Friday, January 30, 2009

advertizing


I have no ideal what the sign says, maybe I don't want to know, but I caught this ordinary talking against it at night in Taiwan.

getting hungry yet?


Well, this should slow you down. What good is a trip to Asia without the invitable "insect" as food shot? Waterbeetles of some type, ready to eat. No, I didn't try them, but I did try some more palatable insects.

a virtual cornucopia





You'd almost think I'd laid out this tableau item by item for a studio set up, instead of snapping a shot in a Bangkok country market. What a choice!

walking through the kitchen


Walking down the food alleys and street markets is like walking through Wolfgang Puck's personal kitchen, in full swing, only better. Smoke, steam, and aromas float around you as a myriad of teams prepare hot, freshly cooked food to order for the passerby's. You enter the alley hungary, you leave stuffed, assembly line gourmet eating.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

man with a hat


Street vendors are quite adroit at carrying their goods on their hands. I guess it makes a good display for their customers, and frees their hands.

ballons holding child



You might expect a child to buy ballons, but here the reverse is true, they are usually selling them to adults.

grace and taste


The art of "poured" teas is very big in Bangkok, even though it's an Indian tradition. Strong tea is freshly brewed, and then poured from one mug to another to aerate it. This pouring has been turned into an art form, with much twirling and spinning going on with up to four simultaneous mugs being used. There are poured teas competitions held locally. Instead of tea, coffee or hot chocolate may be used, and the result served hot or iced.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

world's largest watch?


Well, it appears that way at first glance. I'm not used to having such photo realistic billboards at street level. In Hong Kong above Central.

a Chinese still life



















Don't know if it comes across, but I really like the lighting and composition of these cooking utensils found in a street market in Taipei.

my but she crops well



A crop of an earlier photo. This is why I carry 15 lbs of photo stuff around

you never know who will be serving you



I was snapping a photo of a vendor street stall. At the last second the lady working there looked up at me so I grabbed a quick photo. It's a Taiwanese lady apparently made up in a Japanese style, very popular there.

Yes, this photo is a little blurry (mostly fixed in post processing. I had the camera set at F8 from the last shot, and the shutter speed was just too slow. Moral: always reset your camera to some default value after your last shot, or else you'll ruin a great shot like this. There was no time to adjust!

I love photography!

















This is camera row in Taipei. In Asia, like stores tend to group together. Very convenient for shopper.

so you think NYC is crowded?


Americans don't know crowds. This is crowded. Wall to wall people, shuffling in lock sync like members of a chain chain, only one speed - slow.

Memo to self. Do not go to a big Chinese shopping area on a public holiday!

bet you can't guess what this is


An exotic fruit? A nut? A gourd?

Nope.



These are eggs found on the streets of Hong Kong. The eggs have been coated in a salt mix, which has been allows to soak in and dry, and is then scrapped off.

the finer things in life

Even deep in the jungle of Thailand they still appreciate the finer things of life. The use bottles are used to construct walls and windows.

Monday, January 26, 2009

the face in the crowd


I love those moments when the crowds part and a single individual stands out like a rainbow after the rainstorm. This cell phone salesman stands in the middle of the moving crowds, patiently waiting for a customer.

who was that masked man?

Wandering around with the yuppies in Taipei I spotted someone who looked very much like a western cowboy. Although standing out in the crowd of mostly twentyish couples, he appeared very comfortable, and self assured as he strolled down the street.

There are just as many characters in Taiwan as there are in the streets of Hollywood.

smoke and mirrors





OK, the smoke is from a fog machine at the local cultural festival in Puket, Thailand. The dancers are highly trained, from a Thailand cultural college, and offer dozen of local dance styles.

it's a dog life


The dogs in Bangkok seem happy and well adjusted, even when there is no obvious owner around. They ignore the going on's of mere humans, making their own way through the city.

looking up again


Another in my to be looking up panorama, a building near the IFC II in Hong Kong is captured against the sky

enjoying a smoke


Guess you can't lecture him about the health consequences of smoking, looks like he's lived a long and healthy life, and is strolling through the street markets with his friends

old folks rule


Unlike many other nations, in Asia the elderly are an extensive part of city life. They outnumber the young in the markets and streets sometimes, doing the family shopping

Sunday, January 25, 2009

color and beauty
























We were lucky enough to attend Puket for their annual festival, with nationally trained dancers and musicians participating.

where the moped is king



Mopeds are the primary form of transportation in Taiwan. Shot at a street market in Taichung.

though a Monkey's eyes


A pensive monkey on a lonely island beach. The tour boats drop the tourists off to see the monkeys, who appear to survive on hand outs.

a rubber tree leaf


This was on display at a rubber tree plantation outside of Phuket.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

looking up









Looking up near Central, outside the tallest building in Hong Kong, the IFC tower and mall. This will become part of a panorama of the sky and buildings in downtown Hong Kong (as soon as have the time!)

Friday, January 23, 2009

not hot dogs


Not hot dogs, not sausage, not anything exotic, these are simply bananas roasting on the street, a very popular snack in parts of Thailand

street light against a building


These street light look like balloons against a sunset, proving that you can find beauty even in the harshest city.

Flowers in Bangkok

This guy was trying to figure out how to delivery this bouquet to his girlfriend. Not an easy task in a city where the primary mode of transportation is two wheeled.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Asia 2008


Wiring in Bangkok always fascinates me. As an electrical engineer, the haphazardness placement of the cities infrastructure is amazing, seemingly organic.