industrial – Ricoh GR-Diary

Digger

October 29, 2017May 26, 2019Posted in NewsTagged Da Nang, industrial, Moto X Play, snapseed, street photography, VietnamLeave a comment

X Play, f2.0, 1/15, ISO 1250, JPG

Cabin

September 11, 2017May 26, 2019Posted in NewsTagged Da Nang, industrial, Moto X Play, snapseed, VietnamLeave a comment

X Play, f2.0, 1/658, ISO 50, JPG

Building Site

June 12, 2017May 26, 2019Posted in NewsTagged Da Nang, industrial, landscape, Ricoh GR, VietnamLeave a comment

GR, f2.8, 1/125, ISO 4000, RAW

Day 21 – 798 and 751 D

August 27, 2013May 26, 2019Posted in NewsTagged architecture, Art, Beijing, industrial, People, Ricoh GR, street photography, travelLeave a comment

While looking at Tripadvisor and briefly at the guidebook my travel companion from Ulaanbataar had, I read about the new arty and in 798 street/district in Beijing.

It is quite a bit out of the way so I was not sure it would be worth going all the way there to see some studios and graffiti on the walls. Well, I am glad I did not listen to myself and made the trip there.

The area itself is pretty cool, an old industrial area where the factories have now been converted into studios, caffes and bars or just made into a park or art installation.

As you might have noticed, I like art and love industrial buildings and installations. In the end what was supposed to be a quick checking out of the area turned into a whole day affair with me walking around 798 but also 751 D Park, which is even cooler and in parts reminded me of the High-Line in New York and the NDSM Wharf in Amsterdam.

There were lots of people wandering about, enjoying the free art exhibitions and having coffee. This is also a favourite spot for photographers wanting to shoot models in a more industrial or urban setting.

While it was a mostly grey day, it did not deter me from taking lots of pictures an enjoying myself greatly walking around the industrial area and old factories.

After most galleries started to close and people started going home, I figured it was time to head back, too. On my way I got caught up by a rain shower and got completely drenched, it was so bad that I actually put my cameras away, although I usually tend to use them in rain without worrying about them getting wet.

If you are in Beijing and need a break from the main tourist sights or are like me, someone who likes art and industrial buildings, you have to see 798 and the 751 D Park.

Day 19 – Arriving in Beijing

August 25, 2013May 26, 2019Posted in NewsTagged architecture, Beijing, china, Forbidden City, industrial, landscape, People, Ricoh GR, street photography, train, travel5 Comments

When you get up in the morning and loom out the window you’ll be in for a surprise, not only the landscape has changed but the view just feels more busy, more full of people.
It’s hard to explain but where Mongolia felt like a vast but empty country, China feels like a vast country but full of people. There are cities, roads, industry but also some amazing landscape to be seen.
Everything just feels hustling and bustling, even the smallest towns but maybe this is what you feel after a few days in Monglia.

After arriving in Beijing and getting out of the train station, what struck me, aside from the extreme heat and humidity, was that it kind of felt familiar. Sure, last time I have been here was in 2006, before the Olympics, so a lot has changed since then but the overall feeling was not too different from the time I arrived back with friends from Shanghai.

This time it was easier though, I knew what to expect and how to find my way. Part of it is having been here but part is having travelled a lot so in a way everything feels familiar and finding my way is rarely an issue.
This at least made getting to my hotel very easy, also thanks to the over 10 new subway lines they built since last time I was here.

One thing I did not remember or did forget was that the Great Firewall blocks Facebook, which I can live without, but also Blogger, which I can’t. Guess it’s no different than the UK government blocking access to EZTV and Pirate Bay, equally annoying for me.

This means although internet access is available everywhere here, posting might be more hassle till I can set up a VPN or workaround. This will be done in the next day or so, for now it’s time to head out for a walk.

What always strikes me when walking through Beijing, Hong Kong or Hanoi is that although all are big cities with millions of people, they feel quite calm and relaxed. The rush and hectic felt in European cities is missing here. This becomes the more clear as soon as you happen upon people dancing, singing karaoke or hanging out together in one of the parks.
Everything feels more social and fun than in the ‘western world’ and I like this a lot.

Day 2 – Essen and train to Copenhagen

August 8, 2013May 26, 2019Posted in NewsTagged architecture, cologne, Essen, industrial, People, street photography, train station, trains, travel, Zollverein5 Comments

Since my train to Copenhagen only leaves at 21:25 from Cologne, I had time to see friends in Essen. We walked around the city centre and drove to the Zollverein later to take pictures.

After spending the day in Essen picking my bag up, I found myself back at Cologne station waiting for the night train to Copenhagen.

Having never taken night trains in Europe before, I did wonder how the journey would shape up to be. Having only booked a seat only, I hoped it would at least be halfway comfortable. It turned out to be quite uncomfortable after all but the journey was pretty enjoyable thanks to my fellow travellers.

The biggest issue for me turned out to be a complete lack of plugs in this train. This put me in a predicament as I was not organised enough to charge my Fonepad before so will have to do without it for now and hope I get a charger in the next train.

All going well, I will have 2 hours to spend in Copenhagen tomorrow morning before heading onwards to Stockholm.

The Painter

July 22, 2013May 26, 2019Posted in NewsTagged Greenwich, industrial, London, People, ricoh GX, Street, street photography, streetphotography7 Comments

GR, f8.0, 1/250, ISO 100, JPG

Another photo for my artists series and it would have also been a good fit for yesterday’s post. Took it while out for a walk in Greenwich park, where I have also processed it in-camera using the Positive Film effect.
I do like the JPGs in the GR, Ricoh has finally improved and moved away from the smudgy low dynamic range JPGs to quite excellent JPGs so the in-camera RAW development and effects make a lot more sense now.
Another nice thing about the GR is that you can shoot RAW while having the effects applied to the image, unlike the GRD IV and GXR where you could only use the effects in JPG only mode.