Atelier Corners: Long Time No See

This morning I visited Atelier Corners for the first time in a few months. The main purposes were to bring back a bag and to give an experience to my son. Stepping into the place was like every other time. We felt welcomed and the vibe was positive all around. What a wonderful place!

I hadn't told them my son would be with us, and it was a nice surprise for all of them, especially Shirai-san, the owner: just like my own parents, she was delighted to see and hold my baby, the Internet being a pale imitation of the real thing. All the artists took a little notice at first, and Makoto seemed the most intrigued an interested in the little Spud walking around, banging on the xylophone and later coloring next to him. The staff took some pictures of us, and I'll put up the link as soon as the pictures are up.

In the mean time, here are some snaps I took today; nothing fancy, I just enjoyed the moment, and I hope you will too!

Ah, another train is coming!

Makoto, the big brother

Let's get physical

Everyone doing their thing, enjoying themselves.

New member, Hiro, who drew this in 10-15 minutes!

Woah, a fish mobile!

Annular Eclipse

Originally, I wasn't planning on taking pictures of the annular eclipse that darkened the Osaka skies this morning, but the shutter itch got the best of me.

With my 70-300 and ND400 filter I went out to Kaguhashi shrine and took the pictures below. The two most interesting things for me was the peculiar light the eclipse produced and seeing all the peeps in the street with their Batman glasses. Click to enlarge. Enjoy!

Art Salad Tastings: SoHo's Gallery Reception Party

Our Evening Began In SoHo's Confortable Gallery
In Their Beautiful Art Space, Where The Ceiling Light
Was Just Right, The HiFi Was In The Background
And The Port Was Delicious...

[Laughing]

What's The Secret Celio
Naturally I'll Say Its The Port
Mmm It Does Go Well With The Art Show
Delicious again Celio.

Thank You & Please Come

Yesterday Monday my Body Art: Capoeira exhibition ended at Ands Tartines. I was told by the staff that my exhibition, especially the opening party, was perhaps the most popular yet. My guestbook has quite a few entries, and everyone I talked to said they liked the pictures (but I don't know if they would have told me otherwise)! Thanks for the space, Ands, and I hope we can do more together in the future.

Then today is the start of Soho Gallery's Art Salad. I went there early this afternoon, and the room was quite full compared to Fotografika. This time around, there are about 45 people showing their art, and it is a bit overwhelming, although stimulating. I got the chance to talk with some of the other artists, and I received for my piece 'Black Swan: Becky' some constructive criticism, which is always welcomed. I should be there most days early in the afternoon, please come on down to say hi. Enjoy!

Little Spud at The O-Hatsu Shrine

Spud is the nickname my grandfather Lucian gave me when I was a baby. I guess it applies to my own little man, as this picture shows. I took it between the two capoeira performances this afternoon (see previous post). I really like it. "Common photographic wisdom" tells us not to use wide angle lenses when photographing people; my 20-35mm at 20mm and I aren't wise and we don't agree. Enjoy!

Capoeira West x Hep 5

These days Hep 5, the shopping mall in downtown Umeda, is inviting dance acts to perform in public. Capoeira West / Lagoa do Abaete, the capoeira group I belong to, joined the event today I took the opportunity to snap some shots. The first one, taken during the first performance, had some glass between the camera and the action, and for the second one, from the second show, I used direct flash, something I normally don't do. Enjoy!

Windy Day

Coming back from the bank, I crossed the Juso Bypass Bridge and I took some test shots of a view I've been meaning to take. The weather was overcast with some clearings and the wind was howling, causing the bridge to whistle! Here are two of the shots, taken with my D40, let me know if you prefer the color or B/W. Enjoy!