Pix4Japan: Train and Sea

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.