Paul Hartrick » Digital Photography

Gundam in Tokyo

-Paul — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:08:09 +0000

I thought I would have been one of the last people in Tokyo to visit the 18 Meter Tall Gundam robot in Odaiba. I was also hoping that choosing a work day to visit Gundam would also pay off with less people. That was until I reached Shimbashi Station and walked over to the Yurikamome Line. Oh well I suffered the crowds and continued on to Diaba Station and found my way to the Gundam Robot.

Once at Gundam the crowds weren’t that bad, only a 5 minute wait to get to touch the 59 foot tall Robot and pleanty of room to get any angle shot you want, however it was very hot without any shade so I didn’t mess around, got my photos and headed back to the station.

For those looking for directions to Gundam in Tokyo take the JR Yamanote line to Shimbashi Station then take the Yurikamome Line to Diaba Station, get of the train, head down the stairs and walk towards the park then turn left once your near the waters edge… or just follow the crowds. Here is a google maps image and link that maybe useful.

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I will probably head back down this weekend and get some more photos during and after sunset to get some more dramatic shots. For now here are the daytime photos. You can see the full resolution shots at my Flickr Page.

Graffiti in Spain

-Paul — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:59:38 +0000

While in Spain I took all the usual tourist photos but what grabbed my attention more than most was the amount of graffiti decorating some fairly ancient buildings. I thought it was pretty cool to walk out of a Pablo Picaso exhibition only to see another form of art on the side door of the museum. To tell you the truth there isn’t a lot of difference between the Graffiti and some of the crap Pablo Picasso turned out. Anyway, here are few shots with a Picasso at the end for comparison… At least the graffiti has some color…

The Moon, Clouds and Cupping

-Paul — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:52:00 +0000

Snapshots from my life in Tokyo…

It’s not that often you get a crystal clear night in Tokyo, let alone a clear night with a full moon… Shot with my 50D, 70-200 f/2.8 L IS USM from my roof balcony overlooking Shinjuku.

During a recent trip to Matsue in Shimane prefecture I took these photos from the plane window. I was captivated by the cloud shapes sticking up through the sky… Also shot with my 50D, 70-200 f/2.8 L IS USM…

And finally the aftermath of my cupping experience. Recently I’ve been getting some SFW massage treatment and as they were advertising a 40% discount on the 1 hour cupping/massage course I decided it was time to tick the cupping box on my list. This was taken they day after… yes it hurts when they remove the cups… no I didn’t feel any different afterwards… yes I think it is a scam… pffff… whatever… Shot with my 50D, 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM and my new remote timer switch…

Horanenya 2009

-Paul — Sat, 30 May 2009 03:05:54 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I traveled down to Matsue for the 2009 Horanenya festival. The Horanenya festival is one of three famous boat festivals in Japan. It is held only once every twelve years so I took advantage of this time…

The story is that the spirit of a “Kitsune” fox god is transported between two shrines by boat and Kabuki actors dance while the rowers chant “Horanenya!” (a plea to the gods for a good harvest).

If you missed it don’t worry you can catch it again in the year 2021…

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Cherry Blossom Party at Hikarigaoka

-Paul — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:07:44 +0000

Last weekend I went to a Cherry Blossom Party organized by the local Sushi bar that I frequent. The location was Hikarigaoka, about 20 minutes ride on the Oedo Line from Shinjuku Station. As always there was all the wrong brands of beer, cold food that is meant to be served warm and the usual attendees getting all pissed up after 3 cans of beer. Regardless of the standard party offering in Japan I still had a fun day. It also gave me a chance to try out my new 70-200 f/2.8 L IS USM Canon lens. Below are a few photos of the day.

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