Two Animations from Kin Town Sports Day

Elementary School Undokai

An Undokai is a school sporting event, held this time of year, throughout Japan.

They have relays, gymnastics and a tug o war but, my favorite part is the Eisa.

Only a small portion of the orchestra is visible in this GIF.

That's because, I'm up on a hillside, trying to get a good composition.

It was a blazing hot, sunny day which, reminded everyone of mid August.

The kids, down there are from Kin Elementary School. It was October 24, 1017.

The photographer, in this animation probably, got some great close-ups.

But, I was happy, being off the athletic field, taking my shots from a distance.

Actually, I was outside the school grounds and, I had a plan.

As soon as the Eisa was over, I'd be heading for some shade and, wouldn't run into a crowd.

It seemed like, two or three thousand people, were in attendance. The place was packed.

Twenty minutes of walking, had me back in an air-conditioned office, downloading cameras.

Two Animations of Eisa in Kin Town - Obon 2017

Before Midnight

Many areas were visited during daylight hours by the Eisa groups.

During the day, I'm usually busy with other things and, don't hang around this part of town.

This Kin Eisa gang showed up near my watering holes before midnight.

It Began Raining

Rain might slow them down but, it didn't stop them from performing and smiling.

With the heat and humidity, we've had lately, I think they enjoyed the showers.

Out there following them around, until two this morning, the rain felt great, to me.

While developing these photos, I heard Eisa, down the street and, captured a few more images.

But, they won't be processed or, downloaded until tomorrow.

Out the door, I'm going to chase Eisa dancers, again tonight. Standby for more...

Things Cameramen Must Know About an Eisa Matsuri

It's a Fairly Lively Crowd

 

 

Everybody likes to have their pictures taken but, they won't hold still.

As the sun goes down, you need a wide open aperture and high ISO's to catch the action.

People in the audience are friendly, offering you food and things to drink.

While moving around, to get the best photos, it's best to look behind you.

Just like, you don't want anyone ruining your scene, you shouldn't be blocking others views.

Everybody familiar with me, in this town, knows I've developed a taste for fine spirits.

And, they try to give me beers, awamori (local sake) and things like that.

But, I tell them, when they see me holding a big camera, I'm working.

When the day's work is done, I'll go out and tip a few cups of my favorite beverages.

Sometimes, you can get close to the action and, the crowd, won't get in your way.

Other times, it's best to pick a good location and, zoom in on the dancers.

Being able, to speak some local dialect comes in handy, at times, for a photographer.

It helps, to move around to an advantageous position, where you can compose your shots.

A disadvantage, is when some boozed-up local, wants you to help translate to a American.

It's best to just say, "Sorry Dude, I'm working as a cameraman today."

Once, when I was moving  back through the crowd, I met this girl.

She said, "Mikesan, you remember me?"

Um, I remembered her from a turtle release, a few years ago but, not her name.

What was I supposed to say, "Yeah, you're the turtle lady?"

The next day, I got this photo from her on Facebook and, now I know her name.

Thank you Asami.  You're a sweetheart !

Butterfly Images: Oriental Plains Cupid

One Still Photo and Three GIF Animations

 

 

These shots were taken out behind my office yesterday, at various times.

Knowing, I would be out late doing moon photography, I stayed in the neighborhood.

 The little butterfly isn't much larger than the fingernail on your thumb.

It was hot outside but, sort of windy and, the garden was taking a beating.

 After spending most of the daylight hours, trying to identify this rascal, I remembered it.

The Chilades pandava was a guest on this blog once before. 

Learn more about these little pollinators at:

Butterflies of India

Butterflies of Singapore 

Malaysian Butterflies Gallery

  

 

5 Animated Photos of Kingfishers Perched in Trees

Learning how to add Geotags to photos is what started all this.

There are programs that can put latitude and longitude into an image's EXIF data file.

Smart phones do this for your photos automatically, from what I gather.

But for my DSLR, I had to figure out another method to geotag images before uploading.

Walking around with a Garmin GPS and camera is the method, I prefer.

Points marked along the route are recorded on the GPS.

As long as they are marked, close to the same time photos are taken, all goes well.

Even with the Garmin tied around my neck, I forget to use it sometimes.

Marking the location five minutes later than the photo was taken is a big No No.

If it doesn't match the time recorded on the photo, it won't get a geotag.

There is another method of manually adding the tags but, that's too much work for me.

 The programs, I'm using do a fantastic job of geotagging.

Somehow, the images are even showing up on Google Earth for anyone to see.

That way, I don't have to bother telling folks where to find these birds.

If you don't mind a little jungle, you can find these birds and take photos, too.

Make sure you bring a sharp knife.  You'll need one.

Mine got busted today so, tomorrow I have to go shopping.