black and white — BLOG

SHINAGAWA STATION

TOKYO, JAPAN

First of all, I’ld like to apologies for the lack of posts. I thought I was going to be able to post a photo a day but I quickly realised it wasn’t going to be possible. With early mornings, late nights, days full with travel and visits, the only time I had was on the long train rides between cities but I used that to catch up on some sleep. I didn’t think our days were going to be so long and full. Anyway…

The second train we caught on our first day in Japan was a bullet train to Kyoto from Shinagawa Station. Two high speed trains past our platform before ours arrived. The first one took us by surprise with a gust of wind pushing us off balance. I captured the second train with a slow shutter to show motion but fast enough to freeze the people waiting on the platform. They weren’t moving much. We don’t have trains in New Caledonia so this is a photo I’ve been waiting to capture for a while. Glad I got the Japanese characters on the board too.

All station notices are in Japanese and English so it’s was fairly easy to get around if you understand English. You just need to take your time to find the right signs. We also used two apps to get around by trains, Google Maps and Hyperdia. The latter is free to use for two (2) weeks then you need to pay for a month or a yearly subscription. The free offer was perfect for us. Oh and I highly recommend getting the JR Pass if you intend on traveling around Japan in high speed trains and/or a rechargeable IC Card for inner city trains. We didn’t use the IC Card as our JR Pass could be used on the inner city trains we used. You need to buy the JR Pass in advance though, before you head to Japan. You’ll received a ticket that you’ll exchange for the actual pass once in Japan. The airport is probably the easiest place to do that. It’s a little more difficult to find a place outside the airport. By our calculations, we saved around 40% by purchasing the pass. Up to you to do your research.

So I’m back home now but I’ve got a lot of photos of Japan I’d like to share with you. See you on the next post. Oyasuminasai.

1/15th second @ ƒ/11, ISO 400, 28 mm

UN VOLS TROISGROS

My best friend's step-father got his pilote license at the end of last year and proposed a flight from Noumea to Boulouparis, Thio, Yate and back to Noumea. I could say no to that. This was back in March and only now had to chance to edit the photos. I'm not very happy with the quality of the photos but the flight was fantastic. My fault for the photos not turning out right. My settings were off. I hope you enjoy these photos. I've got a few more to share later on.

FÊTE PAROISSIALE

PARISH FAIR

A small fair was organised to raise funds for the parish of Église Du Vœu (Noumea, New Caledonia). I arrived a little early, toward the end of the preparations, to take some photos. Which is why you don't see many people but in the end there was a good turn out. As you can see from the photos there were plants, clothes, fresh produce, homemade dishes, books, barbecued skewers and even games for the kids. But that wasn't all. They had a show of Tahitian and Walisian dances of all ages, starting as young as four (4) years old. Adorable! I didn't photograph the dances because I was too busy filming them. I'll put them into a couple of small videos to share.

GOUE COLLECTION

The "Goue Collection" was taken at the hotel Le Méridien (Noumea, New Caledonia). I was there for my cousin's wedding. We were all in the hall where a small bar was set up to greet the guests before heading into the reception. This was one of the lights hanging from the ceiling. Just a small dedication to the couple.

TOP OF THE HAT

This is Pic Malaoui. It's also known as Chapeau Du Gendarme and is part of the Koghi Mountains (Dumbea, New Caledonia). As you can see, there's a track heading to it's summit. I took this photo to remind me to get my butt into gear and organise an early morning trek up there.

LOST ME WOODEN LEG

This sculpture of a one legged figure is displayed down on the quay at the Gare Maritime (Noumea, New Caledonia). I was just having fun with this photo. I made sure the foot of the sculpture was aligned with the rope that was holding the ship to quay. I got rid of the pole holding the sculpture in Photoshop and that's it. Just a bit of fun.

REFLECTING ABOVE APPLE

I captured this shot in 2012 while walking through the streets of Sydney's CBD (Central Business District). This is the skyscraper above the Apple Store on George Street (Sydney, Australia).

CHRIStophe Robert HERVOUËTDecember 22, 2016b&w, black and white, monochrome, building, reflection, architecture, sydney, nsw, new south wales, australia, city, apple, iphone, 4s, iphoneography, photoshop cc, christophe robert hervouet

SHADED BED

Santa relaxing on the shores of Anse Vata (Noumea, New Caledonia) before the busy month ahead. Seriously though, this is a homeless person sleeping in the shade to escape the scorching sun.

PUSHING WHEELER

I was wandering around Anse Vata (Noumea, New Caledonia) when I thought I'd try my hand at panning. I only had a 70-300 mm lens on me and this was as far back I could get at 70 mm. This was my best shot out of a dozen. Not the best image, I know.

PÉTANQUE SPECTATORS

Friends and strangers alike watching pétanque on the shores of Anse Vata (Noumea, New Caledonia). Pétanque is a French bowling game similar to Lawn Bowling. Except it's played with smaller, metal balls (bottom of the picture) and on dirt grounds. A very popular game, here, in New Caledonia.