Pix4Japan: May 2020

2020-05-25

Train and Sea

Drove to central Yokohama in the evening on an overcast day and searched for a parking space that wasn't too expensive but within walking distance of the waterfront area of Yokohama.

My goal for this photo shoot was to take some shots primarily of the waterfront area, and to give my dog a nice, long walk on a cool summer evening.

Shots of the trains were taken while standing on Hirado-bashi Bridge, which sits between Yokohama Station and Tobe Station on the Keikyu Line.

Thinking of the Keikyu Line brings back some memories. Many years ago when working for Fujitsu at one of their offices in Tokyo, I had to commute on the Keikyu Line for about 40 minutes each way during rush hour. Although it was uncomfortable riding a crowded train bound for Tokyo every day, the express trains on the Keikyu Line were (and are) very fast making the commute more bearable otherwise! Most of the tracks are raised several stories above ground between central Yokohama and Tokyo, which helps the trains run quickly and on time.

Throughout this outing, I wasn't able to find many satisfactory compositions. As for the train shots, I wanted to catch the motion of the trains with a long exposure. I have shot light trails before back in my film camera days, but I haven't tried it during the day with a DSLR. Overall, I like how the red train cars and green foliage and green river contrast with each other.

From the bridge, I walked to Rinko Park in the Minato Mirai district on the waterfront which was about 30 minutes away on foot. By the time we reached the water's edge, it was already dark. I kept scouting for some compositions and got a few shots of the bay and Yokohama Port.

I would like to take nightscapes where there is greater contrast--bright ship lights with a darker sky. The night sky in the city is overwhelmed with so much light that I don't think it is possible to create a shot with a darker sky in camera. I am a novice when it comes to Photoshop, so I would much rather achieve my vision for a shot in camera than in post processing.

This particular photo shoot was not very productive in terms of various compositions. It was nice, however, to get out with my dog and to scout for future sites that might produce some satisfactory results when I come back again.

Red Commuter Train

A commuter train starting to cross a bridge as it departs from Tobe Station on the Keikyu Line in downtown Yokohama, Japan.

Pentax KP 31mm ISO 100 for 2.0 sec. at ƒ/14

#train #bridge #canal #urban #Yokohama #Japan

#電車 #川 #橋 #平戸橋 #帷子川 #京急電鉄 #横浜

Portfolio: pix4japan.myportfolio.com.

Red Commuter Train

A commuter train starting to cross a bridge as it departs from Tobe Station on the Keikyu Line in downtown Yokohama, Japan.

Pentax KP 31mm ISO 100 for 2.0 sec. at ƒ/14

#train #bridge #canal #urban #Yokohama #Japan

#電車 #川 #橋 #平戸橋 #帷子川 #京急電鉄 #横浜

Portfolio: pix4japan.myportfolio.com.

Life Ring

Life ring on rails along the Rinko Park waterfront promenade in the Port of Yokohama, Japan.

Pentax KP 21mm ISO 100 for 30 sec. at ƒ/6.3

#lifering #waterfront #port #cityscape #Yokohama #Japan

#救命浮輪 #ウォーターフロントの遊歩道 #海の反射 #横浜港 #横浜

Portfolio: pix4japan.myportfolio.com.

Ferry

Reflections of a ferry docked at Shinko Pier Cruise Terminal in the Port of Yokohama, Japan.

Pentax KP 36mm ISO 100 for 30 sec. at ƒ/10

#ferry #waterfront #port #cityscape #nightscape #ShinkoPier #Yokohama #Japan

#客船 #新港ふ頭客船ターミナル #夜景 #横浜港 #横浜

Portfolio: pix4japan.myportfolio.com.

Pix4Japan by Iketani, Daisei is licensed under a
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Permissions beyond the scope of this license are available at Caubarrere Piché LLC.

2020-05-20

Shasui Falls

Located near the head of the Tanzawa River, this waterfall is part of Saishō-ji, a Buddhist temple that is located nearby.

The waterfall is only a 5-minute walk from the parking area provided for tourists located shortly downstream.

Location on Google Maps:

https://goo.gl/maps/A1k7F5bJR9eQyDHp8

The falls are used by the clergy and monks of the nearby Saisho-ji Temple, and is also a holy site for Japanese mountain ascetic hermits. Members of both traditions stand directly under the fall and endure the water striking the head and upper body during a purification ceremony.

Unfortunately, super typhoon, Typhoon Hagibis, wreaked havoc on this area (as well as the rest of Japan) back in October 2019. As of this posting, there is still a substantial amount of debris and damage to the trail and bridges leading to the waterfall.

The only way to access it now is to risk injury climbing along the damaged banks, or climb up the middle of the stream if the water current is not too strong or too deep.

Fortunately, when I visited with my dog, the stream was not deep at all and most of the debris seemed securely lodged into their positions creating a kind of staircase to the upper portion of the river where you can stand next to the falls.

I reached this location about an hour before sunset after a 4-hour drive. If the evening sun ever shines through the forest canopy, I was too late to witness it.

Due to the encroaching darkness, all of the shots were taken with long exposures to capture as much light as possible. I feel that the large boulders were a bit overwhelming in my composition. Maybe if there was more water volume, or maybe if I had come before the typhoon there would be less rock visible.

One advantage to visiting a location that has been damaged by a natural disaster is the lack of tourist buses and the crowds that debark from the. Although these shots are not very good and seem more cluttered than I'd like, being alone with my dog at this location was definitely worth the time and effort to get here.

Shasui Falls

Flooding caused by Typhoon Hagibis back in October 2019 caused some damage to the verillon bridge leading up Shasui Falls, which is one of tributaries of Tanzawa River.

Pentax KP 46mm ISO 1600 for 0.6 sec. at ƒ/18

#waterfall #river #bridge #NationalPark #Shasui #Japan

#滝 #川 #橋 #滝沢川 #洒水の滝 #日本の滝百選 #全国名水百選

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

Bridge to Shasui Falls

The bridge to Shasui Falls remains damaged and littered with debris from the super typhoon that came in October 2019.

Pentax KP 40mm ISO 100 for 30.0 sec. at ƒ/14

#waterfall #river #bridge #NationalPark #Shasui #Japan

#滝 #川 #橋 #滝沢川 #洒水の滝 #日本の滝百選 #全国名水百選

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

Clastic Sedimentary Rock

Erosion has exposed the clasts that helped build these huge boulders that now rest downriver from Shasui Falls.

Pentax KP 18mm ISO 100 for 25.0 sec. at ƒ/16

#river #stone #boulder #NationalPark #ShasuiFalls #Japan

#川 #石 #滝沢川 #洒水の滝 #日本の滝百選 #全国名水百選

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

Purification Falls

Used by monks from the nearby Buddhist temple for a purification ceremony where they stand directly under the fall as the water strikes their head and upper body.

Pentax KP 18mm ISO 100 for 6.0 sec. at ƒ/11

#ShasuiFalls #purification #Buddhism #Japan

#滝沢川 #洒水の滝 #浄化の滝 #日本の滝百選 #全国名水百選

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

Tanzawa River

Japanese-style vermilion bridge crossing the Tanzawa river downstream from Shasui Falls.

Pentax KP 40mm ISO 100 for 30.0 sec. at ƒ/4.5

#river #bridge #NationalPark #ShasuiFalls #Japan

#川 #橋 #滝沢川 #洒水の滝 #日本の滝百選 #全国名水百選

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

2020-05-19

Dog in Grass

I take Dale-chan for a walk every morning for about 30 minutes or longer so that she can have a chance to relieve herself and to burn up some energy before I leave home for work. During summer, I need to be extra careful to take her out earlier in the morning so that she doesn't burn her paws on the hot asphalt.

From what I understand, border collies were originally bred to herd sheep in the the much cooler climate of the border region between England and Scotland. This breed of dog was never expected to be a pet in a the hot, humid, tropical climate of a Japanese summer.

Original shot in camera ↑

Final shot after post-processing ↓

Dog and Ball

Pentax KP 135mm ISO 6400 for 1/320 sec. at ƒ/11

#BorderCollie #dog #pet #companion #dogwalk #Japan

#ボーダーコリー #犬 #ペット #愛犬 #キャッチボール

Original shot in camera ↑

Final shot after post-processing ↓

Dog in Grass

Pentax KP 68mm ISO 3200 for 1/125 sec. at ƒ/4.5

#BorderCollie #dog #pet #companion #dogwalk #Japan

#ボーダーコリー #犬 #ペット #愛犬 #キャッチボール

Daikoku Pier West Park

One of my favorite landmarks in the Port of Yokohama is the the Yokohama Bay Bridge. Although it is not as beautiful as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Yokohama Bay Bridge remains a popular tourist attraction, is a critical part of the local infrastructure, and a proud symbol of Yokohama city.

For this photo shoot, my dog and I left home at about 2:00 a.m. and reached the Daikoku Pier West Park in less than an hour. The park lies on the water's edge where ships sail into the Port of Yokohama from Tokyo Bay.

Daikoku Pier West Park on Google Maps:

https://goo.gl/maps/RpwYUZN9YHtutooJ6

Completed in 1990, the Daikoku Pier West Park is a popular destination during the weekend for folks who enjoy fishing. In the evening, the park becomes a so-called "date spot" as young couples visit the park for its romantic and beautiful views of the Port of Yokohama. The third group of visitors to the park would most likely be photographers.

For this photo shoot, some extra preparation was called for due to the poor weather. I brought rain boots, rain pants, a rain jacket, and a large umbrella (to keep the camera equipment dry). My border collie loves the rain, so she didn't need any preparations other than some water and doggy snacks.

We reached the park around 3:00 a.m. and drove around for an additional 20 or 30 minutes looking for a parking lot that was located within walking distance. We finally found a parking lot and first visited the park to: 1) confirm that the park was accessible in the middle of the night; 2) let the dog have a chance to relieve herself; and 3) scouted around from various vantages in search of compositions.

The park is quite small with most of the surrounding area being private property with huge tall fences to keep out unauthorized entry. My vantages were limited to close-up views of the bridge at only three angles: a) the eastern side of the bridge; b) directly under the bridge; and c) and the western side of the bridge.

With accessibility and vantages confirmed, the dog and I headed back to the car and got the camera gear, and some dog food and water. We returned to the park shortly, set up the gear, and tied the umbrella to the side of the tripod. The pouring rain was got worse and the wind picked up speed. Fortunately, the umbrella did not blow away and was critical in keeping water off of the front of the lens.

While I focused on shooting pictures, the border collie spent her time barking and chasing after crows who were trying to devour a dead fish that was lying on the pier. How the fish got there, I have no idea. Maybe it was caught by a bird of prey and got dropped? The dog got lots of exercise and was able to run freely since we were the only ones at the park in the middle of the night.

My first shots were taken about 30 minutes before sunrise. The weather seemed to worsen and a fog started rolling in. The sky was initially a dark blue, but as we got closer to sunrise, the yellowish lamp posts lining the piers on the other side of the bay created a warm, soft violet color that was ever more visible as the clouds descended and the blue hour got brighter.

Soon after sunrise, the whites and cooler tones of blues and grays become increasingly prominent, which can be seen in the shot of the bridge girders below and the last shot at the end of this post.

Overall, I was satisfied with this photo shoot. I wouldn't say my shots are great as there are limitless photos online of this bridge that were taken during clear weather with beautiful lighting. Personally, I prefer moodier shots, and this particular photo shoot gave me plenty of opportunity to play with the contrast of a soft fog enveloping the hard lines of man-made structures.

I finished up at around 5:00 a.m., loaded up the gear and dog, and headed back home.

It was a productive night and I was able to achieve several of my goals for this photo shoot:

1. Taking shots in a downpour without drenching the equipment even though my gear is weather resistant.

2. Experimenting with a circular polarizer when there is no direct harsh sunlight.

3. Practicing how to focus on the subject under low-light conditions using live-view zoomed in with a high ISO as opposed to the view finder (my preferred method).

4. Experimenting with various methods of stabilizing the tripod under high-wind conditions.

5. Scouting the area for future photo shoot opportunities.

Original shot in camera ↑

Final shot after post-processing ↓

Yokohama Bay Bridge

Pentax KP 18mm ISO 100 for 6 sec. at ƒ/3.5

#bridge #DaikokuPier #cablestayed #YokhamaPort #YokohamaBayBridge #Yokohama #Japan

#橋 #湾 #横浜港 #横浜ベイブリッジ #大黒ふ頭西緑地 #横浜

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

Original shot in camera ↑

Final shot after post-processing ↓

Yokohama Bay Bridge

Pentax KP 18mm ISO 100 for 30 sec. at ƒ/14

#bridge #DaikokuPier #cablestayed #YokhamaPort #YokohamaBayBridge #Yokohama #Japan

#橋 #湾 #横浜港 #横浜ベイブリッジ #大黒ふ頭西緑地 #横浜

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

Original shot in camera ↑

Final shot after post-processing ↓

Yokohama Bay Bridge Girders

Pentax KP 18mm ISO 100 for 15 sec. at ƒ/11

#bridge #DaikokuPier #cablestayed #YokhamaPort #YokohamaBayBridge #Yokohama #Japan

#橋 #湾 #横浜港 #横浜ベイブリッジ #大黒ふ頭西緑地 #横浜

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

Original shot in camera ↑

Final shot after post-processing ↓

Lighthouse

Pentax KP 18 mm ISO 100 for 25 sec. at ƒ/16

#lighthouse #marker #navigation #port #harbor #Yokohama #Japan

#灯台 #舷灯 #航海 #港 #大黒ふ頭西緑地 #横浜

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

Original shot in camera ↑

Final shot after post-processing ↓

Yokohama Bay Bridge & Lighthouse

Pentax KP 18mm ISO 100 for 6 sec. at ƒ/14

#bridge #DaikokuPier #cablestayed #YokhamaPort #YokohamaBayBridge #Yokohama #Japan

#橋 #湾 #横浜港 #横浜ベイブリッジ #大黒ふ頭西緑地 #横浜

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

2020-05-12

Ryugu Sea Cave

The Ryugu Sea Cave is located about 4 hours southwest of Tokyo or about half that time if you take the toll expressways. You can also access the cave in about 3 hours from Tokyo if you take the bullet train, local lines, and a bus.

Google Maps:

https://goo.gl/maps/VfcRXVrxLyGbag3E7

After getting home at around 11:00 p.m. from my day job, I took the dog for a quick walk to let her pee and poo before starting to pack my camera gear and going through my list of items not to forget.

I packed the car and we (the dog and I) left home at around 1:00 a.m. and reached the sea cave at around 5:00 a.m. There was no parking available that early in the morning, so I had to find an empty space on the side of the road that was about a 20-minute walk from the cave.

Having drove all night without a break, I was exhausted. But the second I entered the cave, all the exhaustion disappeared and I grew excited imagining what kinds of compositions I could achieve.

To be honest, I found it difficult to find a good composition at this site. If I had brought a graduated ND filter, I could have caught the beautiful blue colors of the ocean and sky that were visible from the entrance of the cave. I also struggled with how long of an exposure of the waves I wanted and was not exactly sure what f-stops would work best.

Of the shots taken, I would probably say that the first and third ones below are my favorites.

For the first shot, I wanted to create a leading line from the boulder along the reflected light and out to the exterior of the cave.

For the third shot, I tried to used the beach of rocks leading from the boulder to the opposing wall of the cave to create a leading line ending with the cinnamon-colored wall that was similar to the color of the large boulder in the foreground.

Overall, this photo shoot was a good experience as I tried to take advantage of the circular polarizer to minimize reflections from the water surface and the wet rocks (which seemed to work well in these shots).

This was also the first time I had used a 64 ND filter (6 stops of light) to create the effect of misty water. With the filter on, it was difficult to guess how long of an exposure would have been ideal. I really need to learn the maths for this or buy an app to help me do the calculation automatically.

On the way home, the dog and I were both beyond help and had to pull over to the side of the road to catch a nap for about an hour or so. We finally made it home at around 3 or 4 p.m. that evening.

It was an exhausting 32-hour day with only that 1-hour nap during the drive home. Still, I can't wait to head out for another site again in the near future.

Before ↑ and After ↓

Ryugu Sea Cave

Shot of calm waves from the Pacific Ocean washing into this sea cave on the Izu Coastline of Eastern Japan.

Pentax KP 28mm ISO 100 for 2.5 sec. at ƒ/14

#rocks #boulders #waves #cave #ocean #sea #coastline #Izu #Japan

#海 #龍宮窟 #沿岸 #海の洞窟 #下田市 #伊豆半島 #静岡県

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

Commercial licensing available at pix4japan.picfair.com.

Before ↑ and After ↓

Cinnamon Colored

Erosion reveals multiple layers of cinnamon colored volcanic lapillus on the walls of the Ryugu Sea Cave on the Izu Coastline of Eastern Japan.

Pentax KP 18mm ISO 100 for 25 sec. at ƒ/16

#cave #wall #seacave #ocean #sea #coastline #Japan

#海 #龍宮窟 #沿岸 #海の洞窟 #下田市 #伊豆半島 #静岡県

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

Commercial licensing available at pix4japan.picfair.com.

Before ↑ and After ↓

Collapsed Ceiling

As the waves washed in and eroded the volcanic lapillus walls, the ceiling of the cave eventually collapsed creating a huge skylight that allows you to more clearly see the contrast between the aqua blue waters and the cinnamon-colored volcanic lapillus of the cavern walls.

Pentax KP 18mm ISO 100 for 25 sec. at ƒ/16

#cave #wall #seacave #ocean #sea #coastline #Japan

#海 #龍宮窟 #沿岸 #海の洞窟 #下田市 #伊豆半島 #静岡県

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

Commercial licensing available at pix4japan.picfair.com.

Before ↑ and After ↓

Border Collie at Sea Cave

She found a stick that must have tasted good enough to gnaw on while I was taking shots. Either that or she was just bored waiting for me to finish up.

Pentax KP 100mm ISO 3200 for 1/160 sec. at ƒ/5.6

#BorderCollie #dog #pet #sheepdog #companion #ocean #Izu #RyuguSeaCave #Japan

#ボーダーコリー #犬 #ペット #牧畜犬 #愛犬 #海 #龍宮窟 #伊豆半島 #静岡県

Fine art prints available at pix4japan.darkroom.tech.

Commercial licensing available at pix4japan.picfair.com.

2020-05-05

Slopes of Mt. Fuji

Left home at around 10:00 a.m. and reached the 5th station of the Gotemba trailhead that leads to the peak of Mt. Fuji at 3:30 in the afternoon. Although there are many other trailheads, this is the only one that I was familiar with that had a parking lot. In fact, this is the same trailhead I took to climb Mt. Fuji back around 1985 or 1986.

Although the trailhead was closed to vehicular traffic, I was able to find a rest area on the side of the highway about 3 or 4 kilometers from the trail head. I parked the car and hiked up to the trailhead where I was able to find the exact landscape that I was looking for--solemn dark volcanic rock and ash enveloped in mist and fog rolling down from the upper slopes of Mt. Fuji.

My border collie took full advantage of this trip to chase some deer we saw grazing along the way.

Taking long exposure shots was a bit difficult since the fog was moving fast and engulfing the trees as I was setting up the tripod. My faithful dog happily took a rest from chasing deer and patiently waited for me to take numerous shot at various apertures and exposure times.

Here are original shots taken in camera and the following edits using Adobe Lightroom: