Nakama

Some pictures from Nakama, a town about 80 minutes away on the south side of the island. They have amazing gajumaru trees. Twisted bunches of roots hang down from the branches and grow until they root themselves into the ground.
I put a link to Tomoko's new blog, Dandelion, just to the right. She likes flowers and bugs in particular.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

I started reading Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Biography today, Infidel. At one point she talked about stories her grandmother told her as a child growing up in Somalia. One of them in particular left an image in my mind which I sketched when I got home from work today. The following is the passage I took it from:

"My grandmother's stories could be chilling. There were stories about an ugly old witch woman whose name was People Slayer or People Butcher, who had the power to transform herself, to adopt the face of someone you liked and respected, and who at the last minute lunged at you, laughing in your face, HAHAHAHAHA, before she slaughtered you with a long sharp knife that she had been hiding under the folds of her robe all along and then ate you up."

Wow, nothing like a Somalian bedtime story to keep you awake... forever. I recommend this book to anyone that's curious about women in Islam or women growing up in traditional societies.

The Rice Fields

My friend Tomoko and I went to Nagata last weekend to take some more pictures. We started in the cemetary and made it down to the rice paddies just as the sun was setting.

Things I saw on my walk

The first thing I saw was...

An old rusty Caterpillar.

Later, the moon, waxing.

An abandoned Gundam.

Bridge #3

This bird.

The Old Forest

A couple friends from the mainland came down to Yakushima this weekend and I toured them around the island. The above shot is from our first hike, through Yakusugiland.

My friend Yuri. Curtis is just visible in the first shot.

There's never any shortage of monkeys on the mountain roads.

On the last day my friends and I hiked up to Miyanoura dake. This is the same 10 hour hike I did when I first got here. It's a tough hike but it wasn't nearly as hard as doing it during the hottest time of the year.

Knife Making

This is my friend Subbia making a knife with Mr. Oka here on Yakushima. Mr. Oka has been making beautiful knives for a long time.

Grand Piano

Jessica and I were at the office again on Friday and I got the idea that we should go backstage again so I could play with some photography.







My original idea was to get ghost hands moving across the keys using a long exposure but that didn't really work. I think that maybe a secondary light over her hands might have helped.

Backstage

I was stuck at the board of education office today but was able to sneak out for a little while. Last year the offices were moved into a wing of an old dilapidated concert hall. I found a stage entrance that was unlocked and got a few shots to show just how eerie the place is.

Miyaura Elementary Graduation

Today I went to Miyaura Elementary for the graduation ceremony. I brought my camera so I could pretend to be the photographer and not have to sit through the whole thing. Above, sixth graders walk out of their class and down the stairs for the last time.

This girl was wiping away her tears.

3 days in Kagoshima

I went to Kagoshima with my friend Tomoko over the 3 day weekend. We visited the local museums, a temple, the ocean, an aquarium and some really nice restaurants. We also took a lot of pictures. Me with my new Nikon (I finally bought an SLR as some people may have guessed). Here are a few pictures from the last few days.






































These last two photos are from Isso Junior High, the day before I left for Kagoshima. The first of the two is Miyuki who I had play for me a little during cleaning period.

Miyanoura Junior High

Sussex

Some tone and color studies I did this week. Done in PS7 without any texture brushes.

Everyone Likes Pandas