Travel

Shelob’s Roman Abode

Shelob’s Roman Abode
Fuji xpro2

I always had this image of Rome being a historical center surrounded by a modern city, but last time I was there I realised that there’s a whole lot of old stone even outside the historical center. It may not be roman time stone, but it still looks fantastically cool. What first attracted me to this facade was the face, and then I saw the spider…

Miniature Street Shrine

Miniature Street Shrine
Fuji x100f

One of the fascinating sights in Hong Kong is the public display of religious fervor, designed if I understand correctly to bring prosperity to business ventures. As a consequence you see a lot of burnings in front of shops, and during certain festivals even offerings of suckling pig and fruit. But these little shrines are there all year round and they’re my favourite.

Lady in White

Lady in White
Fuji x100f, 35mm

In addition to red and gold, this icon from a tiny temple on the edge of Tai Hang has a white dress, which conveys a peaceful feeling.

Slow Imp

Slow Imp
Fuji xpro2, 27mm, f/11, 6,5s, ISO 200

The last time I’d been in Rome I had spotted those fountains in front of the Borghese Gallery but the light was all wrong and the photos I got weren’t very interesting. This time the light was right, and I had the tripod and ND filter. I quite like how this looks. In particular the rusted stone (is that a thing?) which I guess is fungi of some sort came out real nice. Oh and I know it’s not an imp, more likely some devil out of Dante, but Slow Imp sounded nicer.

Slow Sea Horses

Slow Sea Horses
Fuji xpro2, 27mm, f/13, 12s, ISO 200

Walking around the Villa Borghese with tripod and ND filter, I realised there were more photo opportunities than I anticipated. I tried to find the right angle for the Fontana dei Cavalli Marini, with the sun behind me and was quite pleased with the results.

Aesclepius Wakes Up

Aesclepius Wakes Up
Fuji xpro-2, 60mm, f/13, 8.5s, ISO 200

When I was in Rome for work last year I discovered the Temple of Aesclepius in the Villa Borghese, by the side of a little lake. Back then I had neither tripod nor zoom lens, so this time I came prepared. I went there early morning, after the sun was up, but not too high on the sky. I used an ND400 filter to get this 8 second exposure, and I’m very pleased with the result, basked in glorious morning light.

Canal Grocery Store

Canal Grocery Store
Fuji x100f, 35mm, f/8, 1/250s, ISO 500

There’s a whole parallel economy going on on the canals of Bangkok. More often than not it seems you’re not going to the grocery store, the grocery store is coming to you. But they’ve got to stock up somewhere…

 

Religious Canine

Religious Canine
Fuji xpro-2, 50mm, f/2, 1/850s, ISO 200

There are a lot of temples in Bali, and a lot of stray dogs in the temples. This one was very peaceful, sitting at the front of one of the temple doors. Mind you it was so hot the poor creature must have been overheating like crazy…

Mekong Rush

Mekong Rush
Fuji x100s, 35mm, f/4, 1/500s, ISO 320

To be entirely frank, our time in the Mekong doesn’t carry with it so many good memories. The weather was awful (despite this being the dry season), two of my kids were ill most of the trip… It wasn’t great. But looking back at the photos, I feel like I captured a little of the spirit of the place (and yes, I realise this woman is ferrying sunhats for the tourists, but at least she’s doing it in a traditional-ish way…)