Pix4Japan: 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.