Jim Atwood Photoshoot Japan » Atwood

Loud Cicadas in Japan

Jim Atwood — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 07:52:14 +0000

A Cicada in Japan is an insect with large eyes wide apart on the head and usually transparent, well-veined wings. Cicadas live in temperate to tropical climates where they are among the most widely recognized of all insects, mainly due to their large size and remarkable acoustic talents.

This video shows how loud Cicadas can get in Japan. The video starts out with some very loud ringing sounds which later quiet down because the Cicadas are sensing someone in the area. The Cicadas usually reside high up in the trees and are visibly difficult to spot.

When you something approaches their area of comfort, they begin to quiet down. Cicadas usually arrive in late July and last all through August, dying off in early September. They can be very annoying if you focus on them. When ignored, they are generally go unnoticed despite the noise. This video was shot using a Creative Vado HD. http://jimatwood.net

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Self Distortion

Jim Atwood — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:47:50 +0000

Discovered this interesting mirror out in the shrubs and decided to take a quick self portrait. The mirror distorts me a bit, but perhaps in a good way?…laugh. I look a tad more slim than usual. Will need to revisit this mirror when/if I get bigger. Note I am wearing these cool new shades from Uniqlo Japan that actually allow me to see through the camera viewfinder without any light problems. It’s nice not to have to squint or stress my eyes on bright, hot sunny days.

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Agony of Defeat

Jim Atwood — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:53:06 +0000

Saw this dude just laying there in agony of some sort. At first I thought he was just sleeping, but I actually think he was stressing over something. I thought the texture of his shoes and pants were pretty cool. This was also a very quick shot as I was on the move.

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The Script

Jim Atwood — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:28:31 +0000

The Script

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Nagoya Japan Photoshoot

Jim Atwood — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:27:16 +0000

Took a quick two day trip to Nagoya Japan last Monday and Tuesday. I’ve been to most major cities throughout Japan, but it was my first time to Nagoya City. I truly had an awesome experience and was amazed at all the photo opportunites. I read a few articles online and got the consensus that it was a great place to live but not visit. I was thinking great, not another gray town with dead grass around it….laugh. To my surprise it was just awesome!!!

The Street Life is amazing!! There is a ton of color, colorful people, and activity all over the place. I found a terrific sense of old blended with new all over the place and it was a joy to photograph. Nagoya Castle was cool at first glance, but got boring really fast….So I was glad that I brought a couple of lenses and slowed down a bit. You really have to think about shots at the Castle otherwise you are going to get nothing but postcard shots. It was fun though trying get something different and I think I walked away with some fun shots.

The nightlife I unfortunately didn’t get to photograph this time around,nor did I fully tap into the endless Street possibilities, but I’m definitely heading back to Nagoya VERY soon indeed. I could seriously just sit on a street corner all day filling up my memory cards, and the best thing of all is that the people are damn nice!! My wife even mentioned to me that she thought the Nagoya people were some of the nicest she’s spoken with.

I also found the Nagoya area pretty easy to get around. Primarily I was in the Sakae area. I found I could walk to most of the main areas, but the Subway certainly is faster. I didn’t find it as busy as Tokyo or Yokohama even though Nagoya is known as the 4th largest city in Japan.

Finally, I can only think of one thing negative about Nagoya. I found it a bit diry compared to the other cities I’ve visited. The Central Park area was similar to the Kawasaki homeless areas although definitely not as big. It made for some great street photo opportunities and I did see lots of people picking up garbage and such, but for some reason stuff just blew back onto the street. No big deal, but I did find it interesting.

Sakae, Nagoya is definitely a must for Photography and if you are open minded and into shooting everything, plan on being there for a while. It’s a blast. EnjoY!

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Kanji Scribble

Jim Atwood — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:25:35 +0000

Kanji Scribble

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Music and Photography in Japan

Jim Atwood — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:24:09 +0000

I’m a huge fan of music. I play guitar, keyboards, and sing on a regular basis, but not in a band at the moment. I just enrolled my 5 year old daughter in Yamaha piano lessons which I’ll be going along with her. She’s a huge fan of Hannah Montana, Madonna, Fergie, and other stuff which I play in the car a lot when I take her to/from school here in Nagano.

I always listen to music when I work in Photoshop on my photographs. At the moment I enjoy listening to a singer named Samantha James which is kind of House music mixed with Lounge a little bit. I’m a big fan of Sade and I think Samantha James is an extension of her music. I also like to listen to Ambient, Techno, and other sorts of Electronic music like BT, Crystal Method, and others. I have an iPod system setup by my computer which allows me to flip through all the songs.

When I first came to Nagano, my wife was and still is involved with lots of Hair and Design shows. I had to help her a lot with choosing music for her models and cutting shows. That was fun.

I am also a huge fan of Japanese Pop music. I’ve been collecting singles from various artists since 1993. It’s sort of a “memory lane” thing where each song reminds me of a place and time I spent in Japan. Lately I enjoy J-Soul music the best with the likes of Heartsdales, Double, Sugar Soul, M-Flo,Tyler, Steady & Co. to name a few. Back in the late 90’s my wife and I were into the big platform shoe gal movement and I listened to a lot of Globe, Amuro, Max, TRF, and other J-Eurobeat sort of dance hits. When I first came to Japan I used to go to that now defunct place called Julianas which was the home of Bodycon for those that remember. Nowadays, things are pretty tame, but I’m glad I got to get glimpse of that.

Does anyone listen to music while shooting?

I actually have been listening to my iPod more while out on the streets and other areas with my camera. I like to listen to high energy stuff and for some reason it makes me a bit bolder when I shoot. It’s funny. I guess if you listen to some hard rock stuff you feel like you can photograph anything and get away with it….laugh.

In any event, music is a big part of what drives my everyday life and photography. I’m curious how others incorporate it into their photography if at all. Also, what kind of Japanese music do you like if you listen to that sort of thing as well.

Jim

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Sake Labels Japan

Jim Atwood — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:33:27 +0000

Sake Labels in Nagoya

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Unagi Nagoya

Jim Atwood — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:31:41 +0000

Unagi is Eel in Japanese. This is a popular delicacy in Nagoya City.

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