Lunar Eclipse

Yesterday, my neighbour called me and said "There is a lunar eclipse, want to have a look?" .Wao I never see a lunar eclipse with my bare eyes, so together with my housemates, we ran down to have a look, it was red in color just like a sunset but a smaller one. Unfortunately, soon the moon was blocked out by a big cloud. I don't even have a chance to take a shoot on it.....
So within the one hour, we keep praying that the cloud will go away soon, at last the moon came out but the lunar eclipse almost end. Quickly I grabbed my camera to shoot on it, anyway I'm having problems to get the best shutter speed and aperture, so you will find my fist photo with the moon overexpose, anyway this is the best one where you can still find some shadow on the edge of the moon.At last I get the setting right, and this is it the normal photography of moon, but the lunar eclipse was almost gone.
Then I played with the white balance setting on the camera and I get a series of moon with different colors. I like the last one, how about you?

Hanabi 花火

I haven't been playing with fireworks for a long time since Malaysia has banned it while I was still a child. Anyway here in Japan, fireworks is a common activity and a must during summer. And I definitely won't miss the chance to pick up my childhood memory.
I went to a place called 松屋町(Matsuyamachi) where all shops along the street are doing wholesales of fireworks. Actually I expected more from this place (is my first time visiting there), but it turn out to be every shop selling almost the same thing, so is a little boring when you find yourself keep looking at the same thing all the time. Anyway, I found many kinds of fireworks which I used to play before, and I just can't help buying them. The price was cheap, compare to normal stall, so we get quiet a lot for our fireworks party tonight.

You can find everything you remembered as a child, and also something new. People are still inventing some new stuff here.

Normal but it was so beautiful

And we were so amazed by this one, they said if you can burn the whole strip without dropping any of it, your wish can be come true!!

Try out some long exposure photographing, and we get a nice "love" here.

So we go for a more difficult mission...but oops we get it wrong...

And finally we get it right!! \(^。^)/

Trip to Wakayama(和歌山) 2-Shirahama（白浜）

The second day, we take an one and a half hour ride to 白浜(Shirahama). A famous spot for beach and hot spring. We stop half way at a fish market, to see how they get the big tuna fish into pieces and of course some very fresh shashimi for lunch.

"Smells good!!"

The big tuna

海鮮丼(Kaisendon) with イカ(Ika=squit),鯛(Tai),サーモン(Selmon),マグロ(Maguro),甘エビ(Amaebi),いくら(Ikura)

Scallop baked with butter and 醤(油Shoyu)

Then we headed to our next destination 三段壁(Shandanbeki). The name come from 3 kind of mineral that make up the rock. And we took the elevator 36m deep down to the cave and have a short trip inside the mysterious cave.

This spot is also famous for people to kill themselves so you will see this kind of notice advising people to call for counseling before they choose to jump.

Magnificent view...the sea is so clean

Group photo

A small shrine inside the cave

Our next stop was about rock view again.千畳敷(Shenjojiki) is formed by the erosion of the soft rock due to waves hit. Since the rock is soft and is really easy to get a word crafted on it, you can find a lot of crafting on the rock. Is really a bad thing to do, but is the crafting itself that make this place special. A little bit silly, am I? Another interesting point about this place is you can find little creature living inside the stagnant water in the small fragments or holes in the rock. They are pretty good at hiding, so it just depends on how you can find it.

Although I didn't focus on the crafting, but you still can find the words quite clear

Small creature...catch ya...

This place is also famous for its hot spring and definitely we won't miss it.We went for this 露天風呂(Rotenburo) called 崎の湯(Zakinoyu) The fare is cheap, it only cost us 300yen to get in, and you can enjoy the hot bath with the nice sea view just in front of you. The best thing is to get a photo uploaded right here, but it no right for me to get a camera inside there where everyone is naked. So you need to visit and experience it yourself.

4 years in Japan and is my first time at the beach in summer. 白良浜(Shirarahama) the famous beach in 白浜 and every one is having their summer beach party there. It was so pack with people, a lots of bikini girls and guys enjoying their sunbath, beach volleyball, or just simply playing with the sea water. I hate the heat in summer but I like the beach so much. Hope that I will have another chance to visit a beach again next year.

Loving couple...

Bikini girls

Trip to Wakayama(和歌山) 1

御坊(Gobo)is a small town in 和歌山市(Wakayama　Prefecture), hometown of my Japanese housemate, Yurika. It's my second visit, the town is 3 hours separate from my place by train. Since my friend had been gone to Mexico for a students exchange program, so we didn't stay at her place this time but at friend of her, Aki who had guided us for the passed 3 days.
This was a very nice trip, short but pack and interesting.

We arrived around 2 at 和歌山駅 and our first stop was to fill up our empty stomach. What we headed for is called 茶粥(Chagayu), porridge cooked in Japanese tea. I had a different dish, porridge also but is cooked with サツマイモ(Satsumaimo), Japanese sweet potatoes.

The porridge come as a set with fish and two small dishes

In the small plate we had 味噌(Miso),梅干(Umeboshi),かまぼこ(Kamaboko),and 2 kind of 漬物(Tsukemono)

Plan to visit a beer factory but it was closed due to お盆休み(Obon-yasumi). So we had a 1 hour ride towards 御坊. The view along the road was nice. Had a few shot inside the car and I like this one the most.

We met up with Yurika's family, they threat us for dinner at a restaurant famous for ちゃんこ鍋（Chanko-nabe）.Is a kind of steamboat and is famous among 相撲(Sumo).

This is Yurika's mum and she was helping us preparing the nabe

Looks delicious...

I forget about the restaurant's name but luckily I took this photo and it remind me. 俵屋(Tawaraya)

After the dinner, we had a short visit to Yurika's home. And there is one new member in the house...Hacchi!! The new dog in the family.

Is fun playing with him, but not getting him posing quietly for photo. This is the best I can get.

And finally we had a group photo!!

Insect Photography II : Mating

I took this photos at the garden at the back of my mansion. At first I was trying to shoot on a butterfly but it didn't stay still and keep on flying and I couldn't even have one shoot on it. Anyway, I accidentally jumped into this loving couple and definitely I won't miss the chance because you hardly can have them staying still for this long period.

I mentioned in my last post about having problem to shoot insect in a short distance. So what I did was to take a clear photo at the best distance and then cropped the main object so that the insect appear bigger in the photo.

The original photo

After cropping, the object become more significant.

Insect Photography

I like to shoot on insect. But I usually cannot get a good one because I don't have a macro lenses. Is really hard to focus on them in such a short distance using a normal lenses. So what I can do is not to shoot them in detail but try to include other element like flower. Hope that I can save up enough money to get myself a macro lenses. Is so expensive when I check on the Nikkor lenses catalog.

Anyway I faced one problem when I am using my D40 which only have 3 focus point, I can focus sharply on one object but like the photos below when I want to focus on the mantis and the bee at the same time, I always get one in focus and other out of focus.How can I focus on two object when they are separate by a distance?Do you have any idea how can I overcome this problem? Is it changing the aperture is the only solution? Or there is other trick?

Don't come over or I will chop you in to pieces!!

Don't run away you "chicken"

A little green spidey

淀川花火大会（Yodogawa Hanabi Taikai）

花火大会(Hanabi Taikai) is a big event during summer in Japan. I went to this one last Saturday with other Malaysian here. Going for Hanabi is fun, but it can be very tiring. You need to go there like 3 to 4 hours earlier to get yourself a good place, and you need to spend like another 3 hours to keep in line waiting for your turn to leave the place, and get a sit in the train. Anyway is worth it. I can't describe it here by words how amazed I was although this not my first time. You really need to be there to see it by yourself.

I have been trying to shoot a fireworks photograph with my digital camera every time I went for Hanabi. But the photos didn't turn out nice. This year I try it again with my DSLR D40. The result, what I can say is, this is the best fireworks photography that I had taken before but it still looks very amateur. Here is some difficulty that I faced, maybe some of you can give me advice on how to get a better shoot!
1. I cannot get a very nice spot, so what I can take is only the fireworks itself, I cannot have other framing except that.
2. It is very hard to catch the right timing when to press the shutter.
3. The smoke is very annoying.
4. The best setting is?? I have my aperture set at f/11 and shutter speed around 1 to 5 secs.

Here is some of the photos that I took that day, hope you enjoy it!I like this one but the photos is a little bit over-expose. If the sky turned out to be darker, it should be better.

Everything is nice except the smoke , is really annoying

Best shot??

I like this one also

Although the color is a little bit dull, but I like the trails leave by the fireworks

It's been a long time

Ya, it's been a long time since my last post.Has been busy with my course work, applying for internship, preparing for exam. Finally all have come to an end,although I failed to get any internship, not doing really well with my exam, but who cares?Is summer vacation now!!! I need to get some rest after all this thing.To recharge and start again.
At first I was planning to get an internship this summer because I don't plan to go back to Malaysia this time, unfortunately I failed all. So I have no plan for my 2 months long vacation...Really don't want to waste the time doing nothing. Will be trying for another internship and hope to get it, if not then I really need to plan well. Hmmm, I always hoping for holidays, but when it comes I just don't know how to make use of it, and it just passed so fast. I have to be discipline !! The key words for the next two months!