Waiting to go in!! So exciting!!!

Chad, Yan and me. Gonna be fun ^^

While processing more of the Tokyo Spring 2010 photos recently, I became more aware of my style of composition or the objects I take. Me shall highlight a few here. I’m more for shooting horizontal photos. Those vertical compositions are quite narrow for me to be comfortable with. But I have to start somewhere eh?

The one above is one of my classic travel shots. Just sitting on the ground somewhere, just me and the good pair of walking shoes that had travelled with me for almost every trip overseas. Let’s call this the “Walking the World”

Something like that!

Next up, landscape shots. Essential for travel photography, best taken with wide angle lens. Since I haven’t got my hands on one yet. The 24mm of the lens I’m using would do this job fine. Landscape shots tells how magnificent or awesome a place is. I play around with the colours of the photo to give a certain feel that portrays the story of this place. B+W ones have their own appeal. But I mix them around depending on the feel, or it is too gloomy to get a good ambience.

The one-thirds composition is greatly used here for scenery shots.

Shooting structures or places of interest! It’s basically why you are travelling to that place. Hence, let the camera spam! So the same thing for me here, I was trying out some effects to give increase that special feeling of each place. More time is spend on this area to create the correct balance and not to over exaggerate things.

People are what makes up the cities. Most of the time, I travel to big cities. A big major change from my old ODAC days where it’s jungles, animals and bugs and mud and mosses for company. Busy cities are great subjects for cultural diversity. Lots of pictures to take. But, most of the time, I’m quite reluctant to take frontal photos of people. Still working on how to approach people to take their photos. So taking them from the distance now.

Or from the back.

The friends you travel with makes it all even more wonderful! That depends on how playful your group is lol!

From friends, to YOU! Cam whoring with DLSRs is > cam whoring with cameraphones!

Another craze is food photography! It’s customary to take a shot of what you have in front of you when you’re overseas. Well, I know that some are quite offended with this action. Some restaurants don’t allow it. Just be aware of this! Otherwise, it’s great advertisement for the restaurants! They might give you a discount if you blog about them ^^

With just a few clothes, gadgets for navigation, and a thirst for wandering, I set off on a journey to the Tokyo in search of a special curry. That was found only in this Tokyo tower.

The wait in the airport was long.

And got really bored, pushing this trolley around terminal one 6 times.

Started playing with the camera.

Me likes the ceilings.

Shooting random things.

My flight is a transit to Minneapolis >.< Maybe I should stay on board and fly to US XD

One of the few moments in life that you can get to admire how beautiful the sky is. Up close.

Landed at Narita Airport! Took the Narita express and got a Suica with 1000yen credit in the 3500yen package. Time to head towards Suidobashi and dump the bags. No pics from here on to Suidobashi. I got no hands free =(

View Larger Map

Directions:

With free hands, this is where I’m heading to. Kamiyacho seems to be the closest station to the Tokyo tower. Following the road down south would get you there. Do check out Hyperdia to get the fastest and cheapest rail route from your current location to your destination. I couldn’t plan a single trip in Tokyo without referring to this useful website. Available in English too.

If you have a Ipad/ Iphone or a good smartphone, good for you. Store the google map printsceen on them to save carrying paper print outs. Oh, and the map is aligned to the North. A compass would really help a lot. Got mine on the watch =P Sad to say, with all the gadgets with me. I still got lost! My navigation skills were rusty XD My horrible wanderlust took over and went to the wrong direction. In the end, I had to ask a  friendly security guard on showing me the correct direction. So I was kinda late for the appointment time.

Yay! We reached the tower! Now to find Jie and Chad. Finally, time for some Curry!

This is the curry place. Tokyo Curry Lab. Located at the basement of the tower, next to the area of omiyage s They have a variety of curries to choose from. Onion, beef, pork, chicken, bitter curry or all sorts. They grade the spiciness of the curry with the number of chillis on the menu. With the Singaporean tongue that has gone through the hottest training with the sambal chilli stingray and belachan kangong, three chilli grade is nothing. But then, I hum. Ordered the level one. XD

This place has a nice modern feel to it. Wonder how the curry tastes like.

Each order is is served with a vegetable salad with shoyu/miso sauce, a drink and a yogurt to quench the fire in you after the meal.

Here it is! Ordered a katsu (pork cutlet) with mild onion curry. Looks awesome. The taste isn’t that fantastic as those I had tried in Singapore. Comparing to the Ma Maison one in Central Signapore, this katsu lacks the crisp and the juiciness in the meat. Oh well, I was hungry. 2 Stars for this katsu. Price range is approximately 1200yen++

What’s left, is to go up the tower and soak in the night scenery of the lights of the Tokyo. Info on Tokyo Tower here. 820yen for one adult ticket for the main observation deck. Since I went up when I was here previously, wasn’t really keen to go up to the special observation deck at 250m for an extra price. But I would give a really awesome view of the whole Kanto region. And Fuji-san if you’re lucky to be up there in a clear day.

Soaking it in…

more

more!

There’s a cafe up there at the Main Observation deck. Enjoy a cup of cappuccino and do some people-watching.

Or get into some action pose as a pro photographer

micro-four thirds do just fine

Awesome place for couples

Bring your family!

And everyone else

We went down, and looked around for goodies

From the outside, freezy chilling winds. brrrr.

A little cam-whoring

They turn off the orange lights around 8pm =(

Still, kinda early. Off to Ebisu we go!
View Larger Map

Ebisu has a nice neighbourhood of high-rise apartments, malls and a nice lighted up garden that shines beautifully in the night.

JR lines run here too. Your JR railpass will work here.

Nice cosy street for shopping. Best to come here during the day,

Yup, this is the place. I forgot how to get here. Chad was the navigator. So go google!

The mall goes down deep. Has a place for functions and events.

There is a centerstage in the middle. But, they seemed to be dismantling it =(

Work Werk!

Long alley way on the sides

This building was at the end of it. Kinda classy and a great place for portraiture shoots.

They had lots of personnel managing work safety in the area. Very meticulous in their work. In every detail.

This is further down the street. Great place for weddings, has a nice bar at the side.

hee hee.

Heading back. We dropped by Tsutaya. A book and CD place.Will see it again in Shibuya

Back at the station. Off to Suidobashi!

My little tiny micro room. Nice and cosy. Great bed. Great price. No complains! Cute receptionist too ^^

More photos on Day One here!

Back from Tokyo! Brrr.. The weather’s cold and windy at around 7-12 degrees celsius. Awesome blooming cherry blossom swaying with the wind makes you feel that this world is just so awesome. Beautiful and vibrant people in the streets of Tokyo with their gracefulness or eccentricity in some moments. What can be more perfect? I would have no regrets dying under a Sakura tree, taking all these with me XD

Sad to say, exams are around the corner =( There are like 1345654235678765 articles for me to read to write this 2500 word essay by 12th April, the reluctant urge to revise half a semester’s work in 2 weeks by 16th April. Great shitloads.

Will update more on the trip with photos at the end of the month….

Oh great, I’m done with the Sydney photos. Have yet to post them up here. Urgh x2

A few more hours before the flight. The mind’s a little hazy from much grinding in FF XIII and lack of sleep. 2026H. All packed and ready to go. Still so sleepy. Got woken up by a call from Sydney. That’s Connie calling me to help me get her some Burberry Blue stuff. Much need sleep gone =(

Waiting for time to go by at T1. Just me, my Starbucks and the MBP on the bench, staring at the departure board for the “Gate Open” blink to light up. That’s another 2 more hours, I believe. Lots of time to thing on how to make this trip a good one.

The only reason why I want to travel overseas at least once a year is purely for photography or a little of photojournalism. Just being able to see new things, fresh ideas comes into mind on how can one look at things from the perspective of the camera’s viewfinder. As experimented earlier on my Sydney trip, I realized that I suck in beach photography concerning people. Just trying to get the people in the big picture with the waves and the sand, is quite a feat for me. Composition isn’t that good, then it’s either too bright, or doesn’t tell a story. So it became a random snapshot. That means “delete” for me.

A good photo that can satisfy me requires an epic story. Let it be dramatic. Let it stir up feelings and emotions in you. The important factor include composition (the major aspect in telling a good story), whether the photograph has captured the focus of the story as required. Composition is important. Let the subject be tight at the borders to give an indepth focus on the subject. Or zoom out to show how does the subject interact with the surroundings to tell a story.

Minor details are important as well. So much to look out for in a photo. It’s best to get the best photo you can achieve than having to fall back on photoshop skills to erase it out. It saves loads of time.

Getting sleepy. Guess I’ll stop here.
5.45am is the flight. OMGZ