Me, Suki, and the Forest

One foggy morning in San Francisco this week on a much needed day off work, Suki and I headed out of the house. Hoping to get a nice shot of her for my 52 week photo project, we headed for a local park. Though located right in the city and surrounded by neighborhoods and shops, once you enter Mt. Davidson park, you forget you’re in a city at all.

Strolling through the forest made me feel like a character in an episode of Lost! Because of the dense fog and light rain that rolled over the city earlier in the day, the forest was very damp. Trails were muddy, and the trees dripped water down on us constantly. Suki and I both got pretty dirty as a result. It was also extremely humid, which made the climb to the top of the mountain particularly uncomfortable, especially since I had photo gear. The top image was taken using an off-camera SB-900 unit through a shoot-through umbrella, which I carried and set up in the mud all by myself (and no, Suki did not help me).

Suki was fascinated by the forest. She loved to run ahead and check out what was further down the trail. If I lagged behind, she’d turn around and wait for me, giving me this look that seems to say “hey, what gives? Hurry up will ya!”

Notice how dirty her face is from sticking her nose in the wet plant-life that surrounds the trail. Good thing I had clean rags in the car!

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Shot Data:
Camera: Nikon D300s
Top: Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 at 13mm f/4, 1/200 Sec ISO200 (CLS triggered SB-900)
Shot 2: Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 at 11mm f/3.5 1/500 Sec ISO200
Shot 3: Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 at 11mm f/6.3 1/80 Sec ISO200
Bottom: Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR at 300mm f/5.6 1/500 Sec ISO800

Japanese Rail

Nikon D90 + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8.0, 50mm, ISO400, 1/60 Sec

Nikon D90 + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, Tokyo Japan

Tokyo Japan, Nikon 90 + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8.0 50mm, ISO 500, 1/50 Sec

From my archives, a couple photos that sparked memories of riding the rail system in Japan. I live in a city where you’re not sure if your bus will come at all let alone be on time. Japan Rail trains run with ridiculous reliability and timeliness. If the train is supposed to get there at a certain time, it’ll get there AT THAT TIME. Missed a couple trains during my trip this year thinking that perhaps they’d be late!

I also love how snacks/drinks are so accessible in the station. The photo to the left was taken at a train station in Tokyo. A green tea flavored kit kat or hot can of coffee is always near =)

Tokyo Japan, Nikon D90 + Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 @ f/8.0, 50mm, ISO250, 125 Sec

We had a lot of fun riding the Shinkansen (bullet trains) at blazing speeds between Osaka and Tokyo while we were there. These things have dedicated tracks that don’t cross other roads or railways, so they’re free to rip through the country side at high speed, getting us from Tokyo to Osaka in a little over 2 hours.

Nikon D90 + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8

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Both times we rode the Shinkansen, I ate on the train. They have little stores at the station where you can pick up various snacks and even bento! They also have someone wheel a cart through the train every so often with snacks, sandwiches, and drinks. I was particularly impressed by the coffee surprisingly enough. I mean coffee on a train couldn’t be any good right? The coffee I had on the plane tasted like dirty water after all. But this coffee was good, and sure beat the 300 Yen (over $3.00 US) I spent on the smallest cup of Starbucks brew in Tokyo (yes, SMALLER than a tall, which is about $1.40 US where I live). In all, I was so impressed by the public transit system in Japan, and I look forward to spending lots of time on these trains when I return next spring!

Mmmmm, eating a Bento on the Shinkansen

This coffee was actually good!