This past July my daughter and I decided on a whim to take a trip to Tokyo for a few days. She was out of school for the summer and it was perfect for some quality father daughter time. It’s been two years since our last trip. Scary how fast time goes by. On my last trip to Tokyo I had just bought the x100T and was testing it out.
Photo of the Day - Traditional Humor
This is a shot I took with my iPhone 6s Plus a few months back while shooting the annual King and Queen Parade held at Shuri Castle here in Okinawa. While waiting for the parade to start the performers relaxed and enjoyed some casual conversation. I heard them laughing and turned to fire off this shot in burst mode with my iPhone. Always remember while you definitely don't need to use burst mode every time, it can be very effective for quick snaps or when there's movement.
Photo of the Day - Summer Kimonos
Kimonos are one of those parts of Japan that I love. Unfortunately, these days you don't see them as much. However, in the summer Japanese women, and men break out their Yukatas, a lighter, cooler version of the kimono worn during the warmer summer months. I took this photo below at a local festival in Okinawa City. The sun had just set and it was almost dark outside, making this one of those situations where I was glad I had my Fuji 56mm (85mm equivalent) f/1.2 lens on my XPro1. Being able to shoot this at f/2.0 allowed me to get enough light to make the shot.
The Lure of the Night
What is it about the night that so many of us love? Is it because the night is filled with fantasy and the day with reality? Do our flaws feel less obvious at night than by day, or does the cloak of the night simply shadow them in our minds? Whatever the reason, I do often feel more at peace at night than I do during the day. Not to say that I don't enjoy a beautiful, blue-sky kind of day, I do, I just seem to love the night more.
Streets of Tokyo 2
Documenting the Journey
One of the many photography lessons we learn as we age, is the importance of simply documenting your surroundings. Documenting everything enables us to better appreciate the immense changes in our world that are subtle, and seemingly unimportant as we live them, yet can be profound when viewed ten, twenty, or more years later. In the 80's and 90's, during my first stay in Japan, I took many casual environment photos that later seemed unimportant to me. Sadly, I threw most of them out. Now however, I appreciate the value of even the most mundane. What once was trivial and uninteresting, is now fascinating. Your life is a journey, document it.
Tokyo Color with the Fuji x100T Part 3
My final full day in Tokyo combined Ginza, the Tokyo Dome area, and Taylor Swift fans. Ginza is one of those parts of Tokyo that I always feel out of place in, but I wanted to visit the Leica store there as I heard it's really nice and a must visit. Now that I can say that I've been there, looked at and held several Leicas, All I can say is, maybe one day. Enough said. 😊
Tokyo Color with the Fuji x100T Part 2
Day two in Tokyo took me to Ebisu, for a short pit stop at a store in the station, Omotesando, where I was finally able to check out and try on the new Apple Watch, a walk in Yoyogi Park to see Meiji Shrine, and a short visit in Shibuya for my daughter to get in a little more shopping, because she was so deprived in Omotesando. 😀 All of the below images were shot in Aperture priority and Provia color settings.