The Stare
105mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/500

Whew! Seems like with every passing day I am getting further and further behind in my personal photographic work. The files just keep piling on, while I can’t find the time to edit and post up the shots! I have to admit that this is a great problem to have, though, especially given my photographic drought in 2015.

Up for posting today is day two of my photographic journey in the Kansai region, specifically my time in Osaka at the Rice Planting Festival (Otaue Shinji) and a brief stop at the majestic Osaka Castle. For more information on the rice planting festival and its history, please see this link. Since I already made the fortunate mistake of arriving to Sumiyoshi-Taisha a day before the festival, I had a decent mental map of the area to navigate the grounds easily among all the visitors and performers. Note: a video recapping much of the festival’s events will be near the bottom of this post. Continue Reading