Frankfurt

Good food

Japanese Kaiseki cuisine at its finest

Japanese Kaiseki cuisine at its finest

Last week I got to take photos at Nihon Ryori Ken in Sachsenhausen, Frankfurt. It's an intimate new restaurant hidden away in a quiet street and it's simple exterior bellies the fact that inside the restaurant, there's a Japanese essence to the place, people and food that is hard to find anywhere outside of Japan. If you know what shiso, yuzu and good raw tuna tastes like after being to Japan and feel like you have been disappointed by Japanese restaurants by owners who don't even speak the language, then you must try here. If you do go, a counter seat offers the possibility to view the chef close up and really appreciate the amount of care and attention that goes into each dish. The menu changes monthly too, so there's no fear of running out of flavour sensations.

 

Everything including the desserts are handmade

Everything including the desserts are handmade

100 strangers

I came across the Tuna de Medicina do Porto on myself way through town this morning. At first I thought they must be Jewish or Romanian or something but they are actually Portuguese. Wikipedia says "A tuna is a group of university students in traditional university dress who play traditional instruments and sing serenades. The tradition originated in Spain and Portugal in the 13th century as a means of students to earn money or food. Nowadays students don't belong to a "tuna" for money nor food, but seeking to keep a tradition alive, for fun, to travel a lot and to meet new people from other universities."​

I caught him playing Stairway to Heaven

I caught him playing Stairway to Heaven

​​It's impressive that these students were studying medicine but still had time to play musical instruments and learn to sing in harmony to a professional level. I guess if they ever give up the day job, they will be set!

patches cover a cloak but room to spare

patches cover a cloak but room to spare

They were not singing to anyone but could've been making money as buskers

They were not singing to anyone but could've been making money as buskers

I'm guessing the guys with more experience are judging the newer fish

I'm guessing the guys with more experience are judging the newer fish

I was impressed by the fact that they just arrived from Australia, were probably jetlagged but seemed to be singing and playing music just for the fun of it rather than hawking tourists. Even though they could've made a killing with their talent! I wish them well on their journey and next performance wherever it may be.

apparently these guys' hairdos are the result of a lost bet

apparently these guys' hairdos are the result of a lost bet

Different view point

Canon 6D with 85mm

Canon 6D with 85mm

selfie stick with smartphone

selfie stick with smartphone

I've been meaning to do a comparison of DSLR Vs selfie stick photos for some time. It seems that selfie sticks became the norm for couples and travelers but can photos taken by them be as good as a DSLR?  When I saw Christine taking a photo by the Main river in Frankfurt I thought it would be a good opportunity to find out.

A full frame camera and small tele lens is bound to have a bit better background separation and blurry bokeh even when stopped down on a bright sunny day. In both pictures the sky is blown as shooting towards the sun. In general the DSLR probably is sharper and looks better to my eyes but I wonder if I keep doing selfie comparisons, will any particular situation favour the selfie... To be continued!

100 Strangers

Sometimes I struggle to find someone to take a photo of. One day I might feel less confident, other days I can't find the person who is close enough to the image I have in my head, and sometimes a person walks past and it takes a couple of seconds before I realised I actually did want to ask if I could take that person's photo, but by then the moment is gone...

Banking style

Banking style

But when I see someone this sharply dressed, there's no hesitation! The only downside being after taking a photo of somebody this stylish, I look at what I'm wearing and cry inside.

100 Strangers

Maria Anna

Maria Anna

This morning I found the perfect spot in town where the sun rises between two tall buildings and is reflected in the windows of another. This creates a massive natural golden urban reflector at just the right height for only 5 minutes before the sun is too high. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone suitable for a photo before the light had gone. I was just about to head off feeling cold and disappointed when I noticed Maria Anna was walking just behind me so even though I had lost the perfect moment, I decided to ask if I could take her photo. Well, at least, I tried to ask but she didn't understand what I was saying as she only spoke Russian. After some poor attempts at communication, she graciously let me take her photo. It was only then I realised walking round in the cold without gloves didn't help with keeping a camera steady. Luckily, after taking a couple of photos I asked if I could take one more, and this one (above) wasn't a blurry mess! I guess the moral of the story is never give up and don't dwell on missed opportunities... But always wrap up warm.

100 Strangers

Magnetic personality

Magnetic personality

Mike was fishing in the Main river but unlike everybody else he was hauling out metal with thick type instead of fish. This time, he'd caught a rusty bicycle, an empty safe and a skateboard. He said he'd caught hand grenades and other weapons from world war two in the past so I was glad there wasn't any explosives when I took his photo!

Dancing with the devil

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It's not often you get to take photos with a talented performance artist and an assistant. 

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Daniel Blasco Marcos is a talented diabolo performer and stage artist with a lot of skill for juggling. Even though the weather wasn't great we worked to get some shots that might show case his talents.

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Behind the scenes. It may look like I'm just lazing around on the floor but diabolo photography is hard work!! 

Behind the scenes. It may look like I'm just lazing around on the floor but diabolo photography is hard work!! 

 This has to be one of the first times I wished I could do video as still photography doesn't quite capture the art and finesse of Daniel's tricks.

 

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