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Part of our tour group went to a mall, and at some point we emerged into this, the "Times Square of Tokyo", the Shibuya District. Except it's much larger than Times Square.
Another difference is the sense of safety - not once did we feel threatened or that we had to retreat to someplace else for security. No cops in sight, obviously not needed.
But like New York, it wasn't long before we passed by a professional video in production. Due to the nature and the kind of individuals involved I concluded that it was a music video, but can't be sure. Interesting to watch, though.
Technically this and the other images in the district were easy to capture. Because of all of the lights around, the shutter snapped at an eightieth of a second with the ISO bumped up to 800. As always, exposure compensation was set at two thirds of a stop on the dark side so the highlights would stay intact. Because of the gamut of colors, virtually no correction needed here.
Taken but a short distance from where yesterday's post was captured, this one was a bit trickier because there was no supporting post or wall to steady the camera at the necessary angle...it was shot handheld while sitting on a sidewalk bench.
Volume was the key here. After settling on a 1/8-second shutter speed via trial and error it was just a matter of snapping away until achieving results that weren't too blurry. Even so the image had to be sharpened twice during post-capture.
Didn't know it at the time but at its completion this was the second tallest building in the world! Would like to check out the observation decks should we ever venture that way again.
Haven't done too many, but one of my all-time favorite types of pictures to take are night shots. Must originate from my preference of colors against a black background, as seen in the many Glowing Edges posted on this website.
Naturally one must have a tripod for success due to the inherently slow shutter speeds in these types of pics. Not having one with me in this case, I set the camera down on a cement post and used exposure-compensated bracketing so that I'd have a choice later on which was the best. Even with an ISO set at 200, the shutter speed on this guy was a speedy fifteenth of a second.
This was my last parting shot at the castle on our way out of the park, and it turned out looking OK in the light of the late afternoon sun.
Our time at Disney in Tokyo was our third visit to a Disney park, the first two both being at Disney World in Florida when the kids were small. Andrew was with us on this one, and I think he made the most of it. So what was different about Disney in Japan as opposed to Disney in the States? In terms of layout, rides, etc. none at all...except for the fact that Halloween was everywhere, which probably would not be the case in the U.S.
In terms of the visitors and general comportment of the people, there was a vast difference. Of course zero trash everywhere...but that's almost the case in the States on a Disney property. And naturally everything was very orderly, as seen in the post featuring the baby strollers that started off this series. There was never any unruly behavior or skipping in line, and no shouting or even loud talk, even among the youngsters. That made tolerating the droves of people a lot easier.
But I learned not to mistake their generally meek demeanor for weakness or lack of resolve. When we first staked out a spot to watch the parade I noted that, even though everyone sat on the ground, no one complained (that I could understand) and they seemed to automatically settle into lines or rows that left a respectable distance for others to walk around. We were on the edge of the area and because of my knees, and also because I wanted to be a little higher for picture taking, I sat on an eight-inch ledge next to us.
Nope...none of that! In a nanosecond a broom-carrying worker lady materialized behind me and ordered me (in English) onto the ground like everyone else. I started to plead my case but she didn't allow two words out of my mouth, instantly repeating her orders in a much firmer tone: You...Will...Sit...Down! Yes ma'am. I will never be out of order again!
Some Americans would have taken offense to her tone, but she initially made the request in a very respectable manner. Had I immediately complied that would have been that. I ended up wandering off to take pictures elsewhere because I just couldn't sit on the cement ground for any length of time, but even then I admired the spunk that enabled her to get the job done, and saw firsthand the spirit that's behind the order that characterizes Japanese society.
The one that got away....
Anywhere a photographer goes he or she looks for patterns. Could not resist these umbrellas that were shading tables at an eating establishment. It was late afternoon, and by this time we were heading out to meet the group before getting on the bus to our next destination.
As can be guessed by the establishment name this is a scene from the Western portion of the park, just around the corner from the splash catcher on the log rides. Love the color, the lamp post and rustic appearance. Some good ole' Americana right on the outskirts of Tokyo!
Another castle picture - the third of four that I'll be posting (the last being my favorite overall). It's incredible that in Disney there's a picture to be taken every time you turn your head, no matter where you are in the park. I'm sure that by the time they got around to building one in Japan there was a set prescription for where everything goes.
I recently watched a two-part documentary on PBS about the life of Disney, and his life was by no means easy - getting to this stage in his creative empire was a tough, tough road. And it's too bad that he died relatively young, but cigarette smoke is no respecter of persons...
I like rustic and I like waterfalls. Rustic + waterfalls = I stop to take pictures!
They say that one tenth of a second is the best shutter speed to capture the cascading water in a waterfall. This photo was captured a bit slower at one eighth, which must have been the result of bracketing because handheld I wouldn't have tried anything slower than one tenth on purpose. Because the ISO was 200 the shadows came in nicely, so really lucked out on this one. Also, though it was a bright sunny day the subject area was completely within the shadow of the red building.
This ranks as one of my favorites from Disney, and might make a good print some day.
They did their best in Tokyo to create a romanticized version of the Old West, which took up a sizeable corner of the park. Actually they didn't do a bad job. This is a depiction of iconic rock formations that might be found in Wyoming or some other western state, serving as backdrop for a roller coaster ride.
Fog serves as a great backdrop in a photograph. This was at the log rides, presumably to catch the splash when they hit the bottom after careening down a hill.
There was a time while working at A-1 Lanes in Nacogdoches - I was foreman working the night shift back in the spring of 1986, and as the sun rose I happened to be at the open end of the chicken house which served as our construction facility. There was a hill leading down to a barn in the property next door, with a horse grazing between me and the barn. The fog had settled into the little valley where the barn was, obscuring the horse from the legs down. I lingered as long as I could before returning to the racket of saws, forklifts and nail guns...
Shortly after taking the picture featured in yesterday's post I venture into the castle and encountered these beautiful mosaics created with scenes from the Disney classics. It was darkish in there so the ISO was cranked up to 1600, but even so it was hard to maintain a steady handhold. Thankfully the shutter speed was up to around a sixtieth of a second.
These are the best kinds of photos to use in determining the focus accuracy of a lens and resolution of a sensor, with the gamut of color and sharp edges of the tiles. Must say that I was pleased with the Big Cahoona's performance on this one.
Speaking of that, after having done considerable research on a potential move to full-frame I've just about locked down a decision to buy the D750. As stated in (much) earlier posts, the wife has given the green light to go ahead and buy anything I want, so long as it makes sense in the way it's managed. In other words, don't leave the Big Cahoona laying around unused, along with its lenses, while the new guy gets all the exercise.
We'll see if and when it happens. If not, I still have a very good camera as evidenced in pictures such as the one above.
Peppered among these Disney pics will be a couple more photos of the iconic castle.
This was one of the rare cases where almost nothing had to be done regarding exposure or color in post-capture. It was rotated a half degree counter-clockwise, however, and sharpened a bit to accentuate the edges of the structure.
As you can see, these girls were taking advantage of some breathing space as well, dressed in a very orderly fashion with Micky Mouse hairdos to (literally) top it all off. I took my photos of them in rapid-fire succession, lest they notice that they themselves had become the subject of interest...
Since most of the visitors were crowded along the parade route my position here was relatively free of people. I was thankful for the breathing space, and for the opportunity to move around and get shots like this featuring a nearby lamp post.
The photo above was equalized, then filtered through Find Edges and color-desaturated in Photoshop, which makes it look like a pencil drawing. Then I got the idea to invert the two colors, which effectively created a negative image:
Here the grandeur of the Disney entrance is seen as a backdrop to the float for one of my all-time favorite movies, Toy Story. What a fantastic movie that was! We took my son, Andrew, to see it back in 1995 when it first released, and I could tell right away it was written just as much for the adult audience as for the kids. But it wasn't the excellent satirical writing that captivated me most...it was the jaw-dropping, completely computer-generated animation in 3D, the first of its kind for a full-length feature. The color, the lighting, the movement, what a great job.
It was for that reason that I made sure we reserved a place at the All Star Movies Resort when we took the kids to Disney World in Florida a few years later, which at the time had a hotel with a Toy Story theme. During the week we toured the animation studios, where the artists were at the time working on a movie; behind the wrap-around glass wall there were rows of computers with geek-types working fervently on the project. Something I saw, though, stopped me in my tracks: on top of one of the computers was sitting a toy that was featured in Toy Story - the spiky doll's head that got around on Erector Set legs. Wow, it was something to imagine that this may have been the actual figure used to model and animate that toy in the movie. I very much wanted to linger and look some more, but the crowd pressed and I had to move on.
I've always been fascinated with animation in all its forms - flip books, claymation, stop-motion, celluloid, moving sand art...all of it. Up until my mid-forties I'd never characterized myself as an artist, or otherwise might have pursued animation in college, at least in one or more of its technical aspects - I can't draw, but do have considerable patience with repetitive tasks and am, for better or worse, a perfectionist. Nevertheless, it's fun to keep up with the latest developments as well as read about its history.
One time I had a brush with one of the great animators of our time - Chuck Jones, of Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny fame. In 1990 he was doing a book signing at the old Bookstop on Alabama here in Houston, and I decided to go. I'll never forget looking at his stretch limo parked in front, thinking, "Wow, Bugs Bunny paid for that ride!"
After purchasing the book I waited in line and eventually made it to his table. As he signed my book (which I still have) I took the opportunity to tell him about a six-week class I taught on animation in the public school of a small town up in East Texas. (I had the students draw a short of 180 frames on letter-sized typing paper, which were photographed one at a time with a Super 8 movie camera on an animation board I'd constructed. When the term was over I brought my projector from home and showcased their work to the class.) Chuck Jones seemed genuinely interested, taking a couple of minutes of his time to listen to the process and express appreciation of my effort to awaken interest in the young.
Back to the parade photo - below is the same picture, with Glowing Edges. In tomorrow's post you will see something done a little differently with the top half, featuring just the architecture at the first roofline and above.
This was a float from the parade coming around behind a tree, shooting over the heads of the crowd. My family settled into one spot to watch, but it was too hot for me so I just kind of wandered around sneaking in a few shots like this.
The parade was actually quite a production, and a long one, stopping twice so that foot traffic wouldn't be interrupted for the duration. Very orderly.
One surprise to me was how much Halloween stuff there was at Disney. We were there in mid October, but the holiday is celebrated for the entire month in Japan! This was one of the more subtle displays with pumpkins, skeletons, etc...
Even though there were kids of all ages they were always dressed respectfully and (of course!) orderly, never out of hand. These guys are preparing to launch into their adventure of the day just as the park was opening.
While we're in Disney...may as well slip in a few iconic (dare I say postcard-ish?) shots along with some observations and pics that are not so run-of-the-mill.
Disney is a great place to take pictures. There is color everywhere in a well-engineered environment to encourage just that - the taking of photographs that will preserve memories and, hopefully for Disney, bring families back for more. And as evidenced in the picture above, color combinations were carefully researched for the most pleasing effect. A real bonanza for the average photographer.
Except for the people! We were there on a weekday during the school year, but it was still swarming with kids of all ages. Many of the shots in this series will be compositioned to avoid the masses.
These strollers were inside Tokyo's Disney park and were voluntarily placed in neat rows. There was no associated booth or anyone keeping watch...they were just there as mute testament to the way they think. Amazing.
I mentioned in a recent posting that the Japanese go through great lengths to hide unsightly infrastructure. Even their smoke stacks are encased in very tall, narrow cement edifices.
The picture above is another example. The contents of this little building are probably related to maintenance or some such items that otherwise might be unsightly. To look at this and compare it to the open rawness of Taiwan, or even the relative untidiness found in the United States, leaves one impressed. Since this is the way it is everywhere I can't help but imagine that the more positive visuals contribute to a higher quality of life, if not the improved mental health of Japanese citizens.
Even though everyone on an escalator goes in one direction, all politely remain on the left to allow those in a hurry to pass on the right. Nary an exception to this did I see in all of Tokyo. After a while it even became ingrained in my thinking, to the point where I felt a little funny leaning over to snap this shot.
The pictures in this post are of two other fellows minding places where construction or repairs might disrupt traffic. Check out the white gloves. Since all these guys wear different uniforms I'm supposing they work for the companies, not the government. Oh, and the tan-colored object between the guy and the yellow stripe? It's a leaf - they are allowed.
The guy in the pictures below was really fun to watch. He obviously enjoyed doing such an important duty for others. My son and I stayed as long as we could just watching him operate. Kind of hard to do while you're snapping away with the Big Cahoona...
While we're on the street let's take a look at this. Here is a man, dutifully walking on his side of the sidewalk. But alas! What's ahead?!? Will there be an interruption? Will I no longer have a yellow stripe?
Not to worry, my friend, there is someone to help you. In fact, to let you know that he's at your disposal he's wearing a uniform and standing dutifully to guide you around the mess. Prepared at all times. And once he's directed you away from the blockage the cones are there, connected at the top lest you accidentally swerve into traffic.
Why the fuss? What could be causing such a disruption? A construction zone. Yes, it's a construction site - but you wouldn't know it because...IT'S CLEAN!!
I was slack-jawed upon seeing the trouble they go through to keep even a construction site as clean and lollipop-stick-free as their sidewalks. It doesn't even have DIRT!! Aren't construction sites supposed to be dirty, even a little bit?!? The picture below is a close-up of the white plastic tarp they put down to prevent damage to the street and, of course, to show all who pass how spotlessly they keep even a construction zone. Also we can see that the pedestrian has made it safely to the other side:
One of the most amazing facets of life in Japan is its incredible orderliness. My gosh, it was unbelievable how clean, neat and tidy the place is. And because it's that way everywhere one can only surmise that everyone is like that. As stated in an earlier posting, we were there the day after a good rain and every car, whether in the city or countryside, was spic and span. When we were stopped at the restaurant featured in the postings of May 14th and 15th, I spotted the bus driver with a special tool wiping it down, even in the high places. Thing was...it was already clean!
And on the street - nowhere, but nowhere, will you find a cigarette butt, gum wrapper or even a lollipop stick left by a kid. I looked, scrutinizing the corners where the sidewalk meets the buildings, and nothing was there.
That rigid adherence to cleanliness also applies to behavior. I didn't know it before we went there, but, as in England, they drive on the left side of the road in Japan. Guess what - they do that on sidewalks also! Yes, what you see in the picture above is actually a yellow stripe in the sidewalk to separate foot traffic. And yes, they obey the rules, not even stepping on the stripe. That stripe is not even painted on, either, but built right into the pavement with special tiles. Look closely at the manhole cover just beneath the bag in the man's right hand. Lines right up, doesn't it? Yep.
And in case they forget the rules, all they have to do is look down for reminders:
They had these huge racks of sake in almost every large temple complex that we visited, always stored outside. My interest, of course, was in the colors and patterns, but evidently there is huge religious significance, as described below (click to enlarge):
This is an array of placards - for lack of a better word - at Hakone. I felt that Glowing Edges was a pretty good way to display this photo due to the multitude of edges and stylized writing.
As I was working to refine the Photoshop effects of Glowing Edges in this and other photos, I stumbled upon a method of maximizing the impact of the Find Edges effect. There is a tool called Equalize that, it turns out, is commonly used to make a picture look as if it were a pencil sketch. Thus, in the photo below the original was equalized, then the color was totally desaturated after Find Edges was applied in order to blacken all of the edges. Though this process is utilized more for architecture and buildings, it doesn't look too bad here, especially if you click to make the image larger:
One of the greatest blessings of all that we've been given is the perception of color. What would life be like without it? Those of us who are visually attuned to life can hardly imagine.
My favorite color combination overall is orange over black. Next would be most any combination of saturated colors against a black background, hence my affinity for Photoshop effects such as Glowing Edges or Find Edges - both of which will be featured in the next couple of postings.
But shots such as this are right up there. Clearly the monks that live at Hakone recognize the value and blessings of a colorful environment.
