I was glad I chose to spend several nights in this mountain town and jump around to a few different ryokans to stay in. All of them were very similar in that I had a very tiny little room. That’s okay. I don’t need much. But there was barely room for my bags and my body. I slept on the ground, on a futon, that was prepared for me while I was having dinner. It was so cozy to get back into my little room when it was freezing outside and curl up inside my cocoon.

Exploring Shirakawa-go

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-02-14 20:45:36
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/1250
• Aperture4
• ISO160
• Focal Length35.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

Kyoto has so many temples that it’s almost impossible to visit them all unless you set aside at least one day a week for an entire year. In some ways, they are all the same. The temples are usually not the main event, as opposed to buildings from other religions. The most charming part of all the temples in Japan are the gardens, and that is the reason most people come. Japan is more about the worship of nature rather than a deity that has supposedly inspired a particular building.

A Stroll Through a Garden in Kyoto

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2017-11-07 17:20:33
• CameraX1D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/125
• Aperture3.5
• ISO100
• Focal Length30.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

While in Tokyo last time, I got the quad up a few times to take photos of this incredible city. There are many interesting things about Tokyo. For one, streets do not have names. Blocks have names. It’s the opposite of the west where streets have names but blocks do not. Interesting, eh? Also, Japanese addresses are not in order. For example, address #1 on a block might be smashed between #23 and #38. The number is associated to the first building on said block.

Floating Over Tokyo

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-01-26 19:31:03
• CameraFC2204
• Camera MakeDJI
• Exposure Time1/5
• Aperture3.8
• ISO800
• Focal Length8.6 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramProgram AE
• Exposure Bias+0.3

This is a fun quick Pixel shot I got while in Tokyo. Man, I love that camera so much. Here’s a quick tip for it (and I believe the iPhone and other cameras have something similar). Whenever I see something cool, the fastest way to get a photo is to double-click the power button. This gets the camera right into photo mode. Then, just push the volume up and you get a quick snap. Easy peasy!

Japanese Children Emerging from an Egg

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-02-11 14:20:19
• CameraPixel 3 XL
• Camera MakeGoogle
• Exposure Time1/120
• Aperture1.8
• ISO56
• Focal Length4.4 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramProgram AE
• Exposure Bias

Not until after I took this photo did I realize that the cloud was in the shape of a dolphin! We were having a crazy-good sushi dinner in the Ritz-Carlton there, and this was the view out the window. Luckily, the window was right by the table, so classic lazy-me only had to take 5 steps every 10 minutes or so to rattle off more photos of cloud animals jumping over Tokyo!

Dolphin Over Tokyo

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-06-20 03:53:09
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• Camera Make
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Yeah, a photographer can never get tired of this area! Well, maybe if you’ve had a few too many bar visits, then you do physically run out of energy at some point… that’s why I try to spend as long taking photos before going inside any of them! 🙂

More of Golden Gai in Tokyo

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-06-20 03:53:09
• Camera
• Camera Make
• Exposure Time
• Aperture
• ISO
• Focal Length
• Flash
• Exposure Program
• Exposure Bias

This came from a single RAW file, which was actually the case with over half my HDRs I processed from Japan. I processed this one with the new Aurora HDR 2019, which I think handles RAW files a little bit better! It’s exciting too because I still have about 30 unprocessed photos from other gardens around the area as well! It’s hard to choose from these gardens because everywhere you look is just as stunning!

Autumn Gardens in Kyoto

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2017-11-07 17:27:46
• CameraX1D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/750
• Aperture3.5
• ISO100
• Focal Length30.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias-2/3