# Riceland



## Bifurcator (Oct 1, 2008)

http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Images/_Text/TPFBS.txt


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## TrickyRic (Oct 1, 2008)

Some nice shots there, but I'm not sure I like the effect of the petals in that last shot. Was this an intentional effect or the result of over exposure? The bug looks like some species of roach too, which puts me off a little, but what the hell I recently took a great shot of a colourful beetle without realising the thing was the Nymph of a stink bug :-/.


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## TATTRAT (Oct 1, 2008)

Great shots, I dig em. What part of Japan were these taken in?


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## Bifurcator (Oct 1, 2008)

TrickyRic said:


> Some nice shots there, but I'm not sure I like the effect of the petals in that last shot. Was this an intentional effect or the result of over exposure?



Neither, that's how they looked. They were kinda waterlogged, maybe that's what you're seeing? 




> The bug looks like some species of roach too, which puts me off a little, but what the hell I recently took a great shot of a colourful beetle without realising the thing was the Nymph of a stink bug :-/.



It's some kind fly actually. Maybe related to a bottle-brush fly or something? I have no idea... what's worse is that I'm not even sure why I took the picture. 

I sure appreciate the comments! :thumbup: Thank you!

- Link me up to your beetle shot!

http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Images/_Text/TPFBS.txt



TATTRAT said:


> Great shots, I dig em. What part of Japan were these taken in?



Thanks for the compliment. That's just north of  Takayama or there abouts.

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=...7987,137.239666&spn=0.06353,0.099049&t=k&z=14

http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Images/_Text/TPFBS.txt


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## TrickyRic (Oct 1, 2008)

> They were kinda waterlogged, maybe that's what you're seeing?



Could be. The higher contrasts just seem a little washed out in them. Looking at the reflection on the bug and the placement of that leg shadow I'd guess you used a flash - Could be a flash bounce on the watery areas maybe?



> Link me up to your beetle shot!



I'll just post the link so as not to hijack your thread with an image =).

http://picturepostbox.com/images/image565.jpg

Turns out it's a Green Stink bug nymph, or Shield bug to give a better name. Looked cute at the time and I didn't realise it was only a Nymph, but it turns out it grows into one of these ugly things,

http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=green stink bug


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## Bifurcator (Oct 1, 2008)

TrickyRic said:


> Could be. The higher contrasts just seem a little washed out in them. Looking at the reflection on the bug and the placement of that leg shadow I'd guess you used a flash - Could be a flash bounce on the watery areas maybe?



Oh you're seeing the clipping. Yeah, there's probably a little clipping going on there. 






> I'll just post the link so as not to hijack your thread with an image =).
> 
> http://picturepostbox.com/images/image565.jpg
> 
> ...



Cool bug man!  Thanks!

And yeah, they stink. LOL.


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## Dmitri (Oct 1, 2008)

Some very nice shots in there, Mr. Furcator. All of them are good, but I like #2, #6 and #7 he best (#4 gets an honorable mention).

Forgive my ignorance of Japan (even tho I did take a Japanese history course back in college) but what are those things hanging?


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## Bifurcator (Oct 1, 2008)

Thanks for the compliments man!

Outside the city areas everyone and their dog owns a rice patty or two. Allot (most?) of the rice in Japan comes from small farmers growing on 1 to 6 acre plots usually adjacent to their homes. Late September / early October is harvest season and those are the cut rice stalks hanging upside down to cure and dry. Kinda like pot growers do to improve the quality. 

So, that's rice.


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## TrickyRic (Oct 1, 2008)

> Allot (most?)



"A lot"


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## Bifurcator (Oct 1, 2008)

Hehehe... yeah.. thanks _a lot_.


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## soupz6 (Oct 1, 2008)

I really liked the series.  The only criticism I can muster is mere preference on composition.  In 3 and 4 I would have gotten lower so as to cut the buildings out of the view.  You don't see enough of them to really add to the picture itself, so I would personally allot that space on the picture to more of the dominant players like the rice and the striking background.  Overall loved them and am incredibly jealous that you get to photograph Japan.


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## pez (Oct 2, 2008)

All great stuff, as usual! I like the three levels in the first, the clouds in #2, and the interesting slice of rice in #3. Was #2 one exposure, or "stacked"? That is a nasty looking fly.


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## Poaceae (Oct 2, 2008)

Nice series.  I especially like #5 and #7.


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## Bifurcator (Oct 3, 2008)

soupz6 said:


> I really liked the series.  The only criticism I can muster is mere preference on composition.  In 3 and 4 I would have gotten lower so as to cut the buildings out of the view.  You don't see enough of them to really add to the picture itself, so I would personally allot that space on the picture to more of the dominant players like the rice and the striking background.  Overall loved them and am incredibly jealous that you get to photograph Japan.



Yup, I agree. #4 was only about 15 inches off the ground tho.   But I know what you meant. 

Thanks for the comments bro! :thumbup:




pez said:


> All great stuff, as usual! I like the three levels in the first, the clouds in #2, and the interesting slice of rice in #3. Was #2 one exposure, or "stacked"? That is a nasty looking fly.



Thanks pez! 
#2 was a single photo. I used the "Shadow/Highlights" tool (PhotoShop) on it to bring up the foliage and bring down the sky a little. It does kinda looked stacked tho huh? :blushing:





Poaceae said:


> Nice series.  I especially like #5 and #7.



Thanks man!
On #5 I was kinda wondering if I should have cropped it so the rices kernels would be more visible. Glad you like it! :hugs:

http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Images/_Text/TPFBS.txt


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## mmurdock (Oct 3, 2008)

I like #2.


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## Bifurcator (Oct 7, 2008)

Thanks!

I like the clouds in #2.  It's got a yellow tint to the Earth part tho. I wanted to kill that but I was too lazy to select just the Earth part and when I removed the yellow from the foliage the clouds lose their interesting yellow undersides. 

Bummer my camera wasn't pointed in the same direction for both #1 and #2 I could paste the clouds from #2 into #1 and get the best of both.


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## Dmitri (Oct 8, 2008)

Bifurcator said:


> Thanks for the compliments man!
> 
> Outside the city areas everyone and their dog owns a rice patty or two. Allot (most?) of the rice in Japan comes from small farmers growing on 1 to 6 acre plots usually adjacent to their homes. Late September / early October is harvest season and those are the cut rice stalks hanging upside down to cure and dry. Kinda like pot growers do to improve the quality.
> 
> So, that's rice.



aaah ok, thanks for the info. I've always heard of rice pattys, but have never seen what one looks like. Now I know. And again, beautiful shots


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## Timinator (Oct 8, 2008)

This is an amazing shot.  Concept, framing, color and contrast.
Stunning.


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## Bifurcator (Oct 9, 2008)

Dmitri said:


> aaah ok, thanks for the info. I've always heard of rice pattys, but have never seen what one looks like. Now I know. And again, beautiful shots



And again, thanks! 

Yeah, and while it's growing those fields remain flooded.  So they're like little mini-swamps just teaming with life. Frogs, tiny fish, snakes, dragonflies, all kinds of microscopic pond-life, etc.  




Timinator said:


> This is an amazing shot.  Concept, framing, color and contrast.
> Stunning.
> 
> http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Private_/Camping/PICT4874-Edit.jpg



Wow, thanks Tim (Timinator )!!! Appreciated!

http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Images/_Text/TPFBS.txt


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