Japan Landscape Photography, Fuji five lakes Onsen
We recently visited an amazing Onsen at Lake Kawaguchiko. I had the most perfect view of Mt Fuji right from the outside bath so much so that I had to sneak my camera in to take some photos.
Landscape Photography Japan, Love of Fuji
Mt Fuji has an amazing beauty and it’s understandable why it has been featured in so many artworks over the History of Japan. When you see it in person you fall in love, your jaw drops open and you gaze with amazement. It is impressive in it’s enormity and its symmetrical simple beauty. It is the most photographed mountain in the world and it’s hard to be around it long without wanting to turn your camera towards it and take one more image. My love is ongoing and so is my pursuit of the prefect image.
Landscape Photographer Japan, Kamikura Shrine, Shingu, Wakayama.
I filmed a tourism commercial for the region on Wakayama and we shot at Kamikura shrine at sunrise having woke up at 3:45 to get up there. I managed between takes to capture a couple of stills which you see below. It is a beautiful shrine and the incredibly steep 500 steps leading up to it makes it a hard but rewarding climb especially when you are carrying up a lot of gear. The whole crew was sitting around exhausted catching their breathe at the top when an old lady with a bent back who looked to be in her eighties walked past and said good morning in the most genki (happy/spritely) way. I was honestly shocked that she could make it up and down the stairs but it appears that it was her morning ritual.
Japan Landscape Photography, Mt, Haguro, Yamagata.
The hike up Mt Haguro is a magical experience that passes through beautiful forest, past waterfalls, Tori gates and to amazing temples. It’s definitely a photographers paradise with many sights along the way and an abundance of nature. There are 500 year old cedar trees through which a stone pathway with 2,250 stairs has been carved. I took these photos on a whirlwind tour of the mountain but I would love to go back and photograph at dawn to capture the mist in the forest that would add a magical touch.
Travel Photography, Ashinoko (Lake Ashi), Hakone, Japan.
Travel Photography, Owakudani, Hakone, Japan.
Owakudani is a volcanic valley with active sulphur vents and hot springs located inside Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park of Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture. You can really sense volcanic activity from a safe distance and the site has been a sulphur mine and a source for the Onsen water that feeds many of the local hotels. It is a popular tourist site and kuro-tamago (黒卵, lit. "black egg") is a local specialty of eggs hard-boiled in the hot springs. The eggs turn black and smell slightly sulphuric; eating one is said to add seven years to your life.
When we visited the alert level was lowest at 1 but this area can experience many earthquakes and is sometimes shut due to the volcanic activity. It’s a great place to visit with your camera and to photograph some other worlds scenes.
Landscape Photography. A quick hike to the The Rock Gardens at Mt Mitake, Ome, Tokyo.
On Mt Mitake in Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park on the edge of Tokyo prefecture there are some beautiful hiking trails and exquisite landscapes. I often find myself saying that Japan is a landscape photographers paradise but it truly is. The four seasons ensure that the landscape is constantly evolving and you often find a new and glorious aspect each time you return.
On this day I hiked with my family to the Rock gardens. The clear mountain stream, the surrounding forest, and the stunning, moss-covered rock formations make this a place of true beauty. Waterfalls are considered as sacred in Shintoism and the majestic beauty of these natural formations inspires awe. There are Shinto torii gates and shide paper streamers marking the entrance to a waterfall as sacred ground inhabited by a deity. A great hike and beautiful place to photograph the landscape.
Australia from the air. Stills from a film project
I was commissioned to film and create this landscape video installation for the new headquarters of the Commonwealth bank in Sydney Australia. Whilst currently living in Tokyo Japan it was great to have the opportunity to travel all round my home country of Australia to photograph and film this project. These are still photos taken from the film. It was a great project and took me to some of the remotest locations that I had never photographed before. We filmed from a drone and a helicopter shooting 6.5K RAW footage to capture highly detailed imagery that displays all the amazing colours of the Australian continent.
