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On Growth | RX1 | 1/80s f/11.0 ISO200 35mm
These trees are so heavily pruned each year, I'm routinely amazed by their relentlessness. This particular tree stands about 10m tall, and is considerably old. There are two such trees, either side of the University of Tokyo's Main Building, pictured below (photo taken almost 1 year ago with my NEX-C3 & SEL16F28). The tree above is pictured in the far left of this image:
Hanabi | RX1 | 4s f/16.0 ISO100 35mm
We moved to Japan exactly two months before the Great East Japan Earthquake. The ensuing aftermath, including the disaster at the nuclear power station in Fukushima, meant that the majority of festivities and celebrations were cancelled throughout the eastern region of Japan. It's been quite difficult since then, to know what "typical" festivities occur around the area throughout the year. I think we've finally got it nailed down.
A good friend of mine, whom I met in Manchester many years ago, invited us to a house party and BBQ close to the Ichikawa district east of Tokyo in Chiba prefecture. The plan was to eat and drink, and then see the fireworks on display further up Edogawa.
An extremely impressive firework display
I should have expected it really. The Japanese do not do things by halves. This was the largest, loudest, and longest firework display I've ever seen in my life. The first set went up at around 19:15, and ran through constantly until 20:30. After each cluster, the crowd of thousands would cheer and applaud.
All festivals in Japan have one thing in common; market stalls. They seemingly spring up out of nowhere, serving hot food and ice-cold drinks in abundance.
This stall is selling pan-fried noodles
Fireworks are tricky customers to photograph. This festival actually marks my first attempt at firework photography. It was hard balancing aperture and shutter speed, and most crucially timing .
The bang from this cluster was deafening
I took a [not-so-] brief video of the fireworks, just for my archives, but I'll place it here in case you'd like to watch [~ 5 min]
Edogawa Fireworks Festival 2013・江戸川区花火大会「２０１３年」
Thousands of people turned up. There were even 20+ boats in the river! I have no idea how many people lined the riverbanks, but the applause, "oohs" and "ahhs", filled the summer air. The weather was fantastic. Britain isn't known for firework displays, and its main "bonfire night" is on the 5th of November, which means cold weather, and probably rain. Urgh. The Japanese have it right. Huge firework displays in the summer, where you can watch in late-evening summer heat, with an ice cold beer in hand.
The finalé was suitably impressive, and lit up the surrounding area, including the boats in the river.
Constructive boredom | RX1 | 1/160s f/11.0 ISO100 35mm
There's an awful lot of building work going on at the moment. So much so, that I am not sure if the cicadas or builders are making more noise. Under such conditions it's hard to have a moment's peace, though this construction worker's managed it.
Lines | RX1 | 1/200s f/2.0 ISO1600
Look up in Japan, and you may see something similar to this. There's an abundance of overhead cabling so dense, it's a wonder there's any room for birds to reach the ground. I hardly notice it these days. Having lived here for almost three years, I'm completely used to the criss-cross aloft.
No bikes | RX1 | 1/200s f/2.8 ISO16000 35mm
This apartment block, quintessentially Japanese in every way, had an interesting sign on the staircase: "No bicycles allowed". The tenants solved this by parking their bikes at the foot of the stairs. No rules broken. Phew! :)
At ISO 16,000 (!) many cameras this size (if they could shoot at ISO levels that high) would show nothing but a smudged mess. I'm continually impressed by this little RX1.
Fluttering By | RX1 | 1/80s f/8.0 ISO100 35mm
I noticed the briefest moment of sunshine during my lunch break, and took the opportunity to get to know my camera a little more. I took a number of photos in the vicinity of my workplace, including the above butterfly photograph. As I baked in the sun like a komodo dragon waiting for prey, this little guy fluttered by. At no more than 2cm long, I thought I'd test the native macro capabilities of the RX1. Deftly turning the focussing element until the 0,2m - 0,35m (it's got German Zeiss markings, thus a comma represents a decimal), I held the camera out at arms length and took the above snapshot. Below are two 95% crops. I'm simple astounded by the performance of this camera. The difference from the NEX-7 and SEL24F18Z is night and day.
I am not used to shooting at f/8 unless nearly blinded by the sun. Even in strong sunlight, I am not used to using ISO levels above ISO200. ISO800 used to be my own personal "upper limit". The above two photos were at ISO400. Two ~95% crops! I am still in awe of this sensor/lens combination. At f/2 it is pin-sharp. Bokeh is gorgeous, throughout the entire range. Sharpness and pixel-level performance do not make a good photo, but it certainly is nice to lose oneself in the creation of a photograph, rather than concerning oneself with technological limits.
Rustic | RX1 | 1/80s f/2.8 ISO640 35mm
I'm still getting used to my new camera, so it's just as well that the weather is terrible at the moment, otherwise I'd be in danger of letting technology get in the way of art. This rusty pipe caught my eye when I left the office tonight. It was essentially twilight, but the low light was no match for the fast lens and high ISO of the RX1.
Exuvia | RX1 | 1/200s f/8.0 ISO1250 35mm
Over 40% of my photolibrary this year was captured using the Zeiss 24/1.8 for Sony E-mount (which translates to a focal length of 35mm on a camera with a "full-frame" sensor). Personally, I felt that figure should have been more like 95% - but if I look back at "keepers" rather than total shots, the figure is closer to 80%.
I liked the Zeiss rendering. I liked the bokeh afforded by f/1.8. I liked the 35mm (equivalent) field of view. There wasn't much not to like. In fact, I think it's the best lens for the NEX system. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat.
I sold the lens on Sunday afternoon. Why? Well, this post marks the start of photos taken with my new camera, the Sony RX1. The Sony DSC-RX1 is a camera with a "full frame" sensor, and a fixed length 35mm Zeiss lens, in an ultraportable package. It's far smaller than the NEX-7, and that's saying something. I'm learning all about the camera, but managed to get away at lunch time to the nearby lake, and saw this exuvia attached to a nearby tree. The cicadas are deafening now. Like me with my new camera, they're all coming out to play.
Heavily-cropped photo of a duck
Full-summer is just around the corner. Once these evening storms abide, temperatures won't fall below 30°C until September...
This isn't the first time I've taken pictures of lilies, and it won't be the last. Usually, if I post photos of lilies, they'll be ones I've bought for Charlotte. Every now and then, we see wild lilies growing here in Japan, but we've never seen anything like this.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the " Golden rayed lily of Japan"
山百合 [Yamayuri] | NEX-7 & SEL24F18Z | 1/1600s f/2.0 ISO100 24mm
From Wikipedia:
The flower colour is typically white with gold radial markings and orange spots, but variations in flower colour and markings are known. For example the variety platyphyllum, which bears a gold stripe along the tepals but lacks spots. The strongly scented flowers are the largest of any lily species and the largest plants, which can reach 2.5 metres (8 ft), can carry up to twenty of these.
The plant itself was well over 2m long, from ground to tip. Weighed down by its sheer size, and successfully attempting to leave the shadow of the canopy above, the plant pointed perpendicular to the ground, creating an amazing eye-level bouquet.
The hillside was covered in these plants. The smell was incredible. There was quite a strong wind [see video below], no doubt blowing lots of lovely pollen around. Closing our eyes in the warm breeze, we listened to the forest cicadas scream their summer song.
Sunflower | NEX-7 & SEL24F18Z | 1/250s f/5.6 ISO100 24mm
Yesterday saw the [temporary] return of fair weather after a week of drizzle. The temperature was around 35°C again, and the flowers seemed to appreciate the strong sunlight, after all that juicy rain.
Field of Sunflowers | NEX-7 & SEL24F18 | 1/50s f/5.6 ISO100 24mm
We ventured out of central Tokyo, as Charlotte has a field campaign on the outskirts. After checking the instruments, we walked back though the [relative] countryside to the train station. On the bus ride to the site, I remembered seeing this sunflower farm, and just had to grab a few snaps.
Sunflower seeds | NEX-7 & SEL24F18Z | 1/60s f/5.6 ISO100 24mm
I'd never properly looked at the inside of a sunflower before now. It's quite mesmerising!
The enormous Daibutsu
The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amitābha Buddha located at the Kōtoku-in Temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The bronze statue probably dates from 1252, in the Kamakura period, according to temple records. It was preceded by a giant wooden Buddha, which was completed in 1243 after ten years of continuous labor, the funds having been raised by Lady Inada (Inada-no-Tsubone) and the Buddhist priest Jōkō of Tōtōmi. That wooden statue was damaged by a storm in 1248, and the hall containing it was destroyed, so Jōkō suggested making another statue of bronze, and the huge amount of money necessary for this and for a new hall was raised for the project. The bronze image was probably cast by Ōno Gorōemon or Tanji Hisatomo, both leading casters of the time. At one time, the statue was gilded. There are still traces of gold leaf near the statue's ears. It is unclear, however, whether the statue constructed in 1252 is the same statue as the present statue.
Some stats on this humongous statue:
A fellow NEX-7 user using his SEL18200
The grounds surrounding the Buddha are very well kept, and relatively peaceful. As 99% of people are drawn to the enormous statue (and rightly so), there are some decent photographic, or simply relaxing, moments to be had in the grounds.
There's quite a collection of people in front of the Buddha. Some are simply standing in awe. Most people start off in this manner. Then, our comes their phone. A few will switch to their dedicated cameras. Finally, there are the people finishing their photos, who turn around and see ~100 cameras pointed in their direction. From studying these people, I have learnt that the proper technique is to crouch down and lollop out of the way, whilst shyly smiling. That's a photo-project in itself!
After taking the mandatory photos of the Buddha, my attention (and most others) was directed further upwards, where high aloft, raptors were screeching and circling. They could have been either the Black-eared Kite or Japanese Sparrowhawk. I did see one such bird chasing a sparrow mid-flight, which was something to behold.
The above photos are heavily cropped; click for larger. All photos on this page were taken with my NEX-7 and SEL18200LE lens. Click here for the lens review. It's at times like this that I wish I had maybe a 400mm lens atop a Canon 5Dmkiii... but carrying that thing around (let alone paying for the combo) would not have been fun on my little bicycle. Plus, if there weren't any such birds around, I probably wouldn't be worrying about such scenarios.
This concludes my Kamakura-by-bicycle photo-journal. I hope you've enjoyed the ride :)
Affectionately called "Little Kyoto", the city of Kamakura in eastern Japan is a popular tourist destination. Little over an hour from central Tokyo, it's home to numerous temples and a distinctly Japanese feel. I've been to Kamakura a few times before (this was my brother's first time), but this time it was a little different - we rented bicycles!
Bamboo Forest | NEX-7 & SEL16F28 & UWA | 1/100s f/2.8 ISO200 16mm
Hokokuji dates back to 1334, and was a place to house family treasures and pay homage to the grandfather of the first Ashikaga Shogun. A small entrance fee of ¥200 helps keep this stunning forest meticulously maintained.
The dense canopy above provided us with much needed shelter from the strong afternoon sun above.
There's something distinctly Asian about a bamboo forest
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Hokokuji is a 45 minute walk from the train station, but with bicycles, it only took us around 5 minutes. It's a great way to get around Kamakura. Stay tuned for more!
