Friday Photo: Under the Bridge

Posted on April 6, 2012 by AY

I hate packing.  I always imagined I would be better at it after years of traveling, after dozens of trips to different parts of the world.  But nope, somehow I still really suck at packing.  I don’t understand why.  For some reason I just abhor it, put it off to the last minute, struggle to figure out what exactly I need.  It seems as if every time I pack it was the first time I ever did it.  So do yourself a favor and never ask me for any packing advice ;- )  I figured this photo was a good choice for this week as this is why I’m in the middle of packing.  Can you figure out where it is?  (Cambridge, England) It will be good to get away for a while I suppose, I have a few locations planned during my time away so I’m really excited for all of it!  Now if I could only get all this packing done…

DSC0672 thumb Friday Photo: Under the Bridge

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Posted in United Kingdom, Weekly Photo | Tagged Bridge, Cambridge, England, Photography, Travel, United Kingdom, Weekly Photo | 16 Comments

Ways to improve your photography without pressing the shutter

Posted on April 3, 2012 by AY

DSC5145 Ways to improve your photography without pressing the shutter

I love photography, I just wish I was better at it!  But it is a hobby thankfully and not a profession for me, but honestly that doesn’t mean I don’t want to get better.  I’m always working to try to improve my photography, and I would love to try to help people improve theirs’ if I possibly can as well.  Usually a lot of the advice out there is about how to take better photographs, but there is so much you can do to improve your photography without physically taking a picture.  So I tried to think of the things that have helped me improve the photos I have taken over the years. Continue reading →

Posted in Five Things, Photography | Tagged Five Things, Photography | 4 Comments

Friday Photo: DC Cherry Blossoms

Posted on March 30, 2012 by AY

One of my favorite times of the year is spring time, when after the cold winter things start to bloom again.  I first truly experienced the beauty of the cherry blossoms several years ago in Japan on one of my trips through there and really started to characterize spring around them.  They are so beautiful, yet so fragile, so vibrant, yet live for such a short time.  I once read somewhere that the bloom of the cherry blossom is a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life.  In Japan even in places of constant motion like Tokyo, people take out time to go and view and enjoy the blossoms.  There is a lot of respect and awe for such transient beauty.  This was my first year really experiencing them here in Washington DC, as often I would just barely miss their peak.  They were absolutely stunning when in full bloom and then on another morning after a bit of chill, rain, and wind, they lay scattered like snowflakes across the lawns and pavement.  Here’s to a great 100 years of cherry blossoms in Washington DC, and to hundreds more to come…

DSC3183 thumb Friday Photo: DC Cherry Blossoms

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Posted in Washington DC, Weekly Photo | Tagged Cherry Blossom Festival, Cherry Blossoms, Photography, Sakura, United States, Washington DC, Weekly Photo | 22 Comments

State of the Blossom: Washington DC

Posted on March 25, 2012 by AY

DSC2849 Edit State of the Blossom: Washington DC

Mr. Speaker, Vice President, members of the blog community, distinguished readers, and fellow photographers.

It’s spring time and that means Cherry Blossoms here in DC and many parts of the world and that means it is time for flowers.  Nothing seems to light up DC more than the annual blooming of the cherry trees.  I’ve been getting a lot of questions regarding the blossoms here in DC, etc.  So I wanted to share some of the info and photos of the blossoms here in Washington DC over the last week.  Well at least during the times I happened to be there checking them out.  This year is also a particularly special year as it is the 100th anniversary of the cherry blossoms here in Washington DC as a gift from the nation of Japan. Continue reading →

Posted in Travel, Washington DC | Tagged Cherry Blossom Festival, Cherry Blossoms, Japan, Sakura, Washington DC | 8 Comments

Friday Photo: Cherry Blossoms — Himeji, Japan

Posted on March 23, 2012 by AY

I have every intention of going downtown this week and getting a photograph of the cherry blossoms in Washington DC.  I was getting set to get up early, have my gear all ready and head down with tripod in tow and getting some sunrise photos or sunset photos perhaps.  Late days at work, extensive travel planning, and a car accident (my arm is hurting but everyone involved is thankfully mostly ok) sort of derailed a lot of the photo taking.  But I wanted to share at least a cherry blossom photograph for this week.  I didn’t want to post the same photos that I again just took last weekend as I was wondering around mid-day downtown for other reasons, so I picked this photo from a trip through Japan during the cherry blossom time.  This is from Himeji Castle, one of the best known castles and a UNESCO world heritage site.  It is a gorgeous castle that grows out of the stone base underneath it.  During hanami (flower viewing) it is particularly gorgeous as the area around it is covered with sakura (cherry blossoms).  The inside of the castle sadly is not as beautiful as the exterior of it, with much of the interior laying sadly barren.

IMG 315 thumb Friday Photo: Cherry Blossoms Himeji, Japan

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Posted in Japan, Weekly Photo | Tagged Castle, Cherry Blossoms, Himeji, Himeji-jō, Japan, Nippon, Sakura, UNESCO World Heritage, Weekly Photo | 28 Comments

Walking the High Line — New York City

Posted on March 22, 2012 by AY

DSC2626 Edit1 Walking the High Line New York City

In many cities, old unused train lines end up becoming big eye sores, but in New York City it gets turned into a park.  The high line is an old elevated train tracks on the west side of Manhattan.  What could have ended up as an unused piece of track or torn down for some other development ended up becoming a great park to wander through and hang out on during nice New York days. Continue reading →

Posted in New York, Travel | Tagged High Line, New York, New York City, Park, United States | 16 Comments