Tuesday, March 9, 2010 Posted in Canberra
See a little gallery of all the images shot here: Gallery of Canberra Photos Images.
Tags: ACT, Ainslie, ANZAC Parade, architecture, Aussie, Australia, Australian, Australian Capital Territory, authority, banner, bright, building, Canberra, capital, capital city, Capital Hill, city, civic, cloud, contemporary, current, dawn, Down Under, downunder, dusk, ensign, evening, exterior, flag, flagpole, govern, government, highlighted, house, illuminated, independence, landmark, light, lit, lookout, memorial, modern, morning, mount, Mount Ainslie, nation, National, national capital, national flag, national pride, Nations Capital, night, Oceania, outdoor, outside, Oz, parliament, Parliament House, patriotism, political, politics, power, Red Hill, sky, sunrise, sunset, territorial, territory, tourism, town, travel, twilight, urban, wall, war, War Memorial
Thursday, March 4, 2010 Posted in Canberra
Located on Aspen Island in Lake Burley Griffin, the National Carillon was a gift from the British government to the people of Australia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Capital, Canberra. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the National Carillon on 26 April 1970. The 50 metre tall National Carillon tower was designed by Western Australian architects Cameron, Chisholm and Nicol. The concept initially came from an architect Mr Don Ho working in Cameron Chisholm and Nicol in 1968.
A carillon is a set of at least 23 cast and tuned bronze bells, played from a mechanical-action keyboard. With 55 bronze bells, the National Carillon is large by world standards, and the largest in Australia. The pitch of the bells ranges chromatically through four and a half octaves, and each bell weighs between seven kilograms and six tonnes.
The tower’s height allows the music of the bells to drift across Lake Burley Griffin and through Kings and Commonwealth Parks. The tower is lit at night, providing a magnificent landmark in the national capital.
The tower is lit at night, providing a magnificent landmark in the national capital.
See a little gallery of all the images shot here: Gallery of Canberra Photos Images.
Tags: ACT, architecture, Aspen, Aspen Island, Aussie, Australia, Australian, Australian Capital Territory, bright, building, Burley Griffin, Canberra, capital, capital city, carillion, city, cloud, contemporary, dawn, Down Under, downunder, dusk, evening, exterior, highlighted, house, illuminated, island, lake, Lake Burley Griffin, landmark, light, lit, morning, nation, National, national capital, National Carillion, Nations Capital, night, Oceania, outdoor, outside, Oz, sky, sunrise, sunset, tourism, town, travel, twilight, urban
See a little gallery of all the images shot here: Gallery of The Twelve Apostles Photos Images.
Tags: 12 Apostles, attraction, Australia, beach, cliff, cloud, coast, dawn, dusk, evening, flow, formation, Gibson, Gibson Steps, Great Ocean Road, horizontal, landscape, limestone, morning, National Park, ocean, Oceania, Port Campbell, ripple, rock, rocks, sand, scenic, sea, shore, sky, stack, steps, sunrise, sunset, tide, tourism, tourist, Twelve Apostles, twilight, VIC, Victoria, water, wave
See a little gallery of all the images shot here: Gallery of The Twelve Apostles Photos Images.
Tags: 12 Apostles, attraction, Australia, beach, cliff, cloud, coast, dawn, dusk, evening, flow, formation, Great Ocean Road, horizontal, landscape, limestone, morning, National Park, ocean, Oceania, Port Campbell, ripple, rock, rocks, sand, scenic, sea, shore, sky, stack, sunrise, sunset, tide, tourism, tourist, Twelve Apostles, twilight, VIC, Victoria, water, wave
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 Posted in Canberra
See a little gallery of all the images shot here: Gallery of Canberra Photos Images.
Tags: ACT, architecture, Aussie, Australia, Australian, Australian Capital Territory, authority, banner, bright, building, Canberra, capital, capital city, Capital Hill, city, civic, cloudy, contemporary, current, dawn, Down Under, downunder, dusk, ensign, evening, exterior, flag, flagpole, govern, government, highlighted, house, illuminated, independence, landmark, light, lit, modern, morning, nation, National, national capital, national flag, national pride, Nations Capital, night, Oceania, outdoor, outside, Oz, parliament, Parliament House, patriotism, political, politics, power, sky, sunrise, sunset, territorial, territory, tourism, town, travel, twilight, urban, wall
Shot this bronze statue of Jikokuten at Hase-dera Temple, Kamakura, Japan. Jikokuten literally means “Guardian of the Nation”. Jikokuten is the Keeper of the Kingdom, the Upholder of the Country, the Protector of the World. Jikokuten usually carries a sword in right hand, with closed left hand resting on hip; sometimes shown holding a stringed instrument or playing a lute (which harkens to the Middle Way - strings break if too tight, but if too slack, no sound is produced). Said to command an army of Kendatsuba (celestial musicians) and Bishasha (vampire demons). As the Buddhist protector of the eastern quarter, Jikokuten is similar to the dragon of Chinese mythology. The colors and symbols associated with Jikokuten vary according to country and sect.
See a little gallery of all the images shot here: Gallery of Hase-dera Temple at Kamakura Images.
Tags: art, Asia, Asian, bronze, Buddhism, Buddhist temple, deity, East Asia, Eastern religion, Edo, faith, focus, green, guardian, Guardian Deity, Guardian of the Nation, Hase-dera, Hase-dera Temple, Hasedera, history, holy, Honshu, horizontal, Japan, Japanese, Jikokuten, JP, JPN, Kaikozan Hase-dera Temple, Kamakura, leave, leaves, old, religion, sacred, selective, spiritual, statue, temple, travel, tree, trees, worship
Tags: alone, arid, Australia, bare, barren, china, climate, color, colour, dawn, desert, desolate, dry, dune, dusk, empty, erosion, far away, female, getaway, landscape, lifeless, lunette, mediration, Mungo, National, National Park, nature, New South Wales, night, nobody, NSW, Oceania, outback, park, person, relax, relaxing, remote, rock, rugged, sand, scenic, single, starry sky, starts, sunrise, sunset, travel, tree, twilight, vertical, walls, wild, wilderness, woman
Hase-dera (known more formally as Kaikozan Jishoin Hase-dera) is one of the great Buddhist temples in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, famous for housing a massive wooden statue of Kannon. The temple is the fourth of the 33 stations of the Bando Sanjusankasho pilgrimage circuit dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten. The temple originally belonged to the Tendai sect of Buddhism, but eventually became an independent temple of the Jodo shu sect.
I shot this image on a very rainy day. The light was soft and everything was clean and shiny after a rain. All greenery had very intense color. Perfect day for shooting gardens.
There is something magic in all these stone basins, bamboo tubes and ladles hidden in small garden alleys. Especially on such calm and soft days.
PS. If you want to know what this purification fountain is for then read my post about using water purification fountains.
See a little gallery of all the images shot here: Gallery of Hase-dera Temple at Kamakura Images.
Tags: architecture, Asia, Asian, Buddhism, Buddhist temple, building, East Asia, Eastern religion, Edo, faith, flow, fountain, grass, green, Hase-dera, Hase-dera Temple, Hasedera, history, holy, Honshu, Japan, Japanese, JP, JPN, Kaikozan Hase-dera Temple, Kamakura, ladle, landmark, leave, leaves, metal, old, purification, religion, sacred, spiritual, spring, stone, stream, temple, travel, tree, water, worship
Daibutsu is a Japanese word meaning literally “Large Buddha” that refers to large statues of the Buddha or one of his various incarnations. The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha in the Kotoku-in Temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is believed that the statue was originally cast in 1252, following an idea by the priest Joko, who also collected donations to build it. The sculptors were One-Goroemon and Tanji-Hisatomo. The statue is approximately 13.35m tall and weighs approximately 93 tons. The statue is hollow, and visitors can view the interior for 20 Yen a person. The Great Buddha was originally housed in a temple, but this was washed away by a tsunami in 1498. Since then the statue has stood in the open air. Repairs were carried out in 1960-1961, when the neck was strengthened and measures were taken to protect it from earthquakes.
See a little gallery of all the images shot here: Gallery of The Great Buddha (Daibutsu) of Kamakura Images.
Tags: Amida Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, architecture, art, Asia, Asian, bronze, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist temple, building, daibutsu, East Asia, Eastern religion, Edo, faith, famous, Great Buddha, history, holy, Honshu, Honshu Island, icon, Japan, Japanese, Jodo shu, Jodo shu sect, Jodoshu, JP, JPN, Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanto, Kanto Region, Kotoku-in, Kotokuin, landmark, monumental, old, outdoor, religion, sacred, spiritual, statue, temple, travel, worship
The majestic red gums have always appealed to Australians. This river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) near Wilpena Pound, South Australia, was made famous by the photographer Harold Cazneaux who took a picture of it, with the walls of Wilpena Pound as background, in May 1937. He regarded it as his most Australian picture and called it the Spirit of Endurance. It won many awards in Australian and International exhibitions.
In May 1941, Cazneaux wrote:
“This giant gum tree stands in solitary grandeur on a lonely plateau in the arid Flinders Ranges, South Australia, where it has grown up from a sapling through the years and long before the shade from its giant limbs ever gave shelter from the heat to white man. The passing of the years has left it scarred and marked by the elements - storm, fire, water, unconquered it speaks to us of a Spirit of Endurance. Although aged, its widespread limbs speak of a vitality that will carry on for many more years. One day when the sun shone hot and strong, I stood before this giant in silent wonder and admiration. The hot wind stirred the leafy boughs and some of the living elements of this tree passed to me in understanding and friendliness expressing the “Spirit of Australia.”
Cazneaux was born in 1878 in New Zealand of Australian parents. He lived in Adelaide until 1904 and then in Sydney where he died on June 19, 1953. Today this famous tree is known simply as the Cazneaux Tree.
Tags: arid, AU, Australia, bare, barren, blue, bush, Cazneaux Tree, climate, color, colour, dry, eucalyptus, eucalyptus camaldulensis, famous, far away, Flinders Ranges, getaway, gum, gum tree, Harold Cazneaux, landmark, landscape, National, nature, nobody, Oceania, outback, park, red gum, remote, river red gum, SA, scenic, sky, South Australia, travel, tree, wild, wilderness, Wilpena Pound
by Ilya Genkin
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