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Tadaima! (I'm back)
I arrived back home from DC Saturday
evening. Last week was busy. Busy enough in fact that
when combined with jet-lag I didn't have the desire
to go out after work to take pictures. I was too wiped
out and instead spent most evenings getting something
to eat, along with a few beers.
I may need to go back a couple more
times in the next two months though, so some DC photo
ops may still be in my near future.
Actually, I think the thing that most
kept me from taking photos was a lack of motivation.
Photographing asia for so many years I just seem to
find it hard to get myself motivated to anything less
exotic. I guess what they say is really true: "How
ya' gonna' keep 'em down on the farm, once they've seen
the big city?"
--
The Yabusame festival that took place
yesterday was awesome.
The weather was great. Warm, with
a high overcast to held shed a soft yet strong light
on everything. It was much as I remember it from the
last time I attended. But the big difference was the
equipment I was using.
Previously I was using an Olympus
E10. The E10 shoots 3 frames per second up to 4 images.
It was always a challenge to capture the moment with
only a 4 shot burst at my disposal.
I continue to be amazed at just what
a capable tool the Canon 1DMII really is. The speed
and accuracy of the auto-servo focusing, when coupled
with a good lens, is truly stunning.
Instead of carefully timing each shot
to try and coincide with each scene, all I had to do
was press the shutter at the start of the action sequence,
and hold it down. The blistering 8.3 frames per second
(up to 20 images RAW or 40 images JPEG) it is capable
of is more than fast enough to ensure I got the shot.
This allowed me to focus more on composition and framing,
which by the way is still one heck of a challenge with
so much going on so quickly.
--
Upon returning to Japan from my business
trip I once again came to the realization that I really,
really do love Japan. Stepping off the plane
at Narita airport I felt like I was coming home. I had
only been gone a week, but I had already started to
miss this place.
This kind of feeling only goes to
further my belief that this place has a very special
meaning for me. I can't quite put it into words, but
I just seem to feel at home here in Japan.
Knowing this I have pretty much decided
that I will spend a large portion of my life here. I'm
not completely ruling out living anywhere lese, but
for now and the foreseeable future, this is exactly
where I want to be.
I'm not sure my current job will always afford me an
avenue to this end since my current tour may or may
not get extended when it expires in January 2007. But
as it was so eloquently put by Hannibal--
"We will either find a way, or make one"
Comment 29
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