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I've just released a new plugin for Adobe Lightroom, for uploading directly to Expono. This joins my other uploaders (for Zenfolio, SmugMug, Flickr, PicasaWeb, and Facebook) on my Lightroom Goodies page. There you'll also find other plugins for various tasks, such as metadata management, geoencoding, proximity search, video-asset management, etc.
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 35 mm — 1/1000 sec, f/3.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pretty Village Street
on tiny Taketomi Island, near Ishigaki Island, in the far south of Japan
( after I got rid of most of the utility wires in post )
I don't think I'll require nine separate posts to cover the third day of our recent trip to Japan's Ishigaki Island in the East China Sea, but we'll see.
I'll start out Day Three with a little quiz....
A few miles off the south-west coast of Ishigaki Island is the tiny Taketomi Island, known for its quaint culturally-unique village. Most lanes in the village are lined by three things: coral walls, pretty flowers, and ugly utility poles.
Construction is under way to bury all the wires and get rid of the poles, so I've taken the liberty of doing so retroactively to the photo above, taken of us by a kind stranger.
The walls of stacked coral blocks are similar to those on far away Kakeroma-jima.
Which brings us to today's quiz: what color are the flowers that line the lane in the photo above?
(A link to the answer is posted among the comments below)
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Our short trip to Ishigaki Island in the East China Sea last May was very photogenic. In covering the second day, I've posed no less than eight times (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) and still didn't cover it all.
This time, I thought I'd post some of Anthony's shots from that day, from the cell phone he carries to school for emergencies, but is otherwise not allowed to touch except when we're out and about and allow him to use the built-in camera.
The day through the eyes of a six-year-old....
1/430 sec — data & map — nearby photos Hill and Finger |
1/850 sec — data & map — nearby photos Mid-Island Road |
1/125 sec — data & map — nearby photos Passing Foliage |
1/35 sec — data & map — nearby photos Daddy on Path |
1/800 sec — data & map — nearby photos Pretty Flowers |
1/1400 sec — data & map — nearby photos Ice Cream Truck |
These are from around the Tamatorisaki Lookout that I wrote about in my first day-2 post.
1/140 sec — data & map — nearby photos Stranger Taking Our Picture | 
1/15 sec — data & map — nearby photos Pavilion Roof |
1/950 sec — data & map — nearby photos Ocean at an Angle |
1/1050 sec — data & map — nearby photos Pretty View North |
1/320 sec — data & map — nearby photos Pot Hole |
1/560 sec — data & map — nearby photos Hill We Were About to Climb |
The ones in this area are from the visit I posted about in Ishigaki Day 2: Dynamic Weather at the Hirakubo Lighthouse.
1/140 sec — data & map — nearby photos Daddy Parking the Car laying Anthony's wet shoes on the hood to dry |
1/380 sec — data & map — nearby photos Self Portrait with Mommy |
1/120 sec — data & map — nearby photos View from the Top |
1/1400 sec — data & map — nearby photos Foreboding Clouds |
1/290 sec — data & map — nearby photos Rain to the South |
1/430 sec — data & map — nearby photos Down to the Lighthouse |
1/850 sec — data & map — nearby photos Daddy In the Way |
1/640 sec — data & map — nearby photos Daddy and Mommy |
On the way back toward the hotel we stopped by an out-of-the-way cafe that we came across, which turned out to be a bit odd. A guy crafted and sold shell-based jewelry, and ran the little cafe, where in this case “ran” means “begrudgingly put up with people disturbing his work.”
1/50 sec — data & map — nearby photos Cat on “Artistic” Sidewalk broken glass pressed into cement |
1/4 sec — data & map — nearby photos “Do Not Disturb” ( even though I'm the only one here ) |
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This is #6 in a series on our visit to KidZania in Nishinomiya, Japan, where Anthony's day to this point has consisted of working as a gas-station attendant, getting some banking done, a short stint as construction worker, and enrollment in driver's ed to get a driver's license.
Then it was time for a bit of journalism.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/100 sec, f/6.3, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Adjusting His Reporter Vest
as he waits his turn at the Asahi Shimbun, a newspaper with a daily paid circulation of 11.7 million copies
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/100 sec, f/3.2, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Rookie Reporters Getting The Basics
as the editor explains the front-page layout
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/100 sec, f/3.2, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Writing Up a Reporting Plan
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading Out on Assignment
each kid got an alarm so they'd know when to return
We had no idea what this job involved (nor did Anthony, for that matter), so we were a bit surprised when they came out and took off. We followed as they wound their way through the crowd, and although they were just a second or two ahead of me, I suddenly realized that I'd lost them (or they'd lost me, perhaps). Doh!
After a while, I spotted Anthony with another boy on the street in front of the bank....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Anthony clearly had no idea what he was supposed to be doing, but the other boy was a bit older and helped him out, and eventually Anthony found himself at a dentist's office doing an interview...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Journalism in Action
When he was done, he came back out and joined the other boy in writing up notes for their articles...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 102 mm — 1/250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Detailed Notes
The top of his clipboard has a sticker saying “dentist”, which I found out later was his assignment. Each kid was given a location, but otherwise had to come up with the story idea (and execution) by themselves.
The first part of the note says "Good evening, I'm a reporter for the Asahi Newspaper; allow me to ask some questions.", so I guess that's what he was writing earlier back at the bureau, as he learned the reporter ropes.
Once the notes were written, they returned to work on their stories...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 130 mm — 1/250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
In the Newsroom
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 125 mm — 1/250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 1250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Assistance from the Editor-in-Chief
Eventually they were done, and it seems that Anthony's article was page one above the fold! (at least for the print run of 1 copy that he received 🙂 )....
Byline Anthony M. Friedl
The four large vertically-written characters in the upper-right are the name of the newspaper, likely using the same font and now-somewhat-archaic characters used when the paper first opened in 1879.
The large white-on-black writing across the top is Anthony's headline, which says, more or less, “Cavity Store”, which is apparently Anthony's impression of a dental clinic. It's as funny in Japanese as in English, though I don't believe he intended it to be.
Under that in the vertical right-to-left print is his article, which reads in whole: “It seemed difficult. It seemed yucky.”
Under that is the byline, which has a picture of him, his name, and kisha, which might be translated as “reporter”, “journalist”, “correspondent”, etc., and is the same thing that was on the yellow armband the kids wore when out on assignment.
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Curious George's Passport
In preparation for our annual trip to visit my folks' place in Ohio, Fumie realized that Anthony's Japanese passport had expired, so we had to get him a new one. (We renewed his American passport last year, so that was fine.)
While we were at it, we got a passport for Curious George as well. Traditionally, plush toy monkeys have been permitted to cross international boarders without a passport, but post 9/11, one can never be too careful, especially the troubles we've had in the past. So, exercising the oft-cited “abundance of caution”, we went ahead with all the paperwork to set up George with proper documentation.
George couldn't sign his name, so Anthony had to do it. Oddly, the Japanese passport office gave George a 10-year passport, but Anthony only got the expected a five-year child passport. Maybe plush toys age differently.
I also notice that French has been dropped from passports. When I was younger, passports always had French in them. Maybe monkeys don't speak French.