Posts Tagged ‘Japan’
Kyoto in Black and White
I recently went over some of the images I took on what till this day I still consider to be my favorite photo walk ever. Thinking about exploring the rain soaked streets of Kyoto on our most recent visit to Japan brings back some great memories of that beautiful city.
These photographs were originally processed in color, but I spent the night yesterday converting them into a simulation of Kodak Tri-X black and white film. VSCO rocks, y’all.
I miss this place.
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Images: Nikon D300s + Tokina 50-135mm f/2.8 | Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC
Being a Tourist in My Own City
[ Canon S90 at 6mm f/3.2 1/30 second ISO160 ]
Wow, had such a great time this weekend! Two great friends from Japan visited our home and stayed for a few days. We took them on a tour of the city, heading to the usual “tourist spots” as well as places we locals like to visit. Running around with them made me realize that I can’t even remember the last time I drove around SF just to see the sights. It was pretty fun actually! Ready for a long post with tons of images spanning the course of 3 days? Ok, here we go!
Day One…
Meow!
Just found this image buried in my archives. Almost forgot about it! I met this cat on a leisurely stroll in Kyoto this past spring. He was perched on a ledge overlooking someone’s backyard, relaxing and enjoying the calm day. Took this with one of my favorite lenses, the Tokina 50-135mm f/2.8. I think the image demonstrates pretty nicely the lens’ pleasing rendering of out-of-focus areas, as well as its sharpness at maximum aperture.
The Tokina 50-135 f/2.8 was the main lens I used on my recent trip to japan. If it only had a vibration reduction system, it would hardly leave my camera at all!
Shot Specs: Nikon D300s + Tokina 50-135mm f/2.8 at 135mm f/2.8 1/160 Sec ISO220
Kyoto Station
Kyoto station is massive! One of Japan’s largest transportation hubs, Kyoto station seems like a city all its own, with places to eat, shop, stay, you name it. There’s also terrace at the very top of the complex where you can relax and enjoy sweeping, panoramic views of the city. When we first arrived here from Tokyo, we must have spent at least a couple hours exploring the enormous station before heading to our hotel in Kyoto Gion. I was particularly impressed by the massive, open-air canopy shown above (see an alternate shot here). I wish I had a chance to come back to the station at dusk to get some night images of the structure, but we never had the opportunity.
First order of business after a long Shinkansen ride into Kyoto station? Eat! We found a great place for Okonomiyaki there, and chowed down. Took a while to decide where to eat, since Kyoto station has literally dozens of restaurants to choose from.
Image:
Nikon D300s + Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
