5G or Perfect Day in St. Petersburg

It was 10pm Saturday night when I decided that I had enough. I spent whole month with no single holiday, with no single get away from Moscow. I had to do it just for a change. I threw cameras and tripod into my bag, run out of apartment to catch cab towards Leningradskij Railstation.

Dvortsovaja SquareLocal  BumNevskij ProspektSelf-Portret under 5G

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Выставка закончилась – выставка продолжается!

Exhibition Invite

Моя первая выставка в России завершилась. Для тех, кто не смог ее посетить, я публикую все выставочные фотографии на этом сайте с коротким пояснением.
Это была ретроспективная выставка целиком посвященная Японии. Я провел там 12 лет и накопил несколько шкафов слайдов, из которых более или менее предвзято выбрал 40 фотографий. Заранее предупреждаю, что выбор весьма односторонний, показана Япония изящная, Япония культурная, Япония как ее представляют издалека по календарям и альбомам. Я не показываю пьянчужку-клерка мочащегося на полицейскую будку,

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My exhibition opens – Soon!

I am pleased to invite those my fans who happens to be in Moscow or its vicinity to my personal photo exhibition! It called “40 images of Japan” and opens on Nov 3.

Exhibit Logo
Anatol Filin. 40 images of Japan
November 3 – November 14
“Fenix” gallery
Opening hours: 12:00—19:00. Closed on Sunday.
Kutuzovsky prospekt, 3, phone: 243-49-58,

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Posted in Photography | 9 Comments

Herbarium

One summer morning I woke-up at dawn, threw my camera and lenses into a bag and got out of house. This was in tiny village of Ferapontovo which is located 400 km north from Moscow, and famous for it’s beautiful nature and monastery hosting unique frescos of great medieval artist Dionisij.
BellFlowerWaspMargaret

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Posted in Photo of Day, Photography, Travel Russia | 1 Comment

Solovki my love

View of the Monastery
First time I went there when I was 20. Last time I did year ago. That’s it, I been visiting Solovki for last 20 years! Twenty years ago the entire White Sea was special restricted travel zone and off limits even to Russians, not to mention foreigners. In order to get there one would need special invitation either to work or visit locals that he or she have to exchange into permission at a police office. First I went there as an assistant to the Solovetskij Monastery restorers, spending summer month cleaning construction debris and paving roads. Professional restorers were absolute zealots, saints who had worked for years on pure enthusiasm and passion. Next winter I was studying history of Solovki and passed exam for Solovki tour guide ran by local museum. This gave me solid reason to come there almost every summer for couple of years in row. Then the restrictions were lifted and these days anybody can simply buy ticket and travel there. I went there again last August after long break. As you shell see, it took me less then a year to organize my photos and put them on the Web 🙂 Given that my slides of 1983 trip are still stuck in closet, isn’t it great progress?

Posted in Travel Russia, Travel World | 8 Comments

Blogger Junior

zavtrak aristokrata Peter just flew back to Moscow. He was busy studying in St.Mary’s, swimming, surfing, kayaking, chatting on the Internet, Disneylanding and … blogging. Just kidding! But he did manage to built his own small site which I will be hosting for him here. It’s in Russian for now, but who knows, maybe one day he starts his own bilingual blog, ahead of his father 🙂
Posted in Family & Friends | 1 Comment

Back to the USSR!

Red Square CrowdsPaul and I
Plane landed in Moscow Sheremetyevo International airport around 5:30 pm, customs, luggage, taxi, hotel. Weather is 25 C, everybody in short sleeves.
By 8:15 we are by the Red Square. Lot of people, police cordons. Sounds of music. Got standing tickets from a scalper, walked through security gates and we are on the Red Square!
Paul McCartney gig is about to start!!! Everybody exited, when he appears on stages whole square roars!!!. And then more then three hours non-stop singing! Incredible totally ectatic experience! More later.

Posted in Life in Moscow, Travel World | 6 Comments

J Quiz

Guess!
That’s what I discovered in the backpack of my Japanese friend heading to azure seas and sand beaches of Okinawa. Guess what is it?

Posted in Humor | 4 Comments

Recollection of snow

Snow, snow, snow
It usually happens no more then once during Tokyo winter. Snowfall instantly changes scaly face of Tokyo. It’s like geisha’s make-up hides old pores and wrinkles. Unfortunately it melts away in day or two. I like snow and usually try not to miss this photo opportunity. I’ve probably taken photos of every single Tokyo snowfall for last ten years.
Normally snow comes in January, but this year it arrived early, in the beginning of December. I walked from home to Azabu-Juban subway station and then from Todai-mae station to my office with Fuji FinePix F402 petty digital camera clicking non-stop left and right. Fuji is a good camera. Since then I sold it to get an ultra-thin Casio ExSlim toy, which certainly inferior in image quality. The point is that it can fit into slimmest pocket.
Summer is already around the corner and I feel it’s refreshing to pull some old winter photos out of closet.

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Roppongi rickshaws

Those who lived in Big Mikan know: come to Roppongi after half-year and you won’t recognize the place. Your favorite midnight ramen joint turned into massage parlor, the hamburger pit was torn down and replaced by a trendy steel-and-glass boutique, and only the Tokyo Tower and old good Motown stand still as pinnacles of stability in eternally changing district.
I happened to pass through Roppongi in day light (rare event 🙂 this Saturday and bumped into something I haven’t seen before:
RoppongiRickshawsPedalHard
Suddenly these tricycle cabs resembling ladybugs crawl all over the place! Looks like fun, cost only 300 yen and certainly good for the ecology!

Posted in Life in Japan | 1 Comment

ExSlim, Exif and Roppongi Hills

Even if you live in a cave for past 5 years, by now you know that Roppongi Hills Eighth Wonder of the World has been opened.
I took these photos of the tower from the Nishi-Azabu crossing with my petty Casio ExSlim S2 digital camera. The 52-storey building opened last week with 24 hours Virgin Cinemas, large museum space, observatory and thousand of shops and restaurants. It’s amazing how lingering economic slump goes hand in hand with glittering night-life, always full restaurants and Mori’s skyscrapers mushrooming all over the place. There is a feature on Roppongi Hills in one of the latest Metropolis’s.
Roppongi Hills from Nishi AzabuRoppongi Hills from Nishi Azabu
However the Roppongi Hills is just an excuse for this entry. I am trying to figure out why two above images taken by the same digital camera with exactly same settings within one minute interval or so, are so different in color balance.

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I’ve got a body


Since I am getting inquires on what equipment I use for my photography and for producing this site, I decided to blog it. I am not sure if it’s of any help or even interest to anybody, but at least I don’t have to answer same questions over and over again. For the start I list my cameras and my lens right here. Sometime later I will probably review my other gadgets and may even cover particular items in more depth. Provided there is an interest.
For mainstream photography I stick with Nikon 35 mm SLR cameras.

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Bicycle Doctor Hara

Bicycle Doctor
There are different ways to live in Japan as a foreigner. You can go out, eat and drink to Roppongi, cut your hair at Australian hairdresser and ride your BMW to exclusive gym at the top of a skyscraper to jog on a jogging machine. You can shop for food in National Azabu supermarket in Hiroo. (For those who are not here National is the large expensive shopping center catering to gaijin 外人 = foreigner needs). And of course hire Philippino lady who will take care of laundry and clean your apartment while you spending your leisure time in American club.
Or you can live local.

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Posted in Life in Japan, Local connections | 5 Comments

Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs
Easter was celebrated by Tokyo Orthodox community this Sunday. Lots of eggs were boiled, painted, blessed and eaten. Boiled and painted eggs along with baked Easter bread called kuliches (куличи) are used to break long fast. The colorful tradition dates back to pre-Christian pagan festives.
There are two major orthodox churches in Tokyo. Newly renovated Nikolai-do or Св. Николай cathedral in Ochanomizu is the more famous one. It’s certainly one of the most impressive historic constructions in Tokyo, which survived major catastrophes of 20 century: Great Kanto earthquake of 1923 (although roof collapsed) and 1945 American bombing and fires triggered by the bombing.

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Posted in Life in Japan | 2 Comments

Election Uproar

It’s difficult to surprise those who spent in Japan couple of years. When you wake up to the sound of a loudspeaker chanting the same mantra thousand times while slowly approaching your house, you instantly know: election time has arrived. Damn! Where did I put my earplugs?
Election PostersMobile Loudspeaker

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Posted in Life in Japan | 1 Comment