Japan Open 2006 SF Pics

[seawell]

2006 Japan Open SF Pics

enjoy!

[seawell]

MS

http://image2.sina.com.cn/ty/o/p/2006-10-14/U333P6T12D2506428F44DT20061014153035.jpg

http://image2.sina.com.cn/ty/o/p/2006-10-14/U333P6T12D2506431F44DT20061014153752.jpg

http://image2.sina.com.cn/ty/o/p/2006-10-14/U333P6T12D2506501F44DT20061014163441.jpg

http://image2.sina.com.cn/ty/o/p/2006-10-14/U333P6T12D2506490F44DT20061014162548.jpg

http://image2.sina.com.cn/ty/o/p/2006-10-14/U333P6T12D2506506F44DT20061014164035.jpg

http://image2.sina.com.cn/ty/o/p/2006-10-14/U333P6T12D2506522F44DT20061014172342.jpg

[z3048018]

thanks for the photos seawell. lovely as usual :D

[**KZ**]

seats are very very very empty....

[Jan_BE]

Peter also using the new AT700?
looking good :)

[phaarix]

seats are very very very empty....

In some the seats are completely full, so I think there are a fair few people. Maybe just some of the angles show the wrong seats :).

Either way there's sure to be many more in the final tommorrow!

[seawell]

May be Stadiums too huge,have 8 courts,so the seats are very very very empty...:(

Badminton is not very popular in Japan !:cool:

[jermaine]

well, what can we say here, yonex has improved alot in their apparel!!!:cool:

all the clothing look so DIAO!! especially lin dan wore that and petergade's one. very radiant and it made them look so much like a superstar wear, not only can we wear it playing badminton, but also anywhere! :p

accept for the woman's apparel, the one with a short skirt, its only www.gettyimages.com (http://www.gettyimages.com) look at zhang ning's purple one, that doesnt look nice.lol

[kemana]

May be Stadiums too huge,have 8 courts,so the seats are very very very empty...:(

Badminton is not very popular in Japan !:cool:
it's a pity, this JO is very, very exciting actually, i kind of think it's better than WC this year.

[nwy5633]

LCW seem like getting frustrated in the pic...
haha

[seawell]

more sf pics,enjoy!

http://photocdn.sohu.com/20061014/Img245795722.jpg

http://photocdn.sohu.com/20061014/Img245795709.jpg


http://photocdn.sohu.com/20061014/Img245795702.jpg

http://photocdn.sohu.com/20061014/Img245795012.jpg

http://photocdn.sohu.com/20061014/Img245794839.jpg

http://photocdn.sohu.com/20061014/Img245794562.jpg

http://photocdn.sohu.com/20061014/Img245794549.jpg

[Malaysianfan]

LCW seem like getting frustrated in the pic...
haha

Hehe..I think he is. He lost 7 consecutive points to Taufik in the first game after leading 17-14.

[nwy5633]

Hehe..I think he is. He lost 7 consecutive points to Taufik in the first game after leading 17-14.
haha..
something like reverse of mas open...:cool:
when lin dan lose 7 consecutive point to LCW...
but tat one more frustrated for lin dan...
caz it is final and the rubber set...:D

[cao ci dan]

wow...zhang ning in purple...nice one!!

[seawell]

it's a pity, this JO is very, very exciting actually, i kind of think it's better than WC this year.
you go to Japan again?:D

[Bobatea]

it's a pity, this JO is very, very exciting actually, i kind of think it's better than WC this year.

I agree. The Japan Open is much more exciting. The WC didn't really feel like the WC... It's lost it's prestige.

The Japan Open feels empty because the seats you see when you get a side shot of the players are the side S level seats, which no one tries to sit in. The stadium is also larger than the usual venue. Also, most Japanese people really don't follow world badminton, even if they play badminton themselves. A lot of people 'play' badminton, but most people just know the players that are advertised through Yonex like Lin Dan or Peter Gade. I was getting a little frustrated sitting there listening to a lot of people talk as if they were themselves professional badminton players and criticizing players they didn't know when they really know nothing about the players that are playing. Some people didn't even know Peter Gade's first name. I was also saddened to see everyone focusing on the JPN vs MAL doubles game just because JPN was playing when the legends Tony Gunawan and Candra Wijaya are taking on Fu Hai Feng and Cai Yun on the next court. Granted it is Japan so they should cheer on their own players, but Gunawan/Wijaya - Fu/Cai's match really didn't get that much applause when some amazing shots were played. The old guy behind me was telling his wife how Candra Wijaya is so amazing and didn't mention that much about Tony Gunawan. They're both great players and compliment each other well. They just don't seem to realize that it is a real pleasure to be able to see Tony and Candra play together because we have no idea how long they plan on continuing it.

Anyways, here's just a few pictures that I've taken:) .

[Simp84]

oh no... another pic of LD's screw up face while smashing....
PLEASE STOP TAKING THOSE PICTURES!!! LOL:D I wonder how he feels about it haha
anyway great pics tnx

[raketkayu]

CW/TG CY/FH. 19 - 0? can't be, right?? must be wrong ... prev pic is 4-3 and looks they did not play 3 games.

[kemana]

you go to Japan again?:D
haha,I wish! this JO is so much better than TC.
Never saw TH won one game during that.....:o
But who would know this JO could be soooooo good

[z3048018]

Bobatea, thanks for the great photos!!

[kemana]

I agree. The Japan Open is much more exciting. The WC didn't really feel like the WC... It's lost it's prestige.

The Japan Open feels empty because the seats you see when you get a side shot of the players are the side S level seats, which no one tries to sit in. The stadium is also larger than the usual venue. Also, most Japanese people really don't follow world badminton, even if they play badminton themselves. A lot of people 'play' badminton, but most people just know the players that are advertised through Yonex like Lin Dan or Peter Gade. I was getting a little frustrated sitting there listening to a lot of people talk as if they were themselves professional badminton players and criticizing players they didn't know when they really know nothing about the players that are playing. Some people didn't even know Peter Gade's first name. I was also saddened to see everyone focusing on the JPN vs MAL doubles game just because JPN was playing when the legends Tony Gunawan and Candra Wijaya are taking on Fu Hai Feng and Cai Yun on the next court. Granted it is Japan so they should cheer on their own players, but Gunawan/Wijaya - Fu/Cai's match really didn't get that much applause when some amazing shots were played. The old guy behind me was telling his wife how Candra Wijaya is so amazing and didn't mention that much about Tony Gunawan. They're both great players and compliment each other well. They just don't seem to realize that it is a real pleasure to be able to see Tony and Candra play together because we have no idea how long they plan on continuing it.

Anyways, here's just a few pictures that I've taken:) .
wah, thank you for sharing the pictures:)
I went to TC this year, one big pity is that i didn't get a chance to watch candra/sigit playing together, not to metion it was impossible to watch tony/candra. (but i got to watch other great pairs,hehe)So,I totally agree that being able to watch tony/candra playing together is very lucky.Pity some people don't realize it,and what a waste...

[minnah]

so sad!!!! why lcw lost to taufik!!!!! he must show the great performance k....
how about Doha coming soon if he do not improve his performance????

[blessing]

OmG~~~~~~~~ wat da hell is Lee Chong Wei doin der in JAPAN?????????? =.= by da way..good pics...

[weeyet]

I agree. The Japan Open is much more exciting. The WC didn't really feel like the WC... It's lost it's prestige.

The Japan Open feels empty because the seats you see when you get a side shot of the players are the side S level seats, which no one tries to sit in. The stadium is also larger than the usual venue. Also, most Japanese people really don't follow world badminton, even if they play badminton themselves. A lot of people 'play' badminton, but most people just know the players that are advertised through Yonex like Lin Dan or Peter Gade. I was getting a little frustrated sitting there listening to a lot of people talk as if they were themselves professional badminton players and criticizing players they didn't know when they really know nothing about the players that are playing. Some people didn't even know Peter Gade's first name. I was also saddened to see everyone focusing on the JPN vs MAL doubles game just because JPN was playing when the legends Tony Gunawan and Candra Wijaya are taking on Fu Hai Feng and Cai Yun on the next court. Granted it is Japan so they should cheer on their own players, but Gunawan/Wijaya - Fu/Cai's match really didn't get that much applause when some amazing shots were played. The old guy behind me was telling his wife how Candra Wijaya is so amazing and didn't mention that much about Tony Gunawan. They're both great players and compliment each other well. They just don't seem to realize that it is a real pleasure to be able to see Tony and Candra play together because we have no idea how long they plan on continuing it.

Anyways, here's just a few pictures that I've taken:) .

thanks for the photos shashin o arigatou..:cool:

[w3wmfhe]

tony is playing with NS9000 now ...

[Bobatea]

so sad!!!! why lcw lost to taufik!!!!! he must show the great performance k....
how about Doha coming soon if he do not improve his performance????

Lee seemed a little out of it. Both Taufik and Lee were also bothered by some horrible line calls. But since both seem to be rather good friends, they just let it go and apologized to each other for the bad call. The Japanese line judges are rather amazing to be just focusing on their line, but sometimes they seem like they've fallen asleep. Also, most are rather old and I sometimes question if some can clearly see the shot and stay focused.


tony is playing with NS9000 now ...

Tony was playing with the MP100 when I saw him during the quarters against the JPN pair, but I vaguely remember a snapped string which could have led to him using the NS9000. That could be just my imagination adding to my theory, but he was using the MP100 for sure during the quarters. He can still get the MP100 in Japan, but I guess marketing and promotion of new products forces him to kind of use the NS9000 because of his contract with Yonex. Peter Gade and Taufik were both using the new AT700, but Lin Dan doesn't seem to be using it yet.

Here's a few more pics.

[Malaysianfan]

[quote=Bobatea]Lee seemed a little out of it. Both Taufik and Lee were also bothered by some horrible line calls. But since both seem to be rather good friends, they just let it go and apologized to each other for the bad call. The Japanese line judges are rather amazing to be just focusing on their line, but sometimes they seem like they've fallen asleep. Also, most are rather old and I sometimes question if some can clearly see the shot and stay focused.


Thanks for the picture! I think it is time for IBF to do something abt the line judges.Is it a new issue or were the line calls a problem too in 80s and 90s?

[ants]

Nice pics... too bad LCW lost. It will be an exciting Finals tomorow Lindan vs Taufik.

[Bobatea]

[quote=Bobatea]Lee seemed a little out of it. Both Taufik and Lee were also bothered by some horrible line calls. But since both seem to be rather good friends, they just let it go and apologized to each other for the bad call. The Japanese line judges are rather amazing to be just focusing on their line, but sometimes they seem like they've fallen asleep. Also, most are rather old and I sometimes question if some can clearly see the shot and stay focused.


Thanks for the picture! I think it is time for IBF to do something abt the line judges.Is it a new issue or were the line calls a problem too in 80s and 90s?

I'm not sure if line calls were a problem in the 80s and 90s, but I would assume they were. Watching the 1990 AE MD Final with Park Joo Bong/Kim Moon Soo vs. Li Yong Bo/Tian Bing Yi, you can see that Li wasn't happy with some of the calls made. From the camera view they seemed to be correct calls and Li was just making a slight mistake with his shots. But they really should change the method of judging line calls. Peter Gade seemed really upset after a horrible line call during the early part of the 1st game against Lin Dan. The same judge made a few more calls he wasn't happy with.

This is a picture during the QF. I swear I thought the judge was asleep if it wasn't for her occasional fidgeting.

[Bobatea]

Nice pics... too bad LCW lost. It will be an exciting Finals tomorow Lindan vs Taufik.

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to that too even though I don't like singles too much :p . Hoping to get some good pictures. Personally, I really don't like Lin Dan because of his attitude and etiquette on court(he was really trying on purpose to throw Peter Gade off during his match), but he is someone you can get amazing pictures of. All that matters now is getting a good seat. There was a long line today for the Semis, so I'm guessing there'll be another one for the finals.

[Nephrus]

I love Candra and Tony's Outfit its sooo eye catching... it screams champion hands down.

[ctjcad]

..seawell and esp. to you Bobatea, you DA MAN(and thx for sharing your reports as well)!!..;) :) :D :cool:
I think this is the first occasion in this event someone, other than a press photographer, took some pictures. And one of our own BC member.
BTW, Bobateaa, those are wonderful shots-pretty sharp also:cool: You must've had a pretty good seat also in the crowd. And i assume you took the pics with a nice set of DSLR and lenses?? Mind sharing with us all what digicam and lenses you used to take those pics...:rolleyes: ;) :p :) :D :cool:
Re what you shared abt LCW and TH did and how they reacted with the questionable line calls, IMO, now that is the way it's supposed to be done.:cool:
**Side note:If you'd like, there's a special Badminton Photography forum (http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=186) which was just created recently. Please feel free to jump in there and chime in with the rest of the BC/BF Badminton photography enthusiasts..;):) :cool:
***A small request from me:If you happen to attend the Final day, please take some off court, non-action pics as well(ie. players warming up, chatting with each other, coaches, other crowd pics, stadium pics, you know those stuff)..thx in advance!;):p:)

[elwin81]

thank you Bobatea and seawell for the pics.

Haha, chris desparately need more pictures again. But those pics from Bobatea is really good and hope to hear from him soon about the equipment and settings.
:)

[ctjcad]

..seawell and esp. to you Bobatea, you DA MAN(and thx for sharing your reports as well)!!..;) :) :D :cool:
btw, i like the pic http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37077 (post #16, 3rd pic down) of Flandy/Vita against Sudket/Saralee, esp. with Vita falling hard on the groud.:p:D At least for myself, that picture tells a lot abt the intensity of the action/rally..Great job!!;) :cool:

[Bobatea]

..seawell and esp. to you Bobatea, you DA MAN(and thx for sharing your reports as well)!!..;) :) :D :cool:
I think this is the first occasion in this event someone, other than a press photographer, took some pictures. And one of our own BC member.
BTW, Bobateaa, those are wonderful shots-pretty sharp also:cool: You must've had a pretty good seat also in the crowd. And i assume you took the pics with a nice set of DSLR and lenses?? Mind sharing with us all what digicam and lenses you used to take those pics...:rolleyes: ;) :p :) :D :cool:
Re what you shared abt LCW and TH did and how they reacted with the questionable line calls, IMO, now that is the way it's supposed to be done.:cool:
**Side note:If you'd like, there's a special Badminton Photography forum (http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=186) which was just created recently. Please feel free to jump in there and chime in with the rest of the BC/BF Badminton photography enthusiasts..;):) :cool:
***A small request from me:If you happen to attend the Final day, please take some off court, non-action pics as well(ie. players warming up, chatting with each other, coaches, other crowd pics, stadium pics, you know those stuff)..thx in advance!;):p:)

I'm sitting in the S level seats and using a Canon KISS Digital N (aka. Digital Rebel XT) with your standard 55-200mm USMII telephoto lens. I don't have the cash like those professional photographers do... :o

I'll be sure to try and grab a more pics of other things. The event starts 2 hours after the venue opens, so I'll be able to catch some off court action. Now I just have to figure out if I want to go an hour early and lineup with the rest of the crowd... I wonder if there's a special line for S level people tomorrow :rolleyes:

I uploaded a picture of the Chinese team playing hackysack during their warmup time in the Quarterfinals thread. They started squaring off and whoever won Xie Zhongbo would run over and declare the winner as if it were a boxing match:D .

[ctjcad]

I'm sitting in the S level seats and using a Canon KISS Digital N (aka. Digital Rebel XT) with your standard 55-200mm USMII telephoto lens. I don't have the cash like those professional photographers do... :o

I'll be sure to try and grab a more pics of other things. The event starts 2 hours after the venue opens, so I'll be able to catch some off court action. Now I just have to figure out if I want to go an hour early and lineup with the rest of the crowd... I wonder if there's a special line for S level people tomorrow :rolleyes:

I uploaded a picture of the Chinese team playing hackysack during their warmup time in the Quarterfinals thread. They started squaring off and whoever won Xie Zhongbo would run over and declare the winner as if it were a boxing match:D .
Bobatea, thanks for all your efforts. IMO, even with those equipments with you, they still give wonderful results!!(i'll take those anyday if they can give results like that);):):D:cool:..
Abt taking some off-court/non-action pics, sorry to hassle you:p Yah, i noticed the pic of the CHN team playing haysack. If you don't have time, that's ok also. But if you want to go early to the stadium, and line up, maybe you can take some pics of the outside of the stadium, lobby area etc.2..As basically you are the "only" BC/BF source to take the pics..So, keep clicking away!!..hehe;):D :cool:

[DinkAlot]

Nice pics, thanks!

[kwun]

excellent pics bobatea. hope you enjoy the finals tomorrow.

[ctjcad]

I'm sitting in the S level seats and using a Canon KISS Digital N (aka. Digital Rebel XT) with your standard 55-200mm USMII telephoto lens. I don't have the cash like those professional photographers do... :o
btw, mind telling us the settings of those pics you took??(ie. ISO speed, focusing location/areas etc.)..and did you use a tripod/monopod to hold the camera as well??..:p ;) :)

[cappy75]

There's your answer to why most people don't appreciate great players. For us to appreciate how good they really are, we need to know how hard it is to execute the shots they make and also aware of the players' professional backgrounds. The general public will never know/appreciate as much as the fans. The deeper our knowledge of the sport, the more we can observe and appreciate its finer subtle details. Do not lament the public's ignorance but rather be encouraged by their exposure to the display of the highest calibre of players.

Nevertheless, thanks for posting the pictures:).


Also, most Japanese people really don't follow world badminton, even if they play badminton themselves. A lot of people 'play' badminton, but most people just know the players that are advertised through Yonex like Lin Dan or Peter Gade. I was getting a little frustrated sitting there listening to a lot of people talk as if they were themselves professional badminton players and criticizing players they didn't know when they really know nothing about the players that are playing. Some people didn't even know Peter Gade's first name. I was also saddened to see everyone focusing on the JPN vs MAL doubles game just because JPN was playing when the legends Tony Gunawan and Candra Wijaya are taking on Fu Hai Feng and Cai Yun on the next court. Granted it is Japan so they should cheer on their own players, but Gunawan/Wijaya - Fu/Cai's match really didn't get that much applause when some amazing shots were played. The old guy behind me was telling his wife how Candra Wijaya is so amazing and didn't mention that much about Tony Gunawan. They're both great players and compliment each other well. They just don't seem to realize that it is a real pleasure to be able to see Tony and Candra play together because we have no idea how long they plan on continuing it.

Anyways, here's just a few pictures that I've taken:) .

[Cheung]

Entirely right cappy. Badminton is just like wine. You enjoy it more if you know more.:)

Ecellent pic bobatea. Did you have any problems taking the photos? Problems specifically related to security stopping you taking photos? Enjoy yourself at the finals.

[yy_ling]

the last pic lol
Lindan and Taufik
facial expressions 2 extremes

[Bobatea]

I'm apologizing ahead of time. I'm getting ready right now, but the place opened up about 20 min ago, so that means I overslept :crying: . I initially intended to get there an hour early, but I guess it can't be helped. Hopefully I'll be able to get a good seat still and catch some warm-up shots. I guess the bright side is that I don't have to wait 2 hours until it starts :o . I'll try and take as many pictures as I can.

[kemana]

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to that too even though I don't like singles too much :p . Hoping to get some good pictures. Personally, I really don't like Lin Dan because of his attitude and etiquette on court(he was really trying on purpose to throw Peter Gade off during his match), but he is someone you can get amazing pictures of. All that matters now is getting a good seat. There was a long line today for the Semis, so I'm guessing there'll be another one for the finals.
please take some picture of taufik,haha:)

[minnah]

hopefully, he know what should do coming soon...
wake up lcw!!!!

just one request....:p
do u have zakry pics????

[hara^kazuko]

can somebody tell me what is going on between Lin Dan and Peter Gade? What did lin dan actually do?

[Bobatea]

can somebody tell me what is going on between Lin Dan and Peter Gade? What did lin dan actually do?

Peter Gade left a shot at the backline because he believed it was out. From my vantage point it definitely looked out, but the line judge called it in. Peter Gade couldn't believe it and stared at the line judge and the shuttle for a few seconds. Lin Dan immediately went over to the umpire and complained about Peter Gade's conduct. Peter Gade walked off court a little to throw off some sweat and then returned the shuttle to Lin Dan. The umpire called Peter over and said a few words and Peter showed that he understood. Peter returned and got ready to continue, but Lin Dan stood there a little bit doing some hand motions towards the umpire asking the umpire if he talked to Peter Gade. The umpire motioned that he did and told Lin Dan to continue. Lin Dan tried to trick Peter with a quick flick serve, but Peter Gade read it and quickly killed it. Peter was waiting to get the shuttle back, but Lin Dan purposely hit the shuttle past Peter towards the back of the court. Peter showed disgust with Lin Dan's conduct and just indicated to the umpire that the conduct was inappropriate and walked back to get the shuttle. The umpire called Lin Dan over, but he somewhat ignored the umpire and then started indicating that he understood what the umpire was trying to say, but the umpire wanted Lin Dan to come over. Without looking at the umpire or really listening to him, Lin Dan just walked over and put up a hand showing that he understood and just walked back. Peter Gade seemed rather upset with Lin Dan's conduct, and also with the line calls he was getting because the same line judge made some horrible calls a few more times.

Every player stares a little at the line judge and the shuttle in disbelief whenever they believe a bad line call has been made, most players do even worse, but if it's only the first time you usually just let it go and your opponent just waits around unless you're taking a little too much time. But Lin Dan just immediately went to the umpire to complain without waiting. Honestly I found that rather uncalled for, and Peter was obviously not happy with Lin Dan after that point.

[phaarix]

Heh, LD is always complaining to the umpire. I actually find it kind of amusing :p. But you're right the rest sounds a bit uncalled for.

[zqloy]

Peter Gade left a shot at the backline because he believed it was out. From my vantage point it definitely looked out, but the line judge called it in. Peter Gade couldn't believe it and stared at the line judge and the shuttle for a few seconds. Lin Dan immediately went over to the umpire and complained about Peter Gade's conduct. Peter Gade walked off court a little to throw off some sweat and then returned the shuttle to Lin Dan. The umpire called Peter over and said a few words and Peter showed that he understood. Peter returned and got ready to continue, but Lin Dan stood there a little bit doing some hand motions towards the umpire asking the umpire if he talked to Peter Gade. The umpire motioned that he did and told Lin Dan to continue. Lin Dan tried to trick Peter with a quick flick serve, but Peter Gade read it and quickly killed it. Peter was waiting to get the shuttle back, but Lin Dan purposely hit the shuttle past Peter towards the back of the court. Peter showed disgust with Lin Dan's conduct and just indicated to the umpire that the conduct was inappropriate and walked back to get the shuttle. The umpire called Lin Dan over, but he somewhat ignored the umpire and then started indicating that he understood what the umpire was trying to say, but the umpire wanted Lin Dan to come over. Without looking at the umpire or really listening to him, Lin Dan just walked over and put up a hand showing that he understood and just walked back. Peter Gade seemed rather upset with Lin Dan's conduct, and also with the line calls he was getting because the same line judge made some horrible calls a few more times.

Every player stares a little at the line judge and the shuttle in disbelief whenever they believe a bad line call has been made, most players do even worse, but if it's only the first time you usually just let it go and your opponent just waits around unless you're taking a little too much time. But Lin Dan just immediately went to the umpire to complain without waiting. Honestly I found that rather uncalled for, and Peter was obviously not happy with Lin Dan after that point.

I am disgusted by LD's attitude as well!!! :mad::mad::mad:

[Bobatea]

btw, mind telling us the settings of those pics you took??(ie. ISO speed, focusing location/areas etc.)..and did you use a tripod/monopod to hold the camera as well??..:p ;) :)

I set it at 1600 for ISO because it's hard with a normal telephoto lens to capture such quick action otherwise. I used manual focusing because auto focus doesn't focus quick enough and it also tends to focus on the things I don't want it to focus on. Downside to that is that without perfect vision(I have contacts and stigmatism, so occassionally I'm out of focus), I don't necessarily have it focused correctly. I want to get laser eye surgery soon :rolleyes: . I didn't use a tripod/monopod because... well I don't have one :o . I wish I had a video camera because then I would've been able to set one up to record the matches. The Japan Open allowed for video recording as long as you signed a waiver stating that it was for personal use only and also hanged a special pass on your camera to indicate that you have signed the waiver.


Entirely right cappy. Badminton is just like wine. You enjoy it more if you know more.:)

Ecellent pic bobatea. Did you have any problems taking the photos? Problems specifically related to security stopping you taking photos? Enjoy yourself at the finals.

There was no security checkpoints. They didn't question people bringing in cameras or video cameras. They were rather strict with the rules though. The staff was constantly checking every video camera that was setup to make sure that they had hanged the pass that indicated that they had signed the waiver. Also, no food or drinks were allowed in the S level seating area. There were also constant reminders regarding no flash photography because some people just weren't that smart, forgot to turn off the flash, or just didn't listen or couldn't speak English or Japanese.

[Simp84]

I am disgusted by LD's attitude as well!!! :mad::mad::mad:
don't be.. he did it so many times already I think we got used to it lol

[phaarix]

don't be.. he did it so many times already I think we got used to it lol

Yeah, I'm not too worried either :). It's nothing new :p.

[felicialim]

don't be.. he did it so many times already I think we got used to it lol

Well, i am used to the chinese players complaining to the umpire abt their opponents too. Bao Chun Lai did that too in the third game against LCW in Madrid.But what i dislike most is the behaviour of Lin Dan.Peter gade was standing in front of the net and was waiting for him to return the shuttle back and Lin Dan just pushed it long to the back of the court purposely. I think this is inappropriate.

[Baderz_Jas]

Thank you guys for the lovely pics! LD has another cool shirt! :) I want them! hehe

[ctjcad]

I set it at 1600 for ISO because it's hard with a normal telephoto lens to capture such quick action otherwise. I used manual focusing because auto focus doesn't focus quick enough and it also tends to focus on the things I don't want it to focus on. Downside to that is that without perfect vision(I have contacts and stigmatism, so occassionally I'm out of focus), I don't necessarily have it focused correctly. I want to get laser eye surgery soon :rolleyes: . I didn't use a tripod/monopod because... well I don't have one :o . I wish I had a video camera because then I would've been able to set one up to record the matches. The Japan Open allowed for video recording as long as you signed a waiver stating that it was for personal use only and also hanged a special pass on your camera to indicate that you have signed the waiver.
Bobatea, thanks for sharing that info...i think the point you made abt not using the Autofocus feature is interesting..You should indeed visit the Badminton Photography sub-forum in here and chime in your opinions(i believe in one of the thread, they were discussing abt focusing on other areas to get the right exposure, or something like that)..BTW, i'm quite impressed when you said you did it mainly with manual focusing, you did a real fine job, esp. w/out using a tripod/monopod. Your pics came out great, so don't worry abt it.
**Off topic:Abt you getting a laser eye surgery, well, you can try, it's your choice. But i heard in some cases, in the long run, there *could be* some effects. What effects, that you have to find out..;)

[Bobatea]

Bobatea, thanks for sharing that info...i think the point you made abt not using the Autofocus feature is interesting..You should indeed visit the Badminton Photography sub-forum in here and chime in your opinions(i believe in one of the thread, they were discussing abt focusing on other areas to get the right exposure, or something like that)..BTW, i'm quite impressed when you said you did it mainly with manual focusing, you did a real fine job, esp. w/out using a tripod/monopod. Your pics came out great, so don't worry abt it.
**Off topic:Abt you getting a laser eye surgery, well, you can try, it's your choice. But i heard in some cases, in the long run, there *could be* some effects. What effects, that you have to find out..;)

I'll pop into the forum. I was also at the Thomas/Uber Cup and have some pictures that I took there that I can share, but they're not as good. I went to the first day of the tournament when it was held in Tokyo, and immediately went to go buy my camera before the Korea Uber Cup team played because I was not able to get any good pictures with my digital camera :o . Since I just got it (I charged the battery while I was eating lunch right after buying it...), I didn't know how to really set things so I used the preset dials. At the Japan Open, I manually set everything (ISO, aperture, shutter speed) so I was able to get better pictures.

Yeah, I heard you can only get laser eye surgery once too, and that there are rumors of side effects. I heard that there are new contacts coming out that correct stigmatism, so I'll have to grab those before next years Korea and Japan Open ;) . I'm definitely attending those if Tony and Candra are able to compete and try and defend their titles. Maybe I'll try to go to Hong Kong too for the first time for the Hong Kong Open... all for Tony and Candra :D

[Bobatea]

Final set of pictures for the semis.

[hara^kazuko]

Peter Gade left a shot at the backline because he believed it was out. From my vantage point it definitely looked out, but the line judge called it in. Peter Gade couldn't believe it and stared at the line judge and the shuttle for a few seconds. Lin Dan immediately went over to the umpire and complained about Peter Gade's conduct. Peter Gade walked off court a little to throw off some sweat and then returned the shuttle to Lin Dan. The umpire called Peter over and said a few words and Peter showed that he understood. Peter returned and got ready to continue, but Lin Dan stood there a little bit doing some hand motions towards the umpire asking the umpire if he talked to Peter Gade. The umpire motioned that he did and told Lin Dan to continue. Lin Dan tried to trick Peter with a quick flick serve, but Peter Gade read it and quickly killed it. Peter was waiting to get the shuttle back, but Lin Dan purposely hit the shuttle past Peter towards the back of the court. Peter showed disgust with Lin Dan's conduct and just indicated to the umpire that the conduct was inappropriate and walked back to get the shuttle. The umpire called Lin Dan over, but he somewhat ignored the umpire and then started indicating that he understood what the umpire was trying to say, but the umpire wanted Lin Dan to come over. Without looking at the umpire or really listening to him, Lin Dan just walked over and put up a hand showing that he understood and just walked back. Peter Gade seemed rather upset with Lin Dan's conduct, and also with the line calls he was getting because the same line judge made some horrible calls a few more times.

Every player stares a little at the line judge and the shuttle in disbelief whenever they believe a bad line call has been made, most players do even worse, but if it's only the first time you usually just let it go and your opponent just waits around unless you're taking a little too much time. But Lin Dan just immediately went to the umpire to complain without waiting. Honestly I found that rather uncalled for, and Peter was obviously not happy with Lin Dan after that point.

thanks a lot, this is very well-described.

[Baderz_Jas]

thanks for the pics again Bobatea.. :)

[ctjcad]

Final set of pictures for the semis.
Bobatea, thanks again for these last sets of pics...i noticed the 2 OCBC gals(Eva Lee and Mesinee M.) sitting quite relaxed alongside Tony, probably having quite a fun time in Tokyo...:) :cool:

[Bobatea]

Bobatea, thanks again for these last sets of pics...i noticed the 2 OCBC gals(Eva Lee and Mesinee M.) sitting quite relaxed alongside Tony, probably having quite a fun time in Tokyo...:) :cool:

They they seemed like they were having some fun. If Wendy Carter (coached the US Uber Cup team for this year) was here too, I would've probably hung out with them :cool: . Howard, Eric, and Bob were also here in Japan. I'll find that photo and put it up.

[ctjcad]

They they seemed like they were having some fun. If Wendy Carter (coached the US Uber Cup team for this year) was here too, I would've probably hung out with them :cool: . Howard, Eric, and Bob were also here in Japan. I'll find that photo and put it up.
ah, so you are familiar with the OCBC gang then??..;) :)

[Bobatea]

ah, so you are familiar with the OCBC gang then??..;) :)

Unfortunately, no:o . I've never been to OCBC and only met most of the Uber Cup team because they were here in Japan, and I knew Wendy Carter so she introduced me to the team. I got them all to sign a shirt for me :p . I've talked with Tony and Candra because I kind of "stalked" all the pro players :D . I was having coffee with Wendy at the hotel since it was a coincidence for us to meet in Japan, and as I was leaving I saw Tony and Candra walk in. After some quick thinking, I decided to run after them and got Candra to sign a shirt for me :o . I was in awe because ALL the players were staying in that hotel.

I heard rumors that the Junior Nationals for next year will change U22 to U23. If that's true, I may just be at OCBC. But, from a source I found out that it isn't going to happen. Oh well. Here's the picture.