TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography

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Manza Hotel test shoot.

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The story continues…

Attached Kirk baseplate to camera so I can mount to tripod.

Drove to Cape Maeda. Set up tripod.

Set aperture to F11. Took a photograph of the Manza Hotel.

Hung around for a couple of hours chatting to Nate, Luna and Akira. Unfortunately the sky clouded over so there was no spectacular sunset.

I learned how to set copyright information, and change colour space from sRGB to AdobeRGB.

Returned home and copied files. Uploaded small res. image to blog and full size image to Flickr.

645D 55mm Manza Hotel

I am sure most experienced digital photographers will be shaking their heads, looking at the blown out highlights in the cloud by the hotel. I realize it’s a rookie mistake, and with time I will learn to use the histogram, but I am still amazed by the witchcraft that makes my pictures appear instantly on the back of my camera. More confusing is the purple fringing that seems to be appearing on some of the windows of the hotel. You will have to look at the full size file on Flickr to see this. Any ideas? (Lens? Color Space? Jpeg/RAW?…)

The detail in the shot is fantastic. Very pleased.

An interesting discovery was that when reviewing pictures the images automatically orientate themselves correctly whichever way you are holding the camera (In a similar way to an iPhone). Clever stuff.

Hanging out at Cape Manza with Nate and Akira. (Photo by Luna)

First images with the 645D

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The story so far…

Charged battery.

Turned on camera.

Set language (to English), set date, set time.

Inserted 32GB SanDisk Extreme SDHC card into each of the two memory card slots.

Attached lens.

Placed piece of bread behind ear.

Pointed camera at Bear (the dog).

Took a few photos of Bear until she started barking and lunging at ear.

Connected camera to computer with USB cable (Must buy card reader).

Copied a couple of images to desktop.

Opened in Photoshop.

Added file info.

Added TRAVEL67 watermark.

Resized for blog and added another TRAVEL67 watermark.

Uploaded small images to blog and full size images to Flickr.

645D 55mm lens Bear 2

645D 55mm lens Bear 1

So there you go. The first couple of images from the 645D.

I haven’t changed any settings. This was auto exposure, auto white balance, sRGB, and saving as a Jpeg to both memory cards.

Need a cup of tea, and then will head out to get a few non-dog photos. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Pentax 645D arrives!

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Pentax seems to have gone with Apple’s less is more idea for box design. Nice.

Pentax 645D 40MP Medium Format Digital Camera

Inside the box…

Pentax 645D 40MP Medium Format Digital Camera

Japanese manual & Menu Reference. (My bilingual friends wince. They are going to be pestered a lot during the next few weeks.)

Pentax 645D 40MP Medium Format Digital Camera - Manuals

The camera.

Pentax 645D 40MP Medium Format Digital Camera - Body

Just plugged in the battery charger…

Matsumoto Castle, Nagano Prefecture

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On my final morning up on the Japanese mainland I got up early so that I could take a few shots of Matsumoto castle just after dawn.

Matsumoto Castle, Nagano Prefecture

And from another angle.

Matsumoto Castle, Nagano Prefecture

With a bag full of exposed film I took the train south to Tokyo, and then on to Haneda Airport.

It was a great trip. I got nearly all the shots I wanted, and a few extras that came my way.

The scanning is now finished. There were 111 shots from this trip that have been scanned and archived. Now I start planning for August.

SMC PENTAX D FA 645 55mm F2.8AL (IF) SDM AW

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The postman just delivered my new 645 55mm lens. The 645D body should arrive in the next couple of days.

SMC PENTAX D FA 645 55mm

This is the first autofocus lens I have bought in 9 years. It is also the first lens I’ve ever bought without an aperture ring. The lens does have depth of field markings which are important for me, although it looks like it will be much harder to use them accurately compared to my larger 67 lenses. A big bonus of the lens is that, just like the 645D body, it is All Weather (AW). This is a useful feature for travel photographers, especially those who live in “Typhoon Alley”. Of course the most important thing about a lens is the quality of the images it produces. For that I shall have to wait a few more days, until then this is an impressive paperweight with a very very long name.

Japanese Gentleman

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It’s interesting how I (and perhaps many other people) have completely different reactions toward cigarette smokers and pipe smokers. The reality is that they are both inhaling tobacco, the only difference is the delivery system.

Japanese Gentleman

I saw this smartly dressed, Japanese man at Matsuyama castle. If he’d been smoking a cigarette I probably wouldn’t have approached him, but he was carefully packing tobacco into the bowl of his pipe. I went over and we talked as he smoked his pipe. The scene was very similar to the one with Gandalf and Frodo at the start of the Fellowship of the Rings.

After our conversation, I asked if I could take a couple of photographs. He was more than happy to pose for a couple of shots, and then with his pipe extinguished he continued on his way. A lovely encounter with a charming man.

Japanese Gentleman

Matsuyama Castle, Ehime

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Matsuyama Castle, Ehime

Matsuyama Castle is one of the other main attractions in Matsuyama City. From the city center, it is a short walk uphill to the castle. For those who believe only horses should sweat, there is a ropeway and chairlifts. Cherry blossom was in full bloom during my visit, and when the clouds cleared I managed to get some nice shots. (If you walk up to the castle before the chairlift opens you can even take photographs free from the crowds.)

Happy Samurai, Matsuyama Castle, Ehime

Matsuyama Castle, Ehime

Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama City

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Dogo Onsen is the oldest hot spring in Japan, and a special bath for the royal family. According to legend, a white heron once dipped its injured leg into the spring’s warm waters and was miraculously healed. White herons can be seen on the pillars around Dogo Onsen, on yukata worn by guests, and most famously on the roof. The onsen building is delightful, an island of ornate wood and tile in a sea of concrete and asphalt.

Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama City

Dogo Onsen was the inspiration for the bathhouse in Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. Just as in the movie, it is an enchanting place to visit. (If you haven’t seen the film, rent, borrow, or buy a copy. It’s very good.)

Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama City

For ¥250 you can go for a guided tour of the onsen, but unless you are very shy or have tattoos, there are far better options. For just ¥400 you can bathe in the Kami-no-Yu bath. For ¥800 you can bathe in the Kami-no-Yu bath and follow this with tea and senbei. The best option is for ¥1200 yen, where you can bathe in the special Tama-no -Yu bath (and then the Kami-no-Yu bath) before enjoying your tea and senbei.

Kami-no-Yu Men's Bath (east) Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama City

Uchiko, Ehime Prefecture

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From Beppu, I took the ferry across to Yawatahama on the island of Shikoku. I then headed north to the historic town of Uchiko.

Uchiko-za Kabuki Theater, Uchiko, Ehime Prefecture

Sign outside Uchiko-za Theater, Uchiko, Ehime Prefecture

Uchiko is famous for its vegetable wax candles and Uchiko-za a Kabuki and Bunraku theater. It was an interesting place to walk around for a few hours. Kosyo-ji Temple at the top of the hill had an impressive giant reclining buddha statue that I hadn’t expected.

Reclining Buddha, Kosyo-ji Temple, Uchiko, Ehime Prefecture

And finally, I almost asked this guy for directions, but he wasn’t very talkative.

Uchiko History & Folklore Museum, Uchiko, Ehime Prefecture

Korakuen Garden, Okayama

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I’m pretty sure that saying Korakuen Garden is a tautology as -en means garden. But, for the sake of clarity, I’ve titled this post Korakuen Garden, Okayama. Here’s a bit of info from The Best of Okayama.

Okayama’s mild climate and fertile soils mean that the prefecture is known for its quality rice, grapes and peaches. One of Japan’s most popular children’s stories is about Momotaro, the boy who was born from a peach, and a statue of Momotaro greets visitors at the city’s main train station.

The area’s fertile soil also contributed to Okayama’s Koraku-en becoming one of the country’s top three gardens. Constructed between1687 and 1700, Koraku-en was designed with an expansive lawn for leisurely walks, a tea plantation, paddy field, and the Yatsu-hashi zig-zag bridge. Another classic feature of the garden is its use of borrowed landscape. Okayama Castle, although outside the boundary of the garden, is “borrowed” so that its presence on the skyline makes it appear as an integral part of the scenic landscape.

Before this trip, I didn’t have any photos of the garden as my last visit to Okayama was in February when the garden doesn’t look at its best. This time I got a few good images using a combination of nice light, ingenuity, and sheer luck.

Light.

Korakuen Garden, Okayama

Ingenuity.

If you want a little human interest in a shot, but there’s nobody else around…

Tripod, self-timer, run.

Some strange bloke, Korakuen Garden, Okayama

Luck.

Returning to the garden early the next morning, I was initially disappointed as the light was nowhere near as nice as the evening before. However while strolling around the lake I came across a group having wedding photos taken. Bride, groom and parents were all wearing traditional costumes. For a brief moment, the bride stood to one side, and dropped her gaze . Her light colored parasol worked as a perfect diffuser for the strong sunlight and I knew this was going to be a good shot. I don’t know how the wedding photographer’s photos came out, but I’m delighted with this one.