Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera)

Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera)
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

The Wiener Staatsoper is one of the busiest opera houses in the world producing 50 to 60 operas per year in approximately 200 performances. It is quite common to find a different opera being produced each day of a week. As such, the Staatsoper employs over 1000 people!

More than 50 productions are staged every year, and there is a performance nearly every day for ten months of the year. Isn't that amazing?

Schloss Schönbrunn

Schloss Schönbrunn
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

the palace grounds at night. it was a pity we did not have time to visit the museum, it would have taken at least half a day! you would not believe how big the palace grounds are! and considering there was still no electricity at that time, it is a wonder how many candles and lamps they had to light every night!!!

Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera),

Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera),
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

The building was the first major building on the Wiener Ringstraße, at the heart of Old Vienna. This would probably be the most visited area of Vienna, where all tourist converge to walk around, enjoy the coffee and eat some sacher torte or even do some shopping. That time, La Traviata was showing, I was so tempted to go and watch! maybe another time....

St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna

St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

St. Stephen's Cathedral (German: Stephansdom) is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. In the middle of St. Stephen's square it is one of the oldest and highest cathedrals of the world!

Note that in this picture part of one of its spires is under renovation. nothing new here, as preservation and repair of the fabric of the medieval cathedral has been a continuous process at St. Stephen's Cathedral since its original construction in 1147!

there was so much to see...

there was so much to see...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

From Gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral to the Imperial Palace to the Art Nouveau splendor of the Secession, from the magnificent baroque palace Schönbrunn to the Museum of Fine Arts to modern architecture at the MuseumsQuartier.

back from vienna

back from vienna
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony (lost in space)

the whole week was a blur! too much to see in so little time...it is great to have photos to remind me of the places i have been and seen! yet there was so much more to see in such little time. as my friend always says, leave something for the next trip. i just hope it would be less frantic! lol!

shot this from a speeding van to budapest, so you will note the foreground blur...

ok, so how do you say "good day" in austrian?

ok, so how do you say "good day" in austrian?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i am quite fortunate to be able to travel to eurpope again, this time to vienna! it is my first time there, so if there are any suggestions it would be really appreciated. are there any flickrites out there??? i am quite excited already!!!

this will probably my last post until i come back, so goodbye y'all and will try to visit while in europe!

postcards from milan

postcards from milan
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

got the idea of this project of shooting postcards from places i go to. started with paris last year and with milan and venice this year. next week i will have the chance to visit austria and can't wait to get postcards shots from there!

round and round i go in circles...

round and round i go in circles...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

that's how i feel sometimes with the game of life. you wake up in the morning, go to work, then go home and sleep, just to wake up again the next day you do it all over again! no wonder there are gazillions of people out there who are just going nuts...perhaps they got dizzy with all the daily merry-go-round and not getting anywhere! one thing i learned....just enjoy the ride and hopefully you will find meaning in what you do!

been rummaging through the archives again, and found a few more shots, this time from my paris trip last year. this has been a year ago when i was still using my canon 5D! i can't wait to go back and try out the new 5D mark II!

cobblestoned streets, a medieval church and the da vinci's last supper

cobblestoned streets, a medieval church and the da vinci's last supper fresco: is that all worth walking all the way from the metro?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

you bet it was! the only thing is, i did not get to see the fresco. it turned out the waiting list to see it like 2 weeks! i could not believe how popular that place was ever since the "the vinci code" movie. lol! well, at least there is something to look forward to in my next visit! and you bet, i am going to walk all the back there again!

there was no one inside the church, but i felt a presence i could not

there was no one inside the church, but i felt a presence i could not describe...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i never thought myself as having a sixth sense. i have always wondered how psychics and ghost whisperers felt, but that place just had the aura of spirits all around you. the interior just exuded of another time. i felt i was caught in a time warp and was just waiting for medieval characters of the past to pop out of the maze of pillars within.

"si venera il corpo di s. luciano" it says on the door of this church...

"si venera il corpo di s. luciano" it says on the door of this church...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

...which i bumped into while walking from the piazza san marco back to the train station. you cannot imagine the number of churches you will find in such a small area! this one just had those words on the door and would that mean this is st. luciano's church? i know the literal translation meant "here lies the body of st. luciano" - at least that is what i thought.

i actually went inside and took some photos (will post those later on). there was no one inside, saw some flowers with dedications for people (dead?). all in all the atmosphere was serene, almost haunting, like you can feel spirits or angels about to make an apparition! i felt a slight chill while shooting and darted back to the courtyard!

honey, can you stop singing "o sole mio"? you are giving me a

honey, can you stop singing "o sole mio"? you are giving me a headache....
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

this shot just made me wonder if the tip of the gondola hit the bottom of the bridge and if the gondolero actually stooped or sat as it passed under it. lol!!!

i feel these things can be a bit overrated and overpriced but if i had the time and the moolah i would have gone for it. ha ha! call me a tourist milking cow but venice is venice! the water looksed a bit murky at that time and had a not so appealing scent, but i would have done it anytime than can catch the ones in las vegas or macau...well, maybe next time.

back to venice: just off the train and what do you see?

back to venice: just off the train and what do you see?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

coming from milan and just alighting from the train you are greeted by this canal. docked are gondolas and speedboats and this the first bridge that you will see spanning the busy waterway. i remember getting quite giddy with excitement at what the day has in store, having visited venice only once ages before, hardly remembering how it looked then.

all in all the day was fruitful and fun, i just imbibed all of venice that i could in the short span of time we were there. i am so grateful i have these pictures to go back to again and again until the time i get to go back. and i hope, soon!

maybe another place, another time...

maybe another place, another time...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i wish i was out in the field with nature at its own habitat but i guess it will have to wait for another day. it has been quite stormy here in manila this past few weeks. i remember last year when we hardly had any rain. nature can be so fickle!

i shot this at home, with the 85 F1.4 and it produces such delicious bokeh!

i'll have a dozen each of zucchini florettes, aubergines and fennel

i'll have a dozen each of zucchini florettes, aubergines and fennel roots please?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

for those who don't know yet, aside from photography, i love cooking. looking at these fresh produce at a street stall in venice was just such eye candy for me. i just grazed my eyes on tons of veggies that we don't grow in the tropics. i see fennel here and there in some supermarkets, but they can cost up to 6 USD a piece for a small root! i loved the freshness of everything that i wanted to snatch them all and make some rockin' rattatouille!

it just makes me wonder how those baby blues and pinks got there...but

it just makes me wonder how those baby blues and pinks got there...but who cares?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

..it was beautiful!

i was quite smitten by the colors of the sky that evening. the sun has set, and the twilight was indescribable i just had to take a photo! i never saw pinks and blues like that before and couples with the formation of the clouds, i think you will agree that it was spectacular!

i remember the day was hot, but we had a blast!

i remember the day was hot, but we had a blast!
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

there are several of these mini docks for individual gondolas lined along the grand canal of venice. each one is different, perhaps as a way to attract the tourists. i love how this one added hanging flower pots to give it a rustic look.

where to take a taxi in venice

where to take a taxi in venice
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

along the grand canal are lined these gondolas. this is also where you go to take a taxi boat back to the train station. i would have wanted to just walk back, but we had to get back faster to catch our train to milan. unfortunately, despite that we missed the train! lol!

Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri)

Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri)
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge name, given by Lord Byron in the 19th century, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice out the window before being taken down to their cells. In reality, the days of inquisitions and summary executions were over by the time the bridge was built, and the cells under the palace roof were occupied mostly by small-time criminals.

A local legend says that lovers will be assured eternal love if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the bridge. This legend played a key part in the 1979 film A Little Romance.

(from Wikipedia)

ok it's time to feature one of my lovely models again...

ok it's time to feature one of my lovely models again...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

together with the gerbera and the orchid, this has become one of my favorite macro subjects! i hope i can get an insect to pose for me one day, but until then, its flowers for me. lol!!!

it does have a bit of a bokeh, so i guess i can greet you a happy bokeh day!!! EHBD!

chaos at the venetian or have you tried to get a cab in venice?

chaos at the venetian or have you tried to get a cab in venice?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i remember missing our train back to milan and we had to stay the night. it was a good thing and a bad thing. i get to see more of venice, but of course we missed other places we were supposed to go to. oh well, that's what you get in not trusting my instincts. i knew i should have bought return tickets as soon as we got there. anyway, i had fun taking pictures, so...

i don't know about you, but masks make me feel eerie...

i don't know about you, but masks make me feel eerie...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

its like being afraid of clowns i guess. it's as if behind the bright colors and the smiles lies something nasty and ugly, like sin. as benjamin franklin said, "vice knows she's ugly, so she puts on her mask."

these are venetian canevale masks. i do love their craftsmanship though and i actually got a couple to bring home and wear on halloween!

it was a slow afternoon, on the way to nowhere...

it was a slow afternoon, on the way to nowhere...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

taken during my last trip to milan armed with a D3 and the 14-24 UWA lens!

i always enjoy taking the train and just go around in circles all day! good i had a week long metro pass so i can go anywhere and anytime when i want to!

nature's blinds

nature's blinds
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

part of my verdant series, another shot of palm leaves against the sun at high noon. just love the green against the light. amazing what images you can make with nature's lines.

star gazing

star gazing
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

found these yellow stargazers and some white ones too! these are less popular than the pink ones but are just as fragrant and beautiful! truly a fascinating bloom!

have a great week everyone!!!

pure and simple

pure and simple
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

what do you see in the middle of the orchid? a bird or an angel? it is fascinating how nature takes on certain forms. maybe some form of natural mimicry? or a play on the human mind?

fresh start

fresh start
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

been racking my brains out on how to take shots of orchids in a different way. how is this? blew out a bit of the sky on the right, but it actually works for me. hope you like it!

have a great weekend everyone!!

peek-a-boo!

peek-a-boo!
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

got a bunch of beautiful fragrant lilies the other day and just got to taking their photos yesterday. we call them stargazers, and they really last for quite sometime, even after their pollens have dropped off! here is a bud starting to open, and quite interestingly, the pollens are not seen yet, but still are inside the elongated pods. it will stake another day for the pods to open up and reveal the pollen themselves. wow!

have a lovely bokeh day my friends, and remember everyday is a good day for bokeh!

walking on sunshine

walking on sunshine
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

one for my gerbera and the sunset series. a red hot manila bay sunset served as the background for this gerbera silhouette. nowadays it is very rare to see such a beautifully colored manila bay sunset as rains usually come in the afternoons.

have a great day everyone!

green and light

green and light
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i just love this plant with leaves spread out like a fan to catch the light. i believe it is actually a variety of palm.

part of my verdant series. i have taken this more than a year ago when i still had my D80. rediscovering stuff in the archives.

have a wonderful week!!!

one for the butterflies

one for the butterflies
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

this small colorful flower is probably one of the butterfly's favorite. i can only begin to imagine the sweetness of its nectar.

have a great weekend everyone! have fun!

bunch of sweetness

bunch of sweetness
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

ok i am still discovering some beauties in my archives - i can't believe the treasures that are still buried down there!

have a great weekend everyone!

EHBD

EHBD
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

It's wednesday, and although to may it is bokeh day, for me everyday is indeed a good day as any to show off beautiful bokeh!

one of the small flowerettes in my garden. loving the way the light seems to caress the minute petals!

happy bokeh day everyone!

behold the sunset

behold the sunset
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

taken near the mall of asia in the philippines, i love the fluffiness of the clouds and the glimmer of the water.

have a great week my friends!!!

it was paradise

it was paradise
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

a beautiful garden in the middle of kobe. enchanting to actually be in a garden in japan! truly serene and peaceful!

still browsing through the archives. i hope to take new shots soon!!!

manila bay in black and white

manila bay in black and white
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

something different on an old subject. again, the manila bay sunset given a monochrome treatment.

have a great weekend everyone!!!

red silk

red silk
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

still rummaging through the archives and rediscovered this red hibiscus.

have a great weekend my friends! will catch you later!

nature abstracted

nature abstracted
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

these are real orchids against an abstract painting.

seen at the lobby of my hotel in milan, i thought the wonderful curves of nature blended well with the colors and textures of the abstract behind.

Heart of Mine

Heart of Mine
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

a purple heart in the gardens of tagaytay. this place went up in flames last year, such a pity! this was taken during my last visit to the place.

happy bokeh day my friends!!!

watercolor palette

god's palette
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

what a wonderful day to end the day, another spectacular colors of the sunset sky of the manila bay.

light and shadows

light and shadows
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

used a couple of colored lights in this shot. i think it turned out interesting don't you?

have a great sunday everyone!

butterfly's view

butterfly's view
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

it's just totally awesome to see the details on flower macros! did you ever imagine the gerbers center to be as beautiufl as this? what a view the butterflies and bees have eh?

morning dew

morning dew
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

or not! lol! see what a little water in a spritzer bottle can do? well, i rarely get up that early to see morning dew, so i thought why not make it myself?

sorry for being late in catching up my friends ill see you really soon!!!

luscious passion

luscious passion
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i miss my gerberas! another one from the archives. i remember this bloom as one of the most luscious red gerbera i ever saw. have a great day everyone!

gerbera encore

gerbera encore
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

no this is not a new shot, but from the archives again. i still have loads of shots i have not uploaded and found this beauty. i gotta go and get new gerberas to shoot - i miss them!

haiku

haiku
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

Beautiful blues seen.
Colors flow as spring sets.
A flower breaks open.

sweet magnolia

sweet magnolia
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i have been going through my archives again and found this little treasure! i remember wanting to post this before, but i don't remember why i never got to. i love the sweet smell of magnolias and this one is for you all!!!

have a great weekend!

view from the 8th floor (8-8-08)

view from the 8th floor (8-8-08)
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

This is from the Asian Hospital and Medical Center where I work. Have a great day everyone!

8-8-8 (blues in the night)

8-8-8 (blues in the night)
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

today's 8-8-8 shot. i never got to shoot anything till i got home! lol! have a lucky 8-8-8 day everyone!!! and see you in the flickr 888 group.