Skytree Nightfall
There’s a reason magic hour is called that – the colors in the sky in the hour after the sun goes down can be incredible. Unfortunately, aside from the various observatories in Tokyo, there aren’t a whole lot of great places to photograph those colors. While I still prefer the combo of those colors with a great scenic beach or mountainous landscape, the view of the Tokyo Skytree and surrounding buildings from the Arakawa River...
Movement of Shiraito Falls
Today’s photo comes from the lovely Shiraito Falls in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. I posted several photos from this waterfall several months ago, but I had a lot of work to do on this one before it would be ready for sharing. The main reason it took so much processing is that I didn’t expose for the shot as I should have. Check out the three exposures I used for today’s photo: As you can see,...
Evening Begins In Tokyo
I may have said this before, but Ueno Station in Tokyo is one of my favorite train stations. Much of the photography you see out of Tokyo is focused around the Central or Western areas – places like Shinjuku or Shibuya, for example – and I think places like Ueno are comparatively less popular. Personally, I think the area surrounding Ueno Station is much more diverse, particularly as a photographer. There are shopping streets with...
Photographing Summer Fireworks
Everyone loves fireworks! They’re beautiful, bright, and just generally awesome. And no matter where you live, you’re likely to have at least one day during the year when your town hosts a grand fireworks display. In Japan this is certainly the case, particularly during the month of August, when fireworks festivals are held across the country. As a photographer, a fireworks display is lots of fun to shoot, but it can also seem a bit...
Bamboo Forest of Hokokuji
Although the bamboo forest of Arashiyama in Kyoto is likely Japan’s most famous bamboo grove (and for good reason), there are many other splendid bamboo groves around the country. The grove connected to Hokokuji Temple in Kamakura is a great example of this. Although Hokokuji itself is rather small and a bit out of the way, it’s a great place to visit if you’re in the Kamakura area. Not only can you take in the...