Drops

Sometimes the simplest things are best- I spent ages looking at and trying to capture these strands of straw and the drops forming on them. It's a kind of 'tiny universe' all of it's own. Sometimes the simplest things are best- I spent ages looking at and trying to capture these strands of straw and the drops forming on them. It's a kind of 'tiny universe' all of it's own. Look through Flickr and you'll see the delicacy of water-drops are a popular subject. Like any beauty, they are momentary and stunning. In many cases, the photo may be all that remains of them.

Cabbage-Flower in the Snow

This flower stood out from the snow, despite looking something like a cabbage. I suppose, seen another way, it resembles a rose!

One Leaf in Snow

The first thing I noticed was the snow on little details, like this leaf...

Droplet

Small is beautiful- in this case, a frozen droplet of melting snow.

Narnia-Like

Like something out of Narnia, this friendly, mythical dog-like being guards the shrine in the winter snows.

Prayer

One of the lightening-bolt-shaped prayer flags so common in shrines in Japan. Yes, I like simple and with the low aperture of the 35mm F/2 this is what you can get. What's your prayer for the new year?

A Cup, Simply

I love to experiment with bokeh- here is one of my cup, from right where I'm sitting. I can get the contrast of sharp and smooth as well as light and dark and that creamy smoothness is always nice to look at. This was done with my 50mm F1.4, the basic creative lens that used to come with every good camera (though now people are addicted to zooms, alas.)

The Last of Autumn

I was late to catch the koyo (autumn leaves) with my new D300- but not too late. I love the colours blending out of focus in the macro lens- there are endless artistic possibilities here. I love to use my Tamron 90mm for just this reason- the creamy, soft bokeh.

Yoko

The other member of Tiny Universe, who also loves to take macro photographs, especially of flowers. You can see her lovely blog, Wonderful World (it's in Japanese, but you can always read the photos!)

Paradise Central

It was the first meeting of the Tiny Universe camera club. Here is a lily we saw in the valley (well, in the shrubbery!) Now you see why bees find them so irresistible.

Flickrs of Light

It was a few days before the first outing of the Tiny Universe camera club and I had some spare time and a spare camera, so it was back to Tozenji. Here are some ferns in the last flickers of sunlight.

Prayers in the Wind

Even the prayer-books were left, their pages fluttering around.

Hondoji Sakura Macro

Macros are incredibly hard to get, as they sway around in the breeze so much. Here's one that came out okay. They are sort of like natural bouquets, entrancing to see and smell.

Tama Zoo Parrot

I may not have such a fresh mind, but I can see the beauty of the animals, too...

Holiday Trees-The Hidden Gem

Here's a macro I took in the same garden, right up close to a little leaf. With the light hitting it, it glowed with beautiful colours, something like a gem.

Toyland

Here is a picture from Tobu World Square, which I recently visited with my mate Glen. Getting into the spirit of the place, you enter not only a toyland, but a very Japanese view of the world, open to other cultures and sights. Perhaps a bit stereotypical a view of the various places, but retaining their aesthetic charm nonetheless. It's kind of nice to see them as merely places to see, rather than real places with problems as we tend to get told they are through the news services. There's no terrorism, wars, or grinding poverty in toyland, though there is an attenpt to portray something of the latter in the New York exhibit.

Views of London- Local Rose

Here's a local house in Camberwell- well a local rose, at least. Walking by in the early morning, I was struck by the attention people pay to their gardens, brightening up the street with them.

Views of London- Orange Rose

An Orange Rose.

Hello, back again! After quite a hiatus due to my trip back, it's time to say more about those days in the life I've had over the summer. How better to do that than with HDR and tone-mapping? This is a rose from my mother's garden, at it's very peak. Tone-mapping really brings out the details that the bright sunlight can hide.

Warm Bamboo

More bamboo, catching the strangely warm light here. Even early in the day, there was a certain glow to it. I ev en wondered if there was some kind of comforting, spiritual energy to the place, brought on by prayers.

Pale Green Bamboo

The bamboo stands towards the edges of the temple. It is often to be found near cemetaries here, I suppose to symbolise new and lasting life. I loved the luminous green colour and the shininess of it. It formed such a lovely contrast with the dark leaves around it.