I think people tend to focus more on the pictures here than what I actually type–which is fine.  So I may cut back on the commentary a little bit.

These lanterns and curtains sit just below the balcony.

I am not sure whether the barbed wire is to keep people out or to discourage animals from hanging out, but I don’t think it would do a very good job at either.

The alleyway really captures the scerenity of the side streets of Uchiko.

And finally here is a little shop that mainly caters to tourist.  The sign is advertising delicious vinegared eggs, so I have not idea why they have the picture of cherries below it.  Yum???

Cheers!
michael todd

This is one of my signature shots (whatever that means).  It is a little bit on the classical side, but it shows off all of the rings and the flowers.  It is also relatively easy to set up during a busy reception.  And I usually convert them to black and white as seen here.

Cheers!
michael todd

Dale Chihuly is probably the hottest glass artist right now in the United States, if not the world!  He decided to do a series of installations in botanical gardens throughout the world.   His first exhibition was at Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, Illinois, USA.  His second installation graced Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio, USA; the conservatory loved the exhibition so much (and through the generosity of a wealthy benefactor!) that they purchased the collection!  The main displays are on permanent display and some of the smaller ones are rotated.

This is a great piece.  It is actually built into the ceiling of a hallway so you are forced to look up to view it.  The backlighting really enhances the colors and textures in the work.

The major works in the exhibition are named.  One of the more spectacular works is “Sunset Tower”.  Below is just a portion of the whole monstrosity.

While I am relatively happy with this picture, I don’t think a camera can truly capture all of the awe of Chihuly’s works that the eye can.  I cannot find a name for this piece, put it most closely ressembles one of his works entitles “Reeds.”  From what I know of Chihuly, these are “generic” pieces that aren’t made into a final work until they are in their display space.  This allows the piece to be better integrated into its surroundings.

Here is a detail shot.

 

Cheers!
michael todd

The good witch of Yellow Springs???

For some reason I have a strong affinity to plants with bright green leaves and bright red berries.  Otherwise there isn’t anything to special about this picture.

Finally, here is another picture from the Tibet series I presented earlier.  Does anyone know what god this represents?

Cheers!
michael todd

Grand Wehrle Mansion is a relatively new venue in central Ohio.  It is an old tutor estate on the banks of Buckeye Lake.  It is a great location other than the old, small rooms that have to be worked around.  It is owned by the same people that also own Valley Dale Ballroom and the Hartman Ballroom, both in Columbus.

It is a fact of our times that more and more parents already have children coming into a marriage.  It does add for some new shots, such at this one that would we would have NEVER seen in days gone by.

Here is the signage.  A great design and very fitting for the environment of the venue.

It is great when such spectacular moments make themselves available to you as a photographer.  This couldn’t have been planned!

While this isn’t really a great picture, it is interesting to note that traditional cakes have not totally gone by the wayside.

Cheers!
michael todd

Here is a wedding I shot at Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio, just prior to my departure for Japan.  This wedding was actually featured in Columbus Bride magazine so I am not using any of the shots that were published in the magazine since many of you have already seen them.  The Conservatory is a great place to hold a wedding and one of the more accessible unique locations in central Ohio.  The only caveat is that there is no air conditioning and it can get very hot in the Palm Room on a sunny July or August Saturday afternoon.

I don’t usually don’t do any photo art (a.k.a. altering pictures in Photoshop so that they no longer resemble reality), but this was a simple color shift that didn’t look too shocking.  This was not submitted with the proofs the client received.

Here is the Conservatory itself:

And finally, a picture of the junior groomsman shot from the outside balcony with some of the gardens in the background:

Cheers!
michael todd

I came across some cake pictures from a couple years ago, so I thought I would go ahead and put them up here.  I don’t think these were ever included in the couple’s album.  These were taken at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.  I am not sure who did the cake, but I think it is a good mix of traditional and modern designs.

    

Cheers!
michael todd

In the town where  I lived most of the time on my last stay in Japan, a local club hosts an annual party so that foreigners can have the opportunity to be dressed up in kimono and have a tea ceremony.  To me the most interesting part of this occasion in the location in which it is held.  Several years ago a wealthy local man had a huge, 250 year old village leader’s farm house (called Matanosansou) in Niigata, Japan, moved to the small town of Niihama.  I can not imagine what an event this was considering the vast distance between the two cities.  The house has been splendidly preserved and period pieces accurately adorn the house.

Here is a picture of two of my friends getting dressed up and posing with their dresser.

    

Here is a good view of the tea ceremony masters preparing the ingredients and sweets.

This is a traditional fireplace know as irori in Japanese.  There is no flue or chimney.  Since natural charcoal is burned, there is very little smoke produced.

Here is a detail shot above the fireplace.  I have no idea what this item is called nor what it is used for.

Here are two of the volunteers explaining to use some of the lore of wearing kimono.

The following picture was not posed.  I love how this picture how eagerly Japanese share the parts of their culture that their are knowledgeable of and are proud of.

Finally, the ladies get dressed up in kimono as well.

I am really getting the hang of blogging every day!  The biggest change at Xanga the past week is the ability for people without Xanga accounts to leave “anonymous” comments.  So go ahead!  Try it out!  I look forward to hearing everyone’s feedback.

    

Here is a shot of a young couple also enjoying Cook’s.  Nothing was set up (I don’t think they even know I took the picture.) and it uses all natural light.

And finally a picture of a bridge!  Well, this is a pretty big freakin’ bridge.  It is so big that it was featured in an hour long PBS special.  It is much longer and more massive than it appears in the picture.  There are only three bridges that connect the island of Shikoku to the main island of Honshu in Japan and this is one of them.

Cheers!
michael todd

To get our new web site up all of the way, we are currently redesigning our logo.  Here is my second mock-up.  We have a very cool graphic designer out in California doing the final version for us.  As a couple of people have already asked, this is not going to be the final color. 

Being a foreigner in a Japanese company, you are required to participate in every activity imaginable (Well, get your minds out of the gutter!).  The area I was living in had the heaviest portable shrines in all of Japan.  85% of the time they are wheeled around, but the other 15% they are carried by shoulder or hoisted over head.  It usually takes about 210 men to even get if off of the ground.  Since this is a “mens’ festival”, women are not allowed to participate.  And high-school age boys are not allowed to participate because of the strength required and the danger (Someone is killed every year or two!).  The difficulty for foreigners is that our shoulders are about 6 inches above the height of Japanese mens’ shoulders, so we have to crouch over a bit which is much more difficult than just carrying the thing.  The area where I lived have taiko, or big Japanese drums, mounted in the center of the float with two people always banging away.  There are four young men who stand on the carrying poles to direct everyone and to cheer us on.  And finally there are four small men in the very top (“cloud”) of the float whose main responsibility is to keep us from bumping into things–especially wires!  I am the “big” white guy in the middle front (The spot always reserved for foreigners in Japan!).

Here is a picture of our Artistic Director, Akane’, taken late last fall.  She didn’t really want me to post this, so I couldn’t resist.  She is always smiling and really adds a lot of energy to everything we do here at Luminaire Photography.

Finally, here is another picture of myself at Franklin Park Conservatory taken by Bill Morgan.  This one has not been tweaked in Photoshop.  This is a very cool picture and many photographers use it in the backgrounds of their wedding shots at the Conservatory.  If I find out the name of the sculture and the artist, I will post it here.