I went to the famous Shibuya Crossing one night to try to capture that special feeling when one is caught in a beautiful moment and time seems to stand still while the rest of the world is whizzing by. This is the result: a photo of two of my friends who proved to be very patient and talented models, and learned the hard way that standing still for 2 full seconds is not an easy feat!
Comet PanSTARRS C/2011 L4 and a very new Moon setting over the Pacific above Half Moon Bay in March 2013
Onbashira Matsuri (“Honored Pillars Festival”) near Lake Suwa, Nagano prefecture
Model: Kinoko
Flamingo reflections on a rainy day in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Fellow astrophotographer Karim Iliya watching the stars from the warmth of his sleeping bag after boldly leaving his rather expensive camera out in the woods to shoot a time lapse.
The Victorian architecture of the famous Painted Ladies in Alamo Square contrasts with San Francisco’s modern skyscrapers seen in the background.
Stone statues in the park very close to our campground reminded us of the magic of Stonehenge, especially with the Milky Way as a backdrop.
Japanese macaque at the Jigokudani Monkey Park near Nagano
A modern plaza built in honor of the Chinese regime is placed right across the street from the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. This palace was the main residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India, during the 1959 Tibetan uprising.
Sunrise from the peak of Gunung Rinjani, Lombok, Indonesia (3726m) showing both the crater lake and the shadow of the volcano.
While most of the artwork is traditionally burned at night during this festival, the 70-foot wooden sculpture entitled ‘Embrace’ was set ablaze just after sunrise revealing the thick billowing smoke and many successive dust devils that could not have been seen otherwise in the dark.
At the Jigokudani Monkey Park, even the monkeys have learned the ways of the Japanese hot bath (onsen).
A long exposure of the Red Beach close to Hana shows the contrasting colours of the volcanic sand and the blue ocean waters at dusk.
Illuminated umbrellas scattered throughout the bamboo forest at Kodaiji temple.
Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, California – where bacteria that were able to incorporate arsenic into their DNA were purportedly found. It does look quite otherworldly!
An unusually action-packed sumo wrestle at the tournament in Tokyo in May 2014. Most fights are over in the blink of an eye with one of the wrestlers stepping outside the ring, but this was a captivating exception.
Night flying over San Francisco in a small Cessna plane, whose wing is reflecting the city lights below.
Reflection of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow’s Red Square
A long exposure of Christmas light decorations. I used the lens to zoom in while the shutter was open.
Swimming with a lemon shark in the blue waters of Moorea Island, Tahiti. My scuba instructor is floating carefree in the background, for scale.
Aurora’s first attempts at macro photography: a silversword (an endemic, rare plant on Haleakala) covered in morning dew.
Sunrise from the peak of Mt. Fuji, Japan (3776m)
Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring seen from the outlook point off of the Fairy Meadows trail.
Paper lanterns and stunning sunset colors in Odaiba.
A group of Indian girls on a school outing to the Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
Bay area evaporation ponds seen from above.
Hadzabe bushmen hunting for food near Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.
View of Mount Fuji among cherry blossoms from the park next to Kawaguchi Asama Shrine. Probably the best sakura-viewing day trip outside of Tokyo on a clear day.
A huge crowd gathered on Champ de Mars to watch (and photograph/film on their iPhones and iPads) the Bastille Day fireworks show marking 100 years since the start of World War I.
Maasai warriors-to-be near the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
A row of lampions lining one of the alleys of Ueno Park at dusk.
Night illumination at Kiyomizu-dera.
Time series combining 9 photos taken at different stages of the eclipse.
A curious giraffe poses for the camera in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
Ok, this is not a reflection – which makes the perfectly mirrored position of these two lions on top of a rock in the Serengeti all the more spectacular.
A wooden bridge in Rikugien Koen.
The obligatory “sunrise over Angkor Wat” photo-op.
A collective creative effort of Aurora and fellow Sri Lankan photographer Sachintha Gurudeniya (Sach), with a composition inspired by a past photo shoot with the ever-amazing Karim Iliya.
Sequoia National Park seen at sunrise from the Mount Whitney Trail, California.
A morning view of colourful leaves, Mt. Fuji, and Lake Kawaguchiko.
Colorful sunset over Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
The Milky Way above Crater Lake, Oregon
Lioness turns down male lion’s advances near the entrance of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
A 9-day old baby elephant learns how to tread through life at his mother’s side.
Sun shining through the roof of the Pantheon, Rome, Italy
A long exposure of an amusement ride at the Yokohama Cosmo World. Again, I zoomed in while the shutter was open to make this look like a whirlpool of light.
Yoyogi park on a cloudy day: the leaves are back-illuminated with a headlamp to make up for the lack of sunshine, and add some interesting shadows.
Very nice work and great idea!
Wow — you guys have done some *serious* traveling. Impressive pics!!!