Mountains
The Late Shift
from www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com
Prince Eric's Castle and the Stars
More explosions
YMCAしている像たち
2011年05月28日、コロラド州エステスパーク市内にあるYMCAの像たち。

YMCAとはThe Young Men's Christian Associationの頭文字を取ったもので、"キリスト教主義に立ち、教育・スポーツ・福祉・文化などの分野の事業を展開する非営利公益団体"(wikipediaのYMCAへ)の事だそうです。アメリカに行き、この組織について知るまで、西城秀樹がカバーしている曲のYMCAとはなんの事だかわかりませんでしたが、オリジナルの曲はこの組織について触れているため、その名前がついたようです。ちなみに、Wikipediaによると西城秀樹のカバー版はYoung Man Can do Anythingの略との事です。

オリジナルの歌詞の雰囲気を残して日本的にアレンジした曲が西城秀樹のヤングマンなんですね。

以下がオリジナルのヴィレッジ・ピープルというバンドのYMCAのビデオです。

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9OO0S5w2k

そして以下が西城秀樹のヤングマン。

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NafMcawuMM4

確かに若者はなんだって出来ると歌っています。


The Statues of YMCA
05/28/2011, the statues of YMCA in Estes Park, Colorado, USA.

I didn't know what YMCA was before I started to studying in USA. But I was actually familiar with the phrase of YMCA thanks to Hideki Saijyo. He is a singer who covers the song Y.M.C.A. by Village People in Japan. And I heard that its cover version was a huge hit as soon as it came out.

In releasing the song in Japan, where YMCA as an organization wasn't known well, they changed the lyrics so it sounds more like a youthful praise song.

Here is his cover.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NafMcawuMM4

It's not gay at all.
A HDR stack of 10 exposures at 1 stop intervals of the waxing crescent Moon with Earthshine taken from Australia on December 17, 2012, so the Moon appears upside down compared to the view from the northern hemisphere. Zenith is up, the horizon is toward the bottom of the frame. Taken with the Canon 60Da at ISO 100 and Astro-Physics Traveler 105mm apo refractor at f/5.8. Assembled in Photomatix Pro (Photoshop HDR created too many artifacts).
ウミネコと自由の女神像
2009年01月06日、ニューヨークのエリス島にいるウミネコと自由の女神像。とても寒かったため、ウミネコも片足を身体に中に折り込んで寒さを凌いていました。ちゃんと両足ありました。

エリス島にはかつて移民管理局があり、アメリカに移住するヨーロッパの人々が多く通過しました。英語版Wikipediaによると、1892年から1954年にかけて、何百万人もの移民がここ通っていたため、アメリカで一番混み合っていた管理局だったそうです。現在は博物館になっており、私が訪れた際に当時の活気あふれる多くの写真を見たのを覚えています。


A Sea Gull and the Statue of Liberty
01/06/2009, a sea gull and the Statue of Liberty from Ellis Island, NY, USA. Due to its cold temperature the sea gull was folding one of his legs into his body. He did have a pair.

Ellis Island was "the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States as the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954"(Go to the article about Ellis Island in Wikipedia). Today it is a museum about its history. I remember I saw a lot of interesting photos of those busy days there.
A HDR stack of 10 exposures at 1 stop intervals of the waxing crescent Moon with Earthshine taken from Australia on December 17, 2012, so the Moon appears upside down compared to the view from the northern hemisphere. Zenith is up, the horizon is toward the bottom of the frame. Taken with the Canon 60Da at ISO 100 and Astro-Physics Traveler 105mm apo refractor at f/5.8. Assembled in Photomatix Pro (Photoshop HDR created too many artifacts).
Setting Sun over harvested field, August 31, 2012. This is an HDR stack of 6 exposures with the Canon 5D MkII and 135mm lens. Stacked with Photomatix Pro.
A HDR stack of 10 exposures at 1 stop intervals of the waxing crescent Moon with Earthshine taken from Australia on December 17, 2012, so the Moon appears upside down compared to the view from the northern hemisphere. Zenith is up, the horizon is toward the bottom of the frame. Taken with the Canon 60Da at ISO 100 and Astro-Physics Traveler 105mm apo refractor at f/5.8. Assembled in Photomatix Pro (Photoshop HDR created too many artifacts).
A HDR stack of 10 exposures at 1 stop intervals of the waxing crescent Moon with Earthshine taken from Australia on December 17, 2012, so the Moon appears upside down compared to the view from the northern hemisphere. Zenith is up, the horizon is toward the bottom of the frame. Taken with the Canon 60Da at ISO 100 and Astro-Physics Traveler 105mm apo refractor at f/5.8. Assembled in Photomatix Pro (Photoshop HDR created too many artifacts).
A HDR stack of 10 exposures at 1 stop intervals of the waxing crescent Moon with Earthshine taken from Australia on December 17, 2012, so the Moon appears upside down compared to the view from the northern hemisphere. Zenith is up, the horizon is toward the bottom of the frame. Taken with the Canon 60Da at ISO 100 and Astro-Physics Traveler 105mm apo refractor at f/5.8. Assembled in Photomatix Pro (Photoshop HDR created too many artifacts).
See photo in original gallery.