Waiting for the Fireworks to Start

Another trip to the sea, fresh breezes cooling the summer air.

Yukata in the Sunset

Another trip was to Kisarasu, for the fireworks there. Girls in beautiful summer yukatas were everywhere, in a tradition that lives on.

Matsushima Sunset

A glorious sunset ended the day in style.

Tremendous Sunset 1

Walking in the evening recently, this beautiful sight greeted my eyes. Like an endless, heavenly land spread out before me, I gazed at it in wonder and awe.

The Sunset at Yellowstone

One of the amazing examples of HDR photography on Flickr, this one by Stuck in Customs. I only like them when the colours are believable and attractive, like these.

The presence of a lot of over-saturated mush out there gives the tonemapping technique a bad name, but things like this show just how deliciously subtle it can be in the right hands. As for HDR photos- we have yet to see one, though tommorows monitors may well have the required colour depth (16-48bit colour, whereas today the maximum is 6-10 bit).

Mysterious Cloud Landscape

To my astonishment, flashes of distant lightening appeared from within this, like a giant, flickering plasma-ball. It was as if the cloud was alive in some way. Yet there was no sign of rain anywhere nearby.

The Face of Clouds

Just after I came back, these incredible clouds shone in the sky. I'd never seen something so fluffy and mysterious before, they were a revelation of a world going far beyond my imaginings-

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

Angel Fire

If you ever wondered if nature was spiritual, or if some divine God-like force exists, this picture of heavenly light descending Earthwards through the gaps in clouds might settle your mind. Or will it?

Evening Glow

The gorgeous pinks of sakura, illumined by a setting sun. Alone, they were pale white, but only after everyone but a few remained in the temple garden, did the falling sun reveal this splendour amongst us.

Fallen in Light

Even when the weather wan't so clear, there were other opportunities for views. This was on my first day, when I found the clouds to be quite dramatic.

Cap of Light

I took the time off as an opportunity to visit Mt. Fuji, via Kawaguchiko Lake, where I stayed for about a week. The changing weather made it hard to see sights like this, 'aka-Fuji', when (s)he goes red in the rays of the falling sun.

Sitting in a lakeside cafe with friends for a couple of hours just to see this was well worth it. A sunset is an event like any other, with only the significance we choose to give it.

Warm Reflections

Using the D300's vivid colour mode, I captured this sunset reflection on an ancient rock. The colours aren't really quite like this, at least seen with the human eye; but who ever said that what we see is any nearer to reality than our wildest fantasies?

Illumination 2

Light falls in Suwa Ginja, just as we paused to speak to some other visitors there. No, it isn't coming from that lantern, but it may as well be!

Deep Reflections

The impressive architecture in the newer parts of Yokohama, seen reflecting a rich sunset. We sometimes forget that with all it's confusion and emphasis on speed, the modern world also brings it's own serene beauty with it, as all the other worlds before it have done. This series was inspired by the scenes in Koyaanisquatsi, which I find a mesmerising film to see.

Poolside

Where would the summer be without a pool? It's getting a little late in the day, but as the sun slowly disappears, it's safe to dip in and enjoy the surrounding reflections.

Flickrs of Light

It was a few days before the first outing of the Tiny Universe camera club and I had some spare time and a spare camera, so it was back to Tozenji. Here are some ferns in the last flickers of sunlight.

Views of London- Sunset Over the City

London has, from it's very inception, been dependant upon the flow of trade along the Thames. With the relative cheapness of water-borne transport, this hasn't changed much, a fact compounded by the expensive nature of innovations in water-transport such as hovercraft and hydrofoils. So what you are seeing here is a scene that hasn't changed much for centuries. and in terms of the sunset itself, for millenia.

I don't see London so much as a place to see the contrast between new and old, to the extent that Tokyo is. I see it more as a land of continuity, where even very old things are restored to be still useful in today's world- A tale of two cities!

THE END

Now the day is pretty much over, with one last view of the beautiful sunset, on the walk to the train-station.

THE END.

And the day is nearly done... time to head home... it's been a great day in the park.