I love taking photos of the world, capturing the beauty that surrounds me.
About David LaSpina
Hello! I’m an American photographer living in Japan. That’s me, decked out in samurai armor. It’s not a very good photo for a photographer, I’m afraid. I was so excited to get into some samurai armor that I didn’t explain how to use my camera very well to the nice Japanese man who offered to take my photo. It didn’t come out very well, but I keep it just because I like it and it’s unique.
Japan
It’s a strange and wonderful place here in The Land of the Rising Sun. On one hand, old Japan is everywhere. Kimono, tea ceremony, shrines, castles, etc. At the same time, there is a very vibrant pop culture that combines modern ideas and practices from the West and makes them into something truly unique. It’s an interesting mix. On the same street you may pass high tech skyscrapers, teens with futuristic cell phones and hand held video game systems, then — boom — an old woman in a kimono spreading water with a ladle in front of a 500 year old shrine.
Photos
Photography is a passion of mine and a large source of my income. I am always taking photos, experimenting with new styles, and learning and trying new things.
My goal is to post one new photograph every single day. I refer to this as my daily photo adventure. Though it is tough sometimes, it is also fun. I don’t always hit this goal — I’m human; I do miss days sometimes — but it is what I’m always aiming for.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to meet this goal last year in 2012. A number of things — including my wife becoming pregnant, us moving, a handful of new photo jobs, and other — forced me offline for much of the year. I hope to do better this year!
I mentioned experimenting above. The gallery section of this site contains my best work (or my favorite work, at any rate), but the blog section is a mixed bag. I am always experimenting, so sometimes I may post odd photos, strange edits, and other. If you don’t like any give photo, don’t worry, just check back tomorrow for a new one that you may like better.
Licensing — Using My Photos — Let’s Make A Deal
I freely share my photos with everyone. Everything is under copyright, but I license it all to you under the Creative Commons license. This means people are free to use this stuff on their own, as long as it is not for commercial purposes. Copy and download any photo you like and use it as your desktop, crop it and use it for a banner on your website, e-mail it to a friend, use it for your classroom—whatever.
I require two things in return:
- Give me credit. Credit things to David A. LaSpina. Be sure to include the middle initial because there are other David LaSpina’s out there so it can be confusing.
- Link here to JapanDave.com or to my FaceBook Fan Page
If you do have commercial uses in mind and want to talk about licensing a photo for that purpose, licensing details are here.
Elsewhere On the Web
- David LaSpina on Flickr photos
- David LaSpina on Google+
- Get this site’s headlines on Twitter: @JapanDavePhotos.
- My own personal Twitter: @dbooster
- The JapanDave Facebook Fan Page
Anything Else?
Feel free to contact me me if there’s anything else you want to know.
