This weeks photo shoot brings us to the shores of Ashinoko Lake in the Hakone mountains located about 100 km (approx. 62 miles) south of Tokyo.
Access by car to a parking lot that is free (as of this blog post):
If access by train, I would recommend this route which will bring you to the southeastern shore of the lake:
The lake was formed after the eruption of a volcano over 3,000 years ago. The lake is popular for fishing, sightseeing, and is home to many historical sites:
- Hakone-Jinja Shrine
- Former Summer Palace for Imperial Family
- Hakone Tokaido Checkpoint & Old Tokaido Highway
There are many more attractions in the area around the lake including hot spring resorts, famous restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops, western hotels, Japanese style inns, museums, ropeways, and much more.
The cedar trees lining the route to the shrine are about 350 to 400 years old. A wide angle lens in a portrait orientation is needed to capture the full height of these trees. This was the widest I could get without including distractions on the sides using a standard kit lens. I chose an aperture of ƒ/25 to maximize depth of field while trying to maintain a minimum amount of sharpness. The smaller aperture combined with a cloudy sky right after sunrise necessitated a 30-second exposure.
Staircase to Shinto Shrine
Pentax KP + smc PENTAX-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6
28 mm ISO 100 for 30 sec. at ƒ/25
#trees #moss #anzansugi #JapaneseCedar #cedartree #Hakone #HakoneShrine #Japan #landscapephotography
#風景写真 #箱根神社 #箱根 #木 #コケ #安産杉 #箱根神社
This shot did not turn out as I had expected. I chose a larger aperture to soften the tree in the background which introduced too much light from the sky behind the tree. In hindsight, I should have used an ND filter or at least an 8-stop ND grad.
Stone Lantern at Mountain Shrine
Pentax KP + smc PENTAX-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6
53 mm ISO 100 for 1.3 sec. at ƒ/9.0
#stonelantern #kasugastyle #moss #HakoneShrine #Hakone #Japan #stilllifephotography
#石灯篭 #春日型 #コケ #箱根神社 #箱根 #静物写真
This was another shot that proved disappointing as well. I think the original concept was good, but there were too many objects along the edges of the frame that were blurred by the breeze, the autumn colors were dull, and water surface reflected too much light in spite of using a circular polarizer. This photo was heavily edited in Lightroom. Pixel peeking will review the the awful results. Photo is OK I guess if viewed on a tiny mobile screen.
Volcanic Crater Lake and Early Autumn Foliage
Pentax KP + smc PENTAX-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6
100 mm ISO 400 for 1/125 sec. at ƒ/5.6
#trees #autumn #foliage #lake #Ashinoko #Hakone #Japan #landscapephotography
#風景写真 #紅葉 #箱根 #木 #芦ノ湖
This shot was taken at a different angle in relation to the sun, so the circular polarizer was much more effective at cutting reflected light. Unfortunately, if you zoom in on the shot, you'll notice that the foliage is not sharp since this is a 30-second exposure, which softened the water and clouds, but there was a light breeze that shook the foliage on the right.
Early Autumn Foliage
Pentax KP + smc PENTAX-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6
48 mm ISO 100 for 30.0 sec. at ƒ/18
#trees #autumn #foliage #lake #Ashinoko #Hakone #Japan #landscapephotography
#風景写真 #紅葉 #箱根 #木 #芦ノ湖
I struggled with this composition. I wanted to convey the age of this historical building and felt that the mist in the mountaintop added to the mystery or mood of the building. Unfortunately, I don't think this emotion is conveyed to the viewer. This photo just might appear to be some random old building to the viewer. Maybe if I should have zoomed in on a particular architectural element, such as one of the lamps hanging from the corners of the roof eaves.
Historical Hot Spring Resort
Pentax KP + smc PENTAX-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6
100 mm ISO 100 for 5.0 sec. at ƒ/11
#resort #historicalbuilding #Ryuguden #lake #Ashinoko #Hakone #Japan #landscapephotography #TakogawaOnsen
#風景写真 #蛸川温泉 #箱根 #芦ノ湖 #龍宮殿
Finally, this is probably the only photo I feel good about from this photo shoot. The sun had risen to a height and angle that allowed the polarizer to do its job at cutting out reflections of light from the water surface. Although there is a lot of noise in the top of the frame, photo most closely expresses the ethereal emotion that this scene invoked in me.
Lake Ashinoko Shoreline
Pentax KP + smc PENTAX-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6
18 mm ISO 100 for 30.0 sec. at ƒ/22
#stone #lake #longexposure #moss #Ashinoko #Hakone #Japan #landscapephotography
#石 #湖 #長時間露光写真 #コケ #芦ノ湖 #箱根 #風景写真
Gear used for this photo shoot:
Camera: Pentax KP
Standard zoom lens: smc Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL[IF] DC WR
Telephoto zoom lens: HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE
Tripod: Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 (carbon fiber legs with quick locking clamps)
Ball head: Manfrotto Cloud XPRO Series Ballhead BHQ2 with 200PL locking plate
Video camera: Canon EOS Kiss M/M50 Double Zoom Kit
SIGMA 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary C017 (Canon EF-M Mount, APS-C Size, Mirrorless Only)
PolarPro 67mm QuartzLine Circular Polarizer Filter
Zhiyun Weebill-S Gimbal
Synco Wireless Microphone
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Music Tracks Licensed for this video through Epidemic Sound. Visit this link to subscribe:
"Morning Traffic" composed and performed by Raymond Grouse.
"Solemn Nights" composed and performed by Placidic.
"You Can See Us From the Moon" composed and performed by Christian Andersen.
"Noble Heart" composed and performed by Placidic.
"True Self" composed and performed by Jon Björk.
"Vivid Memories" composed and performed by August Wilhelmsson.
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