Change of Heart - Autumn Camping

Autumn Camping
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Yesterday I blogged as if I were going to hit the hills for a climb this weekend, but between ever-changing, flaky weather forecasts, and a feeling that I should spend more time with kids, I've decided to head out for a one-nighter tomorrow, or just forego camping until next weekend. Bummer.

I took this picture at a camp site just below the top of Kumotoriyama about three weeks ago. It was an experiment where I thought it would be interesting to try and cover the top of the frame with leaves only. Looks like it worked! No HDR here, since I did not think that HDR would enhance any shadows or textures.

TGIF! - Creation Lookout

Creation Lookout
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

I think I've titled a blog like this before, but not to worried about the readership impact! Heh... all three every so understanding and generous subscribers may not like repeating titles, but I am sure that if they are in Japan lately, they will certainly share the same feeling!

It looks like the weather cleared partially tomorrow, so early afternoon I will be off to the mountains. They say the reds and golds are peaking right now at the 1,000 to 1,500 meter level. This opportunity is definitely another Tanzawa venture - just the right elevation, I live close to the trail heads, and a lower elevation sounds nice since it's getting cold. But this time will try something different. Don't know what, but something different out toward the very western edge of Tanzawa.

This picture attempts to offer the intended effect, but not completely. I wanted to capture the moon so that it consumed more of the frame. Maybe next time... or you try it. This was taken from directly next to the emergency hut at the top of Kumotoriyama.

Enjoy! Will update on the wily weekend ventures next Monday or Tuesday.

Market Is Recovering!! Mt- Fuji From Kumotori - Color

Mt- Fuji From Kumotori - Color
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

I am thoroughly amazed by the short attention span of the US media and other international media. It was just about one year ago that Citibank announced a massive quarterly (Q3 or Q4, can't remember) adjustment, which turned out to be one of a couple of announcements to follow into early 2008. Then all the other financial market events that have followed.

Every time somebody starts out an interview these days, about half of conversation openers, and just about any other chance that people start to talk about the economy is, "You think the recovery is starting?" Heh, as far as I am concerned, the crash just started. It has been less than a year since most things have come wide open, so one has to think that certain insiders have seen this coming for 18 months or more!

Think it's probably time for people to quit worrying about an economic downturn and start focusing on the opportunities that this period presents.

Change subject! Two days ago, I went down to the Miura Coast and took this picture at sunset. Then I slept in Uraga at a friend's house and went on to the lighthouse for some sunrise shots on the other side of the peninsula. Those pictures coming up in a couple days.

And the picture - taken at the top of Kumotoriyama about one month ago on a crispy Friday morning at about 10 a.m. Three exposures - normal and +/-2 EV - Photomatix Pro, details enhancer, and photoshop for a touch of unsharp mask. The haze was just starting to settle in toward Fuji-san. Have posted a similar one that I posted on flickr as a black-and-white version here.

Enjoy! Comment! Question!

A Lesson in Hazeologoy: Mt-Fuji - Okutama, Kumotori

Mt- Fuji - Okutama, Kumotori
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

THis came out of the archive of about 400 photos that I took while hiking for three days in Okutama a couple weeks ago. I was processing the photo in preparation to do some HDR processing. While prepping in Aperture, I removed all gamma and contrast in the photo (I think) which turned this image into a black and white photo. With only slight shadow and highlight adjustments, the black and white image revealed far more details in the foreground and the clouds came out much nicer.

This was a mid-day shot, so the usual Tokyo smog haze that plagues the Kanto region was setting in, so processing to pull the haze was initially my main objective - nothing more or less. Pushing a photo to black and white definitely cuts the haze.

Getting Up Early - Okutama Sunrise

Okutama Sunrise
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

The nice thing about winter is that the sun rises a bit later, the rough thing is that the sun sets much earlier. Seeing that the weather was crispy yesterday afternoon, I rushed home from Tokyo at about 3:15, but still could not make it down to the Miura coast for some sunset pictures in time.

The good news is that I may have one more chance to take a crack at a sunset shot tonight, and will definitely have another chance to capture the sunrise tomorrow morning.

This photo was taken last Friday morning at about 6:15 a.m. The sun had broke the horizon just a few minutes before this shot, but when it broke, the colors did not flourish. I snapped a few reddish hue shots, then with camera in hand, proceeded to get some fresh spring water to drink and wash my face.

A few minutes later, just after wiping my face from a morning wash, I looked at the horizon to see that the sky blues were becoming evident and mixing well with the horizon oranges and red. I knew that this was the shot of the day the moment I took it.

Will sit down and write a presentation for work, check some emails, then head on down to the Miura Coast for some shutter-bugging. I'm trying to finish a couple of rolls with the Mamiya RZ67, so I can see the results.... one of the frustrations or anticipations that we don't have to deal with in the digital world.

Going Medium Format!! - Kumotori Camp Site

Kumotori Camp Site
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Well.... this picture is not medium format, but future landscape photos will primarily be medium format. I have made this decision since trying to blow some of these great digital format pictures into posters that I can enjoy on some bare walls. When I enlarged Green Falls to about an 8 X 10 (or the Japanese equivalent) the detail in the foreground leaves went away and all blended into a green blob. I retried the print, thinking that I had requested fitting and/or color adjustments, but even a second try did not improve things.

This took me to a look into which format will best get me anything from an 8X10 up to something that can fit a small wall - 40" X 60" - I settled down to two potential systems that I have spent the past month evaluating. Those two systems are the Pentax 67 and the Mamiya RZ67. Last night I broke down and picked up a Mamiya RZ67 and think I am going to enjoy the ride. It has a bellows that will allow you to extend the lens for close-up work with any mid-range or long-range lens available. I picked up one with 90mm lens and just did a few shots of some table fruit - how cliche! But just a few minutes ago I realized that I need a much greater exposure with the bellows extended. Doh!

Back to the picture. The flat area that flows off of the middle and left side of this photo is where I pitched my tent this past Friday. This camp site is at 1800 meters (5,900 feet), just as the colors started to change. It was taken with a Nikon D60 at 18mm at f10. HDR processed in HDR pro, then shadows pulled from the path and middle tree area in Photoshop.

Enjoy! My next blog entry will have the sunrise from the next morning.

Lesson In HDR With Photoshop - Pattaya Bay

Pattaya Bay
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

I was looking at this guy's flickr page the other day to see that he was kind enough to detail exactly how he processed those photos. I took a bit of that insight and applied to a photo that I had taken a couple months ago while in Pattaya, Thailand. Thanks Artie!

Of course, the way that I have applied the effect to the clouds is not anywhere near the type of effect our artist mentioned applies. However, it did lead me to an important tool in controlling the contrasts and levels in clouds, which is very important for drabby white clouds that are often plaguing our beautiful landscape photo attempts. Furthermore, through copying the cloud area in isolation to the clipboard, I now adjust different parts of the photograph (this time clouds) by creating a new layer from the clipboard.... hehehe. Much more control!

Look forward to going through photos from my next climb - weather permitting good photo opportunities. Off to a full three-day week, then on to the mountains!

Yokohama Fall - Minato Mirai From Yamashita Park

Minato Mirai From Yamashita Park
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

This weather is great for sports, fitness, and being outside, but refrain from mountain climbing and hiking since all the clouds hang at about 6,000 to 7,000 feet. Thick fog and drizzle does not make for a very fun photographic environment, but it does require creativity and is a challenge! Anyway, have decided that my next climb will be after three things:
1) The new winter-rated sleeping bag arrives (supposed to be tomorrow)
2) The weather breaks long enough to get at least one clear night and morning
3) I complete this wireless security project

All of this will come to pass by about next Saturday when I MAY go to Hirugatake, then go off the trail around Fudonomine and descend straight down upon Hayato Otaki (water falls).... but... I have to go to my daughter's sports day event next Saturday, so may hold out for a three day, two night venture to Okutama the following weekend. Or, maybe both if I can leave the house by about 2:30 or 3:00 p.m. next Saturday - then hike into the night (ugh!).

To pass time photographically over the past couple weeks, have been taking advantage of the clear weather spots here and there, but no where in particular. Mountains and nature has turned into such a subject for me, that I feel awkward taking pictures of city scenes these days.

I got out of the house early morning late last week and caught a couple of these pictures of Minato Mirai at about 8:00 a.m. The light was harsh and exposed rather harsh despite the CP filter used, so I let HDR work some wonders. Have figured out how to consistently get a painting, artsy look by adjusting luminance and contrast in opposite directions. Give it a try, or leave a comment or question.

Clear Days Coming - Wet Marigold

Wet Marigold
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Although the past couple days have been just as warm as before, the humidity has dropped. Also, the evenings have cooled down, which is something that I didn't notice until i woke up with a soar throat two days ago.

These cooler fall days are also supposed to bring a series of clear weather days. This is something that I'm looking forward to. Planning a trip (again) to Kumotoriyama during the first weekend of October, but have to purchase a -5 degree or -10 degree sleeping bag prior to departing.

This picture was taken on Saturday morning right after typhoon #13 passed. I saw the flower in all its wetness and thought that the texture would come out really nice in HDR. While all my expectations came to fruition, I realize now that some illumination adjustments would have helped before releasing.

Camp Site

Camp Site
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

I look at this picture and get a bit frustrated. Since this last mountain climb, there has not been more than a single day of clear weather that would be suitable for good mountain climbing and photography. At this very moment we are waiting for typhoon #13 to pass eastern Japan. This will go on through early morning, then will return to muggy, cloudy weather for a couple of days.

Tomorrow or the next day will make my way into Yokohama to shop for a new sleeping bag. I need a zero degree bag now that winter is upon us. I would get a minus five or a minus ten if those were not so big. The last thing I want is to layer up for a fall or winter hike, then have to fill my backpack with sleeping bag. I figure that I can probably get away with going just a little (not too much so) light on sleeping bag, then layer up when I go to sleep. We'll see, but also do not want to figure out that this won't work when I get to the top of a mountain and wake up freezing at 3 a.m.

Bridge Before Minoge

Bridge Before Minoge
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

I post-processed this picture, then put it through the HDR process about two months ago, then sat on it. Early this morning while perusing my collection, I scratched my head and wondered if I had actually uploaded this to flickr. After a bit of search through my flickr page, discovered that this little gem still had gone undiscovered.

By the time I reached this river toward the end of the hike, I was absolutely parched!

In framing this picture I tried to get more water visible within the frame, but it was next to impossible with all the trees and branches fallen over the top - which also made for an interesting scene.

Some Jobs Just Don't Pay

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Originally uploaded by PC Virus

Damn! What a job... found this surfing on my 'third' weekend day.

Sigma 10-20mm

Funny Aya
Originally uploaded by kirtbird

Spent some time surfing the web this morning looking for reviews, sweet spots, and other good, bad, or constructive information about my Sigma 'ultra' wide angle lens. There was a lot in this article at Nikonians that has confirmed my end-user experience over the past couple months. This article shows that the sweet spot is probably at about f/11 or f/8 above 12mm. This lens is so wide at 10mm that I cannot use any filters without having to crop the corners. Even the Cokin wide angle adapter gets in the way at the very corners. But have also found that at 10 mm the chromatic aberration is noticeable in the corners - more noticeable than this review lets on. CA really starts to show if you do any HDR post-processing, so try and avoid it as much possible.

Now that I know the widest 'sweet' focal length is about 12 mm to 14 mm (14 mm if I want to use the lens mount polarizer), I now have to go back to evaluating hyperfocal distances.

For the sweet spot on the Nikon 18-135 mm and the Nikon 18-55 mm VR, stay tuned! Digging up some information on those next.

The picture on this blog is my younger daughter.

Tanzawa Mountains To Fuji - HDR Workflow

Tanzawa Mountains To Fuji
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

This was an email sent to this guy who has a cool phlog and some cool flickr pix, but as I finished the email, thought it would make for a useful phlog entry of my own.

Here is a good HDR introduction and tutorial.
http://www.vanilladays.com/hdr-guide/
This explains it with Photomatix, which is the software I use.

Normal process:
1) Take what we think may be a cool picture.
2) Drop it into Aperture, Capture NX, or iPhoto.
3) Adjust the colors to my liking, especially greens and blues.
3) Adjust exposure, if necessary, then recover any lost highlights, if possible. Watch for graininess when doing recovery.
4) Pull into Photoshop and do dodge and burn on select areas, if necessary. Skip this step usually, but that is how I pulled the river in the valley out of the this photo.
5) If perform #4, then save as full resolution TIFF, then save back into Aperture, CaptureNX, or iPhoto.
6) Export as full resolution TIFF to desktop. Then save two more exposures at +2 and -2 as full resolution TIFF to the desktop.
7) Drag and drop those into Photomatix Pro
8) You're on your own from here, since it gets a bit more creative - read the URL above.

This is a simple workflow, but could have more from looking at what others on Flickr are doing with post-processing effects. Any additions? Any necessary clarifications left out? Please comment.

Cool Weekend

Fuji-San
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

The minute we reached the 1,000 meter level on the Wednesday afternoon climb up Tonodake, I knew that cooler days were soon to come. Pouring with sweat from a consistent one hour trudge up the side of the first mountain coldly stung against my skin as the pre-autumn breeze past. Then, being the person that I am, I grew concerned about a cold or catching pneumonia, so walked faster to the next spring where I could wash and change.

This is quite a popular photo of Mt. Fuji. It was taken at sunrise this past Thursday morning. When I crawled out of my tent to see this about an hour after sunrise, the feeling itself really made three climbs up here to get a good view very well worth the effort.

Google Earth users can plug these GPS coordinates in to see where this picture was taken - Latitude = 35°27'15.63"N, Longitude = 139° 9'47.45"E . This is a long rough climb for the nominal altitude gain. The view, however, is almost 360 degrees panorama. One can see the great Kanto Plain at night, a sunset just to the right of Fuji-san, the Izu Peninsula - the only obstruction is to the North, which is covered by Hirugatake.

Enjoy.

Tonodake Twilight

Tonodake Twilight
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

On Wednesday morning I woke up with a pounding headache. Lately I have tried to slow down on drinking, and even have made efforts to quit completely. Well. my Wednesday morning experience after staying dry for a couple of months may be the last. I woke up with head pounding, but with a plan to go to Kumotoriyama - the tallest mountain in Tokyo. "Do I go with a hangover?", I ask myself. Then I reason with the situation and decide to check the weather forecast first. Well, it turned out that Kumotoriyama was going to cloud over a day earlier than originally forecasted.

I grabbed the Millet, already packed for a two-night stay (always pack it that way, so I can stay an extra day if I choose to), and headed for Tanzawa's Tonodake. This was the third time to this mountain, but every other time in the past, it was clouded over and could not get the photos I wanted. Those days are past me now. Up on Tonodake on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, I took a total of 285 photos - mostly sunsets, sunrises, and landscapes.

This photo was taken on a previous trip to Tonodake where the clouds rolled in just before sunset, but not enough so we could not see the sun set. It was taken with a Nikon D60 and a VR 18-55 mm lens without any filters. Enjoy!

Sunflower Bumble Bee - HDR

Sunflower Bumble Bee - HDR
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

This picture was taken at Akeno just before the sunflowers were in full bloom. Well, at first sight you would say it looked full bloom, but good enough. This is a good example of using HDR technique to pull more detail.

This past weekend was a lot of fun with the kids. Now it's time to find a two day window to head for the hills. I gave the Okutama map a good once-over last night and it looks like that'll be my over-nighter for the upcoming long weekend.

Based on the map symbols, it appears that there is much water in Okutama, but I wonder how accurate that is. So far, with the Tanzawa map, only two of the water spots have worked for me out of passing about six different spots - parched many times. The way cool thing about Okutama, however, is that tents are not banned. Not that banning tents in Tanzawa keeps me from standing one wherever I have the whim.

If any of you have experience in Okutama, please confirm the some of the mapped water spots... or comment on anything else.

TGIF - Tonodake Sunset

Tonodake Sunset
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Normally I would preparing a backpack for the weekend, but since I managed to sneak out to the mountains earlier in the week, and since the weather is crumbling apart again, I am planning a family weekend. My next zany adventure to the mountains will be on Wednesday thru Friday next week, and will probably be a trip to Okutama. I have not pulled a multiple day hike in Okutama yet and look forward to it. From a review of the map, it appears that water is much more abundant there than in Tanzawa. I just want to get up to some place high and finally get a crispy sunset picture.

My Mountain!

My Mountain!
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

This guy was a funny character. I arrived to the top of Tonodake after a casual six hour hike up the east side of the mountain, then descended down the west side about 100 meters, where I setup camp from a perch. The camp site looked over the facing valley and would have a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji once the clouds cleared.

It was still 3:30 in the afternoon and I was ready for some fresh water and something to eat, so I packed everything but the sleeping bag and tent and descended on a spring that was about a 5 minute hike down. The spring water was cold and flowing heavily since we had a lot of rain lately. I ate pasta and carbonara sauce, washed up and massaged my worn feet, then returned to the base camp.

Just before I arrived at the base camp on ascent, this deer and several others were casually munching away at something on the ground. If I moved suddenly the younger ones jumped, but the large males would just look and keep on chewing - with kind of a drunk or stoned look of ecstasy on their face.

Back To Tanzawa!

My Flower! No, Mine!
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

The weather finally looked like it was going to break for clearer days late Sunday, so I planned a hike that evening. The planning was not that difficult, since I only had one day, one night, and had to be to work by Tuesday afternoon. Since I really wanted pictures of Mt. Fuji and mountain ranges, and some animals if possible, I decided to go to the nearest location - Tanzawa's Tonodake.

I set out from the Minoge entrance and bus stop then headed for Yabitsu Pass, then up Sannoto. Nice walk and water throughout the first one-third of the hike. Despite everybody warning, I went anyway, and the only rain was residue from the thick fog experienced while on the trip up. The night was clear as a bell, and there was deer everywhere. When I stopped to get closer and take pictures, they just stood there and chewed, looking into to the camera for some great poses... those to come on the flickr page later.

This photo was shot right on the street corner in front of Fujimi Mountain Shelter just at the end of Yabitsu Pass - right where the real trail starts. I also managed to get a picture with two bumble bees on the same flower, with this butterfly on top, and another bee flying around the flower, but that one did not come out as sharp. Enjoy and comment, please.

Please! Please! Just Let Me Go Mountain Climbing!

Green Log On Hinokiboramaru
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Yes, I can be a die hard and get out in the weather to climb two or three thousand feet into the atmosphere and meet more deteriorating weather and colder conditions. On the contrary, one of the main reasons I go hiking is for the photography.

The weather in Japan has been everything but good shutterbug weather. It has rained every single day since I came back from Chicago last Friday. On Tuesday there was a break in the weather for a day, but the rains continued the same night.

The most current forecast is for rain through Saturday, cloudy on Sunday, partial clearing on Monday, then cloudy for the rest of the forecast. Oh man! Only one good over-night hike for the summer, then on to Autumn. But with a heavier pack too! Bigger sleeping bag, heavier clothing.

So now I am debating an overnight hike on Monday and Tuesday of next week and risk not being able to get any pictures. Or just hang tight for the following weekend. The later choice is looking a bit more appealing given the work situation.

I am finding that it is harder to stay in the city working than spending time in the mountains wondering around. However, I must admit that my current job is far more interesting than any other I have experienced - I do like my work!

Country Home! Please Pull Me Out of the City!!

Mossy Creek - Hakone
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

I came back from Chicago hoping to hit the mountains for a two night trip to the mountains, but does not look possible at this point in the week. Blew all four days of what little summer vacation/Obon holiday on a business trip last week, and it looks like my chance of taking replacement days off are getting slimmer. Strangely enough though, that is not the only reason to abort hiking this weekend - the weather has turned really strange for this time of the year. Four consistent days of rain that finally broke today, and the latest weather forecast calls for three more days of rain through Saturday!
Weather breaks late Saturday for a mostly cloudy, part sunny Sunday through Tuesday. Might wait for some completely clear day forecasts or, at least a mostly sunny, part cloudy forecast.

I took this picture with the D80 on the second trip up there right after the monsoon rains that finished in late May to June. This is a part of the river that is accessible from a small uncharted rodent trail... and maybe my next campground! Of course, used the wide angle lens set right above the river.

Back From Chicago

Chicago Art Exhibit HDR With Border
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

When I set out for a short trip to Chicago exactly one week ago, I told myself to blog at least once or twice while away. A feat much easier said than done when going on these business trips, since all day long it is one event after the next up until returning to your hotel room at about 10:30 p.m. every night. The only time I could even break out of the routine to take a few pictures was on the Saturday of my arrival. The plane arrived about one hour early, putting me in the windy city at about 9 a.m. Needless to say, The Palmer House Hilton would not let me check-in until much later. I found this photo opportunity while wondering around to burn time - a stainless steel structure displayed in the Millennium Park. I was there just after lunch when there were troves of tourists, so I went to set the place super early morning (about 5 a.m.) a couple days later. The security guards kept challenging me, telling me to come back at 5:30. Had scheduled a workout and breakfast meeting, so that was not going to work. Oh well, I have been to Chicago many times and will probably go a few more - maybe next time.

One thing to note about time... In preparing for the early morning shoot that was not, I did not take the time to check for the sunrise time. An early morning shoot in Japan could happen at 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. very easily, but notice that the sun did not rise in Chicago until just a little after 6:00 a.m. Which has led me on a quest for a application for the iPhone that will tell me the sunrise/sunset time as well as the weather. 

Found this watch while spending eleven grueling hours on the flight back, and hope to find one in stock at a local store. However, would like to have this with a world time clock.

JRs Finest - Yokosuka Line

JRs Finest - Yokosuka Line
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Have tried a couple of times to do well-thought, composed, set shots of trains from the platforms with the best picture having a trail of blur or some other flaw. Then I resorted to from-the-hip shots. If I see a moving train, pickup the camera, set to speed priority and shoot. This photo was one of those shots, but I was not aware of one particular setting when I took this shot.

The night before, I was using my Nikon D60 for some night shots and had set the ISO to 800. So after several shots of moving trains, we now know that the best train shots are at about F9 with a shutter speed of about 200. If possible, drop the ISO to about 100 or 200 for a finer grain.

This particular shot was taken out of the exit of Kita Kurihama Station.

Ryugaeshi Falls - 竜返しの滝

Ryugaeshi Falls - 竜返しの滝
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Several people have stepped forward to say how they like this photo. I processed it, then sat for a couple of weeks wondering if I should release it to Flickr or not. But after a good second look, thought that the mist and fog would help the mood, so here it is. This was take with a Cokin circular polarizer on the front of the lens. I have one other version with polarizer and brown filter, but that makes it look way too misty - almost foggy.

This week is a tough grind with a four-day week and back-to-back meetings with associated deliverables through Thursday. Wednesday afternoon I get a small break to recoup, but not much. Then I am off to Chicago until the late the following week.

All this rush means that I will not have a lot of time for hiking, camping, photography, or any of the other fun stuff. Although I am looking forward to shutter-bugging in Chicago. Lot of great architecture and black-and-white photo opportunity... I think.

Fountain At Kenchoji - Bought An iPhone

Fountain At Kenchoji
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

I was tring to get a bokeh effect out of this picture, but the lens attached to my camera at the time was not a long enough focal length to get a total effect. But what came through was good enough. Then when I originally processed the photo, I had a hard time accepting the water hose in the background, but now think that it actually adds to the photo.

Two days ago I went into the Softbank shop to pickup my reserved 16GB iPhone. I like it, and think it will change the way I work. All of my Exchange mail and me.com mail all pushed to a single device will help me on a couple of levels - especially with professional email and my personal social networking.

Trail To Hinokiboramaru - HDR

Trail To Hinokiboramaru - HDR
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Freaked out after upgrading some software and could not get into my photos for about 36 hours. I plundered around on my directory structure for hours gathering all the proper information, and now I am back! Computers...... it's sometimes hard to live with them, but now you definitely cannot live without them.

This is an HDR version of a photo that was blogged earlier. Which one do you prefer? I think that the HDR version does offer a lot more detail, but the sacrifices color reality. It turns the photo into a painting. Or, could it be the HDR technique that I am using? Quite a bit of the later, for sure.

This offers an interesting analysis and contrast between the images. Please post any insights that you may have.

Trail To Ryugaeshi Falls - To HDR Or Not

Trail To Ryugaeshi Falls
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

These trail photos are starting to be an ongoing theme in my photo collection. I think it is because of the opportunity to recognize, compose, and process. The biggest challenge in these photos are the white clouds in the background. These clouds are almost consistently washed, so corrections in post-processing tend to turn those small portions into noise that darkens to noise.

However, over the past couple of days I have noticed a lot more blue sky, which I hope makes it to this weekend. Probably go to Kamakura for another walk, except this time take the girls with me.

Oops, sidetracked! Back to the picture... One of the first photos like this that I posted on Flickr was a hit and I could not figure out why. It was a rather plain photo of a stairway taken at a very wide angle in portrait. Later I realized that it was the detail in the photo that HDR brought. The same thing happened with this photo. The post-processing of the photo produced a very nice photo with all the colors I wanted, but when the detail came out after the HDR processing, I decided to stick with HDR. Here it is.

Please post a comment or question.

Sengataki Falls

Sengataki Falls
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

I have not uploaded or blogged on any of the waterfall photos from a day hike up in Nagano last week, because I had a hard time deciding which were going to be my finals. This photo appealed most since the foreground water really seems to add to the waterfall rush.

The next waterfalls down the trail from this one offered very little photogenically since it was very foggy bythe time i got there. Even with post-processing the choices are sparse.

Japan right now is really hot and muggy down in the plains, and very foggy and cloudy up in the mountains, so going to keep my outdoor plans to day hikes over the next couple weeks. Planning another two-day or three-day hike in September when the leaves start to change in the higher mountains. Looking forward to the next one, which will probably be up in Takao.

Please comment.

Trail To Hinokiboramaru From Hirugatake

Trail To Hinokiboramaru From Hirugatake
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

This was one of the trails that I managed to get on the second day of hiking in the Tanzawa range this past weekend. After reaching a decent altitude up in the mountains (where the good pictures are) fog rolled in and put me out of the picture business on the first day. The second day allowed the sun to burn through and shine a little light on the mountain tops - this was one of those moments.

It can also be said to be one of those moments, since I was out of water at this point; with three hours to go and two hours since the last sip. Tanzawa is dry and some of the water marks on the map do not necessarily exist in the middle of summer. I experienced this firsthand on this most recent trip. To save myself the first morning, after realizing that I did not have enough water to complete the trail, I purchased some bottled water from the mountain goat that runs the Hirugatake mountain lodge - twol liter bottle for 1,200 yen!

Please leave a comment about hiking in Japan, photography, hiking in general, or about Japan.

Back From Tanzawa Weekend

Sengataki Trail
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Last night at about 7 p.m. I arrived from a hike to Hirugatake Mountain in the Tanzawa range. It was a rough hike deep into the mountains, and once I arrived, I realized that my return route and overall planning was weak. I thought to myself at the end of the first day, "If it was this rough climbing up and down mountains along the range to get here. Then it'll be just as rough getting out." So next the though of what to do came over me. I opted to climb the last biggest mountain in Tanzawa, Hinokihoramaru, then descend to civilization from there. Will post some photos over the next couple days.

This photo, however, is from the day hike in Nagano last Monday. This hike was mostly in the rain, so did not get as many photos, but the greens are luscious.

If you have a question about hiking in Japan or Japan in general, please post.

Akeno Sunflowers

Akeno Sunflowers
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Back to work and in the groove again. As I stepped on the commuter train headed for Yokohama (then Tokyo) yesterday morning, a thought went through my head. "Cannot wait to get out of this rat race!" I love my job, but do not like the fact that I have to commute into the city to get anything done. This is probably indicative of my progressing age too. The older I get, urban lifestyle is less appealing.

This shot was taken out in Akeno in Yamanashi Prefecture. The sunflowers were not completely bloomed, but wil be in full bloom in about ten days. Would be nice if I had the time to go back up there. This particular field is actually up in the mountains at about 1,200 meters.

Green Pond - Karuizawa

Green Pond - Karuizawa
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Karuizawa is a very photogenic location with a couple of venues for taking great photos. The area right around the cottages at the Prince Resort presents scenes such as the one in this picture - right near the front entrance of the west entrance. The older part of Karuizawa township is also great for location photos, similar to Sausolito in the Bay Area or Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture. The last part that I found most interesting for shutterbugging - besides the kids and family - was the nature. Some of the best hiking in Japan is right in your backyard here. On the second day of the trip I hiked up Koasama-san (1655.1 meters), then trekked back down toward Kyu-Karuizawa, visiting Sengataki waterfalls and Ryugaeshi Falls on the way back. Then, of course, called the wife who was ready for lunch by then, and arranged a pickup at the Old Mikasa Hotel.

If you have any comments or questions about Karuizawa, Japan, phtography, or hiking, please post.

Rainy Season In Thailand

Rainy Season In Thailand
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Got back from Pattaya on Friday evening last week, then had to immediately pack for a short family vacation up in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, so have not had a lot of time for post-processing pictures and blogging.

But here I am! Back in the saddle, hopefully, this time to never lose control!

Pattaya was a great training experience with my employer, but a horrible photo experience. Every morning was dreary and clouds were an opaque white, then right in the middle of training when the sun was straight up, the sky was totally clear. Then when training completed at about 5 p.m. every day, the clouds had rolled in to block any chance of a sunset. This went on for five days in a row while in Pattaya!

Anyway, this is a gem that I pulled from the mass of dreary photos while there. I am particularly proud of this photo, since I managed in an adverse lighting situation to pull the detail from the inside of this little temple. Take a close look. Or, go to the Flickr page to see a bigger photo.

Next couple days will post a series of photos from Karuizawa.

Road Mirror Self Portrait - Off To Thailand

Road Mirror Self Portrait
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

This may be my last blog posting for a couple of days, since I will be on a business trip to Thailand from tomorrow. Every time I tell somebody I am going to Pattaya Beach for corporate training, they laugh and say something like, "Yeah, right." Well... I am going to training!

Already have a couple of sights researched that would make for some decent sightseeing and photos. Pattaya Beach faces west on the bay, so there should be some neat sunsets in store for the next couple photo uploads. If anybody out there in readerland knows of a good, undocumented sites, please post a suggestion in the comments.

These street mirrors offer many avenues for creativity. This is the second such photo I have posted on Flickr. While this photo is a fun portraiture, I think this photo is my favorite.

Please post a comment or question.

Composition

River On The Trail - Hakone
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

When post-processing photos in Aperture or Photoshop, I sometimes get into a conflict about whether to straighten an image or leave alone. This was one of those images where the subject was not straight, and the tripod and camera were.

When I took this photo, I distinctly remember using the level on the tripod, because when I composed it to appear level in the viewfinder, I could clearly see that the body of the camera was crooked on the tripod. In this case I definitely leveled the camera, but the subject was a bit crooked.

This Sunday morning I will be headed off to some training in Thailand. The hotel will be in Pattaya, so I have gone online and looked up a couple of sites around that area. I am still fretting about which camera to take, and how much equipment I really need. While in Thailand, I will not have much free time, since this will be a company-sonpsored training event, the best shots I will get will probably be sunsets and night lights. So to make sure I get some sightseeing in, I have downloaded a small list of places around the Pattaya area that I think may be photogenic, and make sure to visit those on the first day when I arrive.

Hyperfocal Distance

Oyama - Last Stairs Before Second Temple
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

I have been reading quite a bit about photography both online and from texts lately. During this studying, I have since noticed that some of my photos, especially landscape shots taken with longer focal lengths, would 'snap' quite a bit more if determined and set the hyperfocal distance. I have had a couple of good settings and very nicely framed shots come out with blurry foregrounds and/or soft backgrounds like this picture. More about hyperfocal distance, along with pre-calculated charts, is available here.

This is a picture of the last staircase that ascends to the second temple on Oyama Mountain. I like the greens and the way that the trees cover the stairs. It's soft, cool, and quiet. Soft is because I did not calculate and set hyperfocal distance. Cool is the weather up here, despite having sweat every drop of water out of my body by the time I arrived this far. Quiet is something that these mountains offer in return for the exhaustive ascent and putting up with the city at other times.

Kenchoji Temple Tea Garden

Kenchoji Temple Tea Garden
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

About a 1.5 KM from Kita Kamakura Station, the walk to Kenchoji Temple was riddled with interesting gardens, shops, finely presented traditional Japanese houses, temple gates, and characters such as the one shown below.

Lately I have been looking into new hiking and camping gear. I started a couple days ago with boots. I have been using a pair of trusty Timberline boots that I picked up a couple years ago, and have finally managed to break in nicely, but found that there are a couple of hot spots in the boot when I do a lot of downhill walking. Upon analysis, discovered that the boot is actually about one size too large! I immediately went shopping and found The North Face Jasper Canyon GTX to be fairly well rated and at a modest price.

The next thing on the list is a new tent and backpack that I have already sourced and purchased. For a tent, I basically replaced what I had in a three-season tent with a four-season tent - Eureka! Alpinelite XT. This too was well rated for its ease of setup and durability.

Wadaiko-San
Originally uploaded by kirtbird

For a backpack.... well, I love my Millet. But my Millet is now riddled with patches, totally faded to a light blue (from a distance some people think it is made of denim), and ready for retirement after a lot of use. So I replaced it with the Peuterey 35 and accidentally purchased the ladies version. But what's the difference? If any of you out there know, please chime in with a comment.

The next big challenge is staying patient while waiting for the new equipment to arrive, and staying focused while I do some real work for the next couple weeks (in Tokyo and a business trip to Thailand next week) until I can hit the mountains for a long weekend again.

Photogenic Kita Kamakura

Kenchoji Temple - Kamakura, Japan
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Visited Kita Kamakura yesterday and discovered the Kanto's version of Kyoto. One temple lined after the other, which make this little pocket a very photogenic location. I will definitely be visiting this place quite often until I get most of it chronicled. The best way to get there is to catch the JR Tokaido Line down to Ofuna, then switch to the JR Yokosuka Line and get off at the next station going south. The station is very small, but exit on the same side that you debark the train, and you will be on the temple trail.

This picture is of the path to the inner-temple area of Kenchoji Temple in Kita Kamakura.

Pond At Oike Park - New Week, New Project

Pond At Oike Park - Futamatagawa, Yokohama
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Last week was a relaxing close. Won a job that had been competitively bidding on, and knew that this week would start with a lot of work. Well, here I am ready to hit the field and work away. Knowing this ahead of time, I took my free Saturday morning and spent a couple of hours walking around a nearby park.

With camera in hand, and my kids running around having fun, it dawned on me that this park - Oike Koen near Futamatagawa - is a very photogenic place. The pond at the very entrance of the park (pictured) would probably provide some great reflections early in the morning, so will make sure to find my way down there again next Saturday.

On Sunday afternoon, I went down to Kita Kamakura and discovered a jackpot of temples. Alot of temples (mostly Buddhist, and a couple Shinto) lined up next to each other, with directional signs all over the place. That will be tomorrow's blog... stay tuned.

Ask a question or comment, please.

Minato Mirai Night Lights

Minato Mirai Night Lights
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Last night I went down to Sakuragi Station and walked over to Bankoku Bridge. Good thing I had the super wide angle sigma along to squeeze in this incredible wide angle shot. The Landmark looks crooked but I still like the photo with everything all the way across the skyline. I got the information for this night lights setting and many others here in Japanese. I dislike web sites that put music in the background without giving you the option of turning it off, but this one offers good shooting (photo not sniper ;-)) information.

Planning a late afternoon trip to Kamakura for some sunset shots. If anything turns out decent, will share. Please comment or ask a question.

Quiet Temple

Quiet Temple
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

This temple is along the path to Shasui Falls in Tanzawa. I was taking several photographs of the colorful small statues in front of the temple, then stepped back to take a broader look to realize that this was a quite colorful photo opportunity. Sometimes it just works out that way.

I was reviewing some of my photography basics yesterday and come across something that I never considered in framing my shots recently - hyperfocal distance! When I was taking photography classes in high school and an enthusiast in college, I exercised hyperfocal distance in a lot of my photos, but forgot completely about it. Here is a great article on the topic with a pre-calculated chart here and an Excel version here.

Please comment or send any questions about hiking in general, hiking in Japan, or photography.

Climbing Mt. Oyama

Oyama Hiking - Old and New
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

This is the temple on the very top of the mount - at the very final small ascent to completion of climbing this mountain. The mountain is only 1,252 meters above sea level, but the hike up to the top is historical. Each rest stop along the way has old Shinto relics, the path/stairs up the mountain are obviously very old. The path is largely huge rocks embedded into the slopes. The journey up the mountain is regularly trekked by locals for exercise.

This picture is an interesting contrast. Just beyond the tip of Mt. Oyama, there is a huge NTT Docomo transmission station with a lot of antenna and microwave dishes. This is another Japan - old and new - picture.

Self Portrait In A Traffic Mirror

Self Portrait
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

I have taken many of these photos while hiking or shutterbugging along the streets in Yokohama, but this one turned out nice. The mirror is embedded in bushes and everything reflected in the mirror is lush. The tree unfolds nicely in the background.

Over the past couple of days have been looking at the PB-6 bellows attachment from Nikon. It is sold out everywhere, and Bic Camera says it is a two month wait. What is up with that? Well, I researched on the internet and the PB-6 gets very mixed reviews, but it looks like a lot of micro photographers are using it. I want to use it for infinite depth of field in landscape photography.

With a two-month wait.... I'll keep on shooting stock and wait for the bellows. Or, go buy a field view camera and learn a bit before buying.

Please comment.

Interesting Subjects (Green Dam Falls - Hakone)

Green Dam Falls - Hakone
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

Didn't know what title to give this image, but the angle (actually, not quite in front exactly) and the way that the trees cross in front of the top of the falls - thanks to the super wide angle, all come together to put this image in Flickr Explore! Whoo hoo!

It feels good to get a photo in Flickr Explore. It's the ultimate form of Flickr recognition, I think. But what do people like this guy who have 315 photos in Explore? I bet the whole 'recognition' feeling is probably gone. To this guy it's probably like, "Geez, I gotta move that photo in the organizer to Explore set. What a pain!"

I am in no way comparing myself to Lars. He is in a class of his own, but have also noticed that he has awesome subjects. Lars processing is also very consistent and his style is mature.

This photo was taken off of the regular path while taking a casual walk down the hill from Hiryu Falls. Just a few minutes down the path, after going across a wooden bridge, there are a couple of falls like this that are hidden by the vegetation next to the path. A small amount of climbing around is also required. With a little effort, this gem became visible and my prize subject this week. A nice gallery layout of this image can be found here.

Also, I was hiking with smugwimp. Please visit his site and leave a comment or two, or fave some of his photos.

Green Creek

Green Creek
Originally uploaded by typh00nrider

When I took this shot, framed everything and started shooting, I did not know what would come from the exercise. However, when I sat behind the workstation after downloading the photos from my camera, this fairly blaise scene blossomed into a beautiful picture from all the green surrounding.

This photo goes to show that the creative parts of our minds does not necessarily cooperate rationally with the logical side. The logic in me was saying that this shot would probably be a waste of time, so I was just going through the motions on-site, but the creative side was telling me to set the tripod up, position the camera and take the shot... which has turned out to be a good catch.

Please comment directly onto this blog, or visit my Flickr page and post a comment. Please.

Ths Shasui Falls Challenge - A Lesson In Waterfall Photography

The photo to above is my first attempt at photographing a raging waterfall from the very bottom. Everything setup beautifully on a tripod, wired remote connected, wide angle mouted, and all composed - except that I forgot to wipe the water mist off of the lens. This is quite a let-down when we downloaded everything from our camera (which only has a 2.5" screen) to the 17" Hi-Res MacBook Pro. The water spots on the lens are very visible.

Well, this picture (above), while an improvement is not very much better! This was the second trip out to the wild on the other side of Kanagawa Prefecture. I setup, then wiped, wiped, shot, shot, wiped some more, then shots as many as fast as possible - and this was the best I could get.
I ran into the same challenge at a second trip to Hiryu Falls this past week-end. At the top of the falls, the wind is blowing from the falls right at the lookout point.

This time I did not put the camera on

a tripod and had the sun in front of the subject/waterfall, so I just metered the light, dropped the shutter speed slightly and increased the f stop by one, then faced the waterfall with a dry lens and started shooting, then wiped with a lens tissue, and shot a couple more photos. I have also learned not to use a lens cleaning cloth, but lens tissues. This is because lens cloths do not absorb water very well.