I am sorry the exifs are taken out during my export process in CS3
The gear will still be changing, I am considering a 14 + 17L + 24 I set up, I am not sure yet to keep the 16-35 II on the long term. Anyway I do not make many pictures at that range.
Also, if a 1325 f2.0 IS (or better, f1.8 please !) come up I will sell the 100 2.8 IS macro to get it.
One very important point is that I do not care to miss a picture, I can try again and again, come back the next year, or simply publish nothing at all. So I can have a prime-based gear without problem. As a pro I would have more zooms for sure.
Really love your unique use of the 16:9 and 2.35 crop. Really enjoying your unique look and take on Japan.
I'm actually heading over myself in 2 weeks for a week of skiing and a week of touring. I'd be delighted if i can take shots half as good as yours. Your shots are really inspiring and making these next couple of weeks unbearably slow and painful while I wait to leave!
Do you have any tips/suggestions for shooting in Japan?
As for your trip, I cannot really tell you more than what you will find in your guide. Buy a copy of the Lonely Planet (or the guide you like) and start reading.
But I can tell you the following :
- book your hotels now !
- consider a japan rail pass if you go to Kyoto
- if you skii, you won t have much time for visiting, it is a very big country !
- from Tokyo, Nikko is nice (that s my last photo by the way), but skip Kamakura if you go to Kyoto
- Tokyo is big and various modern places and museum can take up to a week to get the main tour
- Kyoto is fantastic for temples and festivals. For festivals, check out kyotoguide.com. If you can fit a festival in your schedule, do so, most of them are very nice.
- Nara is a long day trip from Kyoto, no hotel their needed
- Himeji is a half day trip from Kyoto, or a full day if you visit Bomb museum in Hiroshima
As of shooting, the above trip will take you to interesting places. Try to go for a festival. Always ask (only an interrogative smile if needed) before shooting. For serious festival picture, document yourself a lot, arrive there in advance (one to three hours), bring a wide range of lens to get to the correct distance. Get ready to be very cold. Do NOT disturb Geishas and Maiko. Maiko who stop for photos are japanese tourists dressed as Maiko for a few hours. Get up very early with the sun (around 5AM). Afternoon light is good before sun goes down (about 16h30-17h00 is best). Take some rest : getting good shots can be exhausting, especially when you spend hours in Tokyo crowd. Walk a lot. Try stuff, stay polite, all will be fine. If unsure, do not hesitate to ask. Always stay calm. Bring a plug adapter. Keep your eyes open for details. Relax, talk to people, the one who can/want to speack english will be happy.
the best picture from this month, for me, is the young drummer girl! Fantastic!
Shinjuku by night, I do not remember these buildings. OK, my last visit is 25 yeras ago.
Your picture-size 16:9 is interesting. Did you do an action in Photoshop for the big white border?
Technically I do not 100% like the girl picture because of the background, but I wanted to share that concentration she add - she was really impressive, just like most kids at those festivals.
Shinjuku has changed a lot in the last 25 years, do not hesitate to take a look next time, you can get in the tokyo city office building (tip : south tower is better).
For the border I have a photoshop script to extend the working area and fill it with white, it is a basic feature in CS3 : Image > Canvas Size > size in pixels and fill with White !
Okay, that one is hard to understand - the 5 white lines on the wall indicate this zen temple is of the highest class The ones who guessed really impress me, I only learned it recently and many japanese I asked did not know
As usual, HD after the link !