buying prints of photos on this site. Are they for sale?
But of course! Please contact me by leaving a message in the comments and I will get back to you with full pricing information.
Do you have an online portfolio?
Its on its way. I hope to have my new portfolio site up and running in the next 2-3 months. Once its finished, it will offer a large selection of my best photography together with descriptions of the photos, availability and pricing information.
Would you give me feedback about my photography?
I'm a real believer in giving comments on other people's images. I discovered a huge amount by commenting on sites such as flickr and Tips From the Top Floor. While I enjoy discussing other people's photography, this can be pretty time-consuming. For faster replies, I suggest submitting your photos to a forum like TFTTF
Posted by Marcus at 11:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack