Photo mash-up #4

Following the current color contest again, today theme will be: RED AND WHITE!

Quite a nice choice of colors actually, with everyone being busy with their Christmas preparations at the moment.

Here are some pictures that I took in front of restaurants in a passageway at night; the red and white colors are everywhere once you start looking for them...

Happy red day :-)

Okonomiyaki

For some time already, I had been planning to eat a special Japanese delicacy that some friends of mine had glowingly spoken about: okonomiyaki (literally 'grilled whatever-you-want' dish). 

This is a kind of omelette or savory pancake, made from various ingredients mixed into an egg and flour batter. Among them, you will find grated yam (or some equivalent species), bonito flakes (which give the impression of being somehow alive, because they keep waving under the steam streams), shredded cabbage, some meat, etc...

I finally tried it today at a restaurant in the Paris Japanese area (around the 1st arrondissement), where I had once gone in vain some weeks ago (...of course it was closed on Sundays). Despite quite a long time queuing outside in the cold, then inside in a over-heated room, the trip was definitely worth it. Honestly okonomiyaki is not that much special, it's probably something that you would manage to do by yourself with your own ingredients, yet this was very good and funny to eat.

Some pictures before I try cooking this by myself (might be far less attractive and photogenic)...

The okonomiyaki cook

Yummy-looking okonomiyaki

Some side-dish that I tried

Photo mash-up #3

Well, quite a lot of water has been flowing under the bridge (as we say in French) since I posted the latest photo mash-up. 

So now is the time to launch a new one: and today theme will be DOGS! 

I know, it's usually (...the previous two selections) about colors, but let's extend the scope a bit :-) 

Happy woof day :-)

Bleu Blanc Rouge

Terrible news in Paris, following previous events in France and other countries...

Bleu (blue)

Blanc (white)

Rouge (red)

Rasta colors

I've been featured in Catchy Colors weekly themed contest!

However I'm not quite happy with the green yellow red colors in the picture. It took me quite a while to get the right colors in the frame, as the colors were generated by some color-changing lights under a bridge and I had only a very narrow point of view without cars in front of me. The 50mm objective did not help either, I had to stand at the middle of the road while attempting to capture the colors! In the end, quite a stressful and tiring moment...

I'd rather have had some other pictures in the selection, but I guess I'll have to find more original ideas first ;-)

Selected: Rasta (green-yellow-red) colors

New weekly theme: purple and green

Random challenge

It's incredible how surprisingly inspiring the metro is, when you are looking for ideas! Especially on long distance trips - that terrible moment when you get bored of your book, phone, or whatever you have been using for the past 30 minutes...

During one of those moments, discussing photography (somehow a default subject^^) with my friend, we came up with a new project idea, let's call it the random trip challenge: some days before (or the very day if in urgent need of photography), you take a map with the desired level of detail depending on the time you have and the means of transport that are available. Then, you point your finger at a random location (eyes firmly closed of course) and taadaaa! There you go for your next photography project.

All that remains is to try it!

Streets can be full of wonders...

...And contradictory perspectives!

How many laughed at it?

Inspiration

I've been thinking over something for quite a while: what could I explore now beside forests, mushrooms, chestnuts and all kinds of autumn features? It seems those have been the only subjects of my pictures for about 3 months or so... I'd like to find something new that could bring some originality to my Flickr photostream at least :-)

Alas, my best DIY source of inspiration is still building her blog (style and decorations should indeed matter since it's about DIY) and my photographer sensei has always been fonder of monuments than I am (even if I'm always filled with admiration at his architecture photos). Time to fly on my own wings and start a resolute subject hunt?

First I intended to look at different Flickr groups; Catchy Colors is by far my favorite (if some day I could get one of my pictures posted in the themed photos selection...). Anyway, there are many extremely beautiful pictures in this group, but I sort of feel embarrassed to copy anything - be it innocent fear that someone might reproach me for stealing their ideas, or maybe jealousy that I couldn't find it on my own.

So, where should I look for inspiration? I'll give it some time then and will definitely get back with an action plan. Brainstorm begins!

Outdoor scenery


Indoor item


Animal portrait