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2013-05-16 10:12:48 (9 comments, 9 reshares, 148 +1s)

Oura Tanada
Kyushu, Japan

Although I've seen a lot of gorgeous rice terraces in the Philippines, I was still impressed with the Oura Tanada in Saga. The major difference is the rice terraces in my home country are located in the middle of a huge mountain range which makes it grand and epic. While most of the terraces I've seen in Kyushu are close to the sea which can be gorgeous for sunrises or sunsets. I equally love both and hoping I can visit them again in the near future.

Edit: 
For those who are curious, here is a nice collection of rice terraces in the Philippines
http://justthetravel.com/the-banaue-rice-terraces-in-philippines/

With +adithya anand +Jason Arney +Jeff Austin 

From: http://smu.gs/17ysDcY

#japanphotography  

2013-05-09 11:41:52 (11 comments, 20 reshares, 123 +1s)

Serpent Garden

Taken during the Flower Festival at Showa Kinen Park in Tokyo. It was not as crowded as I expected but it was still difficult to get a clean shot from this angle. So, I had to wait until closing time just before the park security got a chance to throw us out. 

More photos here
http://smu.gs/173sRbJ

#flowers   #spring  

2013-04-14 12:39:53 (23 comments, 36 reshares, 306 +1s)

Poppy Dreams
(http://smu.gs/157Q77x)

Visited the Flower Festival in Showa Kinen Park yesterday for the first time. I was expecting a heavy crowd but was surprised to get clean shots of most the places I liked. 

To get to this final image, I combined a few shots with different focus points. It was a little windy so I shot this with a fast aperture. I focused first in the foreground and then the background while thinking of combining them later in photoshop to get the deep depth of field.

#japan   #japanphotography   #spring   #flowers   #tokyo

2013-04-01 13:21:15 (273 comments, 284 reshares, 1343 +1s)

Hidden Gems
(from http://smu.gs/14I7wDS)

For Hanami, most people would usually go to Naka-meguro or Shinjuku Gyoen. I however did not have time visit those places so with the help of Panoramio, my friends and I were able to discover this beautiful place near our area. It's like a mini Naka-meguro without the people.. and the lights.

It was so dark I had to guess and test with manual focus until get most of the sakura nice and sharp. Thankfully the wind cooperated a little as well as this was shot with a 30-second exposure. It was unfortunate though that the Sakura bloomed so early. It could have coincide with the blooming of the tulips that line up the river. It would have been a better shot.

#sakura   #cherryblossoms   #spring   #japan   #japanphotography   #hanami   

2013-03-25 12:12:23 (11 comments, 2 reshares, 90 +1s)

Coastline Melt
http://smu.gs/14pb1Pq

Went to Jogashima a few weeks ago and was blown away by the coastal scene. I was suppose to walk from one end of the island to the opposite side but I found myself overshooting at some locations and got caught with darkness in the middle of my trek. I didn't have any flashlights with me so I was forced to abandon my trek and find the nearest bus stop. For sure I will be returning to this spot once the Sakura season dies down.

#seascapephotography   #seascape   #japanphotography  

2013-03-24 04:08:00 (9 comments, 2 reshares, 100 +1s)

Ephemeral Beauty
http://smu.gs/14lL9UK

The early bloom of sakura here in Yokohama caught me a little off guard as I am still in my lethargic state and still recovering from my recent trips. With the gloomy cold weather today, nothing beats staying in my room and rest but these beauties don't last very long. So, I'm heading out in a while to capture more :)

#sakura   #cherryblossoms   #spring   #japan   #macrophotography  

2013-03-21 11:08:35 (10 comments, 3 reshares, 128 +1s)

Swept Away

It's already spring season. Sakura has been blooming everywhere and yet I find myself shooting more seascapes. I find it very challenging to compose and pre-visualize the streaks of lines the waves make as they recede. Often times, it's just a wonderful surprise when I look at my camera's lcd.

This was taken in Miura about 20 minutes away from the Misakiguchi station. I wanted to get closer but was too afraid to get swept away by a huge wave. There were a lot of times that I felt I should bail out but somehow through courage(and/or stupidity), I managed to plant my feet firmly, hold my tripod and survive the oncoming wave.

More shots of from the Miura Peninsula here:
http://smu.gs/14e5ew6


#japan   #seascape  #sunset

2013-03-14 13:51:14 (15 comments, 7 reshares, 147 +1s)

Senganmon

One of the coolest rock formations in the Izu coastline. Just to give some scale to this image, I think a bus might be able to fit through that hole. 

More Izu pics here: http://smu.gs/YtQoth

#landscapephotography : +Landscape Photography curated by +Ben T +David Heath Williams +Margaret Tompkins +Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Carra Riley +paul t beard

#seascapes #seascapephotography   #izu   #japan   #japanphotography  

2013-03-09 10:56:13 (17 comments, 5 reshares, 160 +1s)

The Rush
(http://smu.gs/15PjaeI)

Recently I've been addicted to seascapes. After my last trip to Izu, I've been searching via google maps places with interesting coastlines that are easily accessible by train. I managed to find this place in the Miura peninsula just a 20 minute walk from the station.

It's beautiful place with unlimited possibilities for composition so definitely I'd be returning soon. As an added bonus, Mt. Fuji can also be seen from there

  #landscapephotography : +Landscape Photography curated by +Ben T +David Heath Williams +Margaret Tompkins +Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Carra Riley +paul t beard

#sunsetsaturday : +Sunset Saturday curated by +Dennis Hoffbuhr

2013-02-20 09:59:53 (12 comments, 3 reshares, 145 +1s)

The Clash

My first time in Izu and it didn't disappoint. There is so much to shoot but so little time. One of the spots I've always wanted to visit was these rock formations called the Sanshirou just a few minutes away from Dogashima. During low tide, a "rockbar" appears which allows you to walk towards them but during this day, we got the raging waves instead.

It was quite challenging to get this shot as I had to fight the strong wind and the constant water splashes on the lens. I had to keep my shutter speed slow enough to capture the motion of the waves but fast enough to avoid visible camera shake. For almost every bracketed set I took, I had to wipe down my lens without accidentally pushing the lens backward and change the composition.

Trashed almost all of my shots on this subject but luckily got one that is usable. And sometimes, that is all... more »

2013-02-18 00:55:53 (8 comments, 5 reshares, 99 +1s)

Summer Colors

The past few days have been brutally cold here in Yokohama and I'm absolutely missing the warmer days. So, as a temporary escape, here is a shot from Hokkaido during a warm summer day last year. 

More Hokkaido shots here: http://smu.gs/15mvx1O

#japanphotography   #japan   #landscapephotography   #landscape   #flowers  

2013-02-14 13:51:49 (5 comments, 8 reshares, 105 +1s)

Looking For Love

Rather than be sad and #foreveralone  might as well join the fun in posting #valentinesday   related images.

2013-02-08 07:03:43 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 117 +1s)

White River Village

This was my third time in Shirakawa-go but it was my first time to visit this part of the village. It's actually an open air museum that you need to pay 500 yen just to get in. The good news is there is less people in this area so we had no problems shooting around the area.

This shot was quite memorable to me because the snow that I was standing on suddenly gave way which made me fall flat on my ass. Fortunately I didn't fell forward as I would have been swimming in that icy cold pond together with my gear. Good thing +Jeff Matsuya was the only witness to this moment of fail/shame..

More Shirakawa-go shots here: http://smu.gs/14X4HNv

w/ the three Js +Jeff Austin +Jason Arney +Jeff Matsuya 

#japanphotography   #winter   #nightphotography   #nightphotographyfriday  

2013-01-31 14:55:13 (8 comments, 2 reshares, 124 +1s)

Nature's Blood and Veins

Shooting up is one of few ways not to capture the immense crowds in Kyoto during autumn season. They have abundant glowing red trees but I got easily bored shooting up. I still prefer shooting the wide vistas 

More Kyoto photos here: http://smu.gs/Xnzihu

#autumnphotography   #japanphotography   #naturephotography  

2013-01-30 12:15:20 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 99 +1s)

Rampage
(http://smu.gs/XhKPPp)

With 0 experience on stream photography, I am glad to be able to come up with a shot like this. I found that generally around 1/4s shutter speed makes really nice water movement at least for this area. I definitely would love to comeback here.

#naturephotography  #nature #japan #japanphotography  

2013-01-27 08:26:43 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 93 +1s)

Industrial Power
(http://smu.gs/X2lRDx)

I'm always hesitant to trespass just to get a better shot. But if I'm with a wild man like +Jason Arney, the hesitation just goes out the door. We went through a "restricted area" just to get a good view of the sun going down. I was then surprised when a group of old photographers appeared and setup their tripods just beside me. I guess the area wasn't that restricted :p

Taken during the G+ Kawasaki Photo Drive a few weeks ago hosted by +masanobu tanzawa . And a big thanks to +Takahiro Yamamoto for driving us around!

#japanphotography   #photowalk  

2013-01-26 10:53:20 (8 comments, 8 reshares, 105 +1s)

Moss Garden
(from http://smu.gs/WYKYXP)

My friend brought me here to this garden in Nara during the height of autumn. What's nice about this place is no one seem to know about this garden. All of the tourist I guess are in the main attractions and don't seem to care about the beauty of this garden.

Ironically, I did not bring my tripod because I thought the places we will visit will be swarming with tourists. It was a whiteout rainy day so I framed it in such a way that the clouds will be covered by the trees. Shot it a little under exposed to bring out the colors and brought the the shadows up back in lightroom.

#japanphotography   #autumn  

2013-01-21 16:23:59 (9 comments, 2 reshares, 112 +1s)

Those Lonely Nights
(from http://smu.gs/13WGYg1)

I went to Bay Walk when I was in Manila just to get a glimpse of a good sunset from Manila Bay. Unfortunately, the clouds hid the sun as it went down the horizon. I knew the light wasn't gonna get better so I shot the road beside the walkway. 

Shooting around the Bay Walk was an uncomfortable experience. I was alone and I had my whole gear with me so I was a little paranoid of getting mugged. Instead of getting the right composition and exposures, my attention was on the people around me. I had my 6th sense turned as I held my tripod and preparing to swing at anyone who takes a stab at me :p

I did not enjoy the experience shooting alone. I probably wont do it again there >_<

#manila   #philippines  

2013-01-15 04:54:46 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 96 +1s)

The Shield

Whenever I'm out alone doing some street photography, I usually spend a few minutes to an hour on one location waiting for interesting people to pass by. Most of the time I'm on a crouch position so I could get more of the person's face when he is using an umbrella. In this case however, I still thought it was an interesting shot.

More bad weather shots here:
http://smu.gs/13xABiZ

#streetphotography  

2013-01-14 10:24:03 (10 comments, 3 reshares, 99 +1s)

Snow Walker

Woke up today and it was winter wonderland from my window. I'm still sick so I couldn't join a photowalk with my friends and now I feel even more sick for missing a good opportunity :( Despite feeling weak, I managed to snap some photos just outside my apartment.

http://smu.gs/W2yqOP

#streetphotography  

2013-01-08 13:54:40 (9 comments, 4 reshares, 102 +1s)

The Watcher

Enjoyed a lengthy vacation back at my home country. Here was the last sunset last year from Manila Bay.

Original: http://smu.gs/UFHkWC

#philippines   #manila  

2013-01-01 14:19:36 (12 comments, 2 reshares, 67 +1s)

How The Universe Was Created

Finally I was able to celebrate new year back in my hometown in the Philippines after 3 years celebrating it in Japan. There are a lot of Chinese families who love fireworks in our village so I was able to enjoy the sights and sounds by just standing outside our house.

Tech specs:
Manual Mode
Hand held
1/200
F/2.8
1600 ISO

(Spray and pray until I got lucky)

SmugMug: http://smu.gs/U4iPSF

#newyear  #manila #philippines #fireworks  

2012-12-17 15:21:34 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 114 +1s)

I never thought I would enjoy shooting expressways until I saw +Takahiro Yamamoto 's work! Now I'm absolutely addicted to them especially when I get nice light trails like this one.

I'm trying to build my own collection of expressways too. Here is the link to see more
http://smu.gs/Xzgknk

2012-12-16 07:02:51 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

Takafumi Ooshio was tagged in Agustin Rafael Reyes's album.

2012-12-13 13:22:51 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 79 +1s)

Epic Shirakawa-go

Now researching for the next winter adventure. Early this year, me and a bunch of photographer friends explored the snowy villages of Shirakawa-go. Early next year I'm hoping to go somewhere north. Yamagata maybe?

More Shirakawa-go shots here: http://smu.gs/Xb6LL9

2012-12-04 04:20:28 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 77 +1s)

Togetsukyo Bridge -- Kyoto Japan
(http://smu.gs/RxZh89)

Went for a short walk near Arashiyama to check the autumn colors. It looked ok already but probably it's much colorful right now. And as always, it crowded so I was able to take only a few shots while I was on the bridge.

2012-11-29 14:10:45 (9 comments, 3 reshares, 100 +1s)

Blood and Veins
(http://smu.gs/RkYA1X)

Took shelter from the rain under this lovely tree last weekend in Nara. 

2012-11-28 04:43:19 (9 comments, 10 reshares, 128 +1s)

Journey Through Autumn

Went to the Kansai area over the 3-day weekend. Experience suggests that I should stay away from those famous tourist spots especially during the peak season because I will be frustrated dealing with people shoving each other. I found this garden somewhere in the Nara city where foreigners get to enter for free :) 

SmugMug: http://smu.gs/TpMJvy

#autumnphotography   #japanphotography  

2012-11-14 14:09:47 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 81 +1s)

The Devil's Onsen

A few minutes walk from the Goshogake Onsen is this wonderful steaming pond. Although the view is awesome, the smell is like rotten eggs. But that doesn't really matter if the scene is as gorgeous as this.

Full resolutions here
SmugMug: http://smu.gs/SVj50L

#landscapephotography   #japanphotography   #autumnphotography  

2012-11-12 04:29:12 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 84 +1s)

Alien Landing
Towada-ko, Japan

A warm sunrise with cool cloud formations that barely fit my 14mm wide angle lens.

Full resolutions here
SmugMug: http://smu.gs/QA8rAl

#landscapephotography   #japanphotography   #travelphotography  

2012-11-08 15:17:06 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 51 +1s)

Living In Color
Akita, Japan

One of many awesome autumn views from Mt. Hachimantai. Thanks to +Jason Arney for letting me use his wonderful lens. I knew at that moment, I had to get the same one so I sold all my canon gear just to afford one :p

#landscapephotography #japanphotography #autumnphotography  

2012-11-06 11:48:12 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 55 +1s)

A Little Bit of Street
Yokohama, Japan

I love shooting with a long lens. I'm usually a chicken shit when pointing a camera to a stranger so having the range helps me temporarily bridge my weakness. The only drawback I think of using a 70-200 for street photography (besides the weight) is it makes me look like a stalker creep >_<

#streetphotography   #japanphotography   #blackandwhitephotography  

2012-11-05 03:23:49 (39 comments, 0 reshares, 50 +1s)

A Night At Kabuchiko 

with +andrew holian +Jason Arney +Jeff Austin +Jeff Matsuya 

Played around with my new toy and I was very surprised with the shots I got. I was able to get away with hand held shots below 1/200 at 200mm (thanks to its VR I guess). Though I had some minor gripes with the focus.  It focused slower than what I expected. Probably I should play with the 5m to infinity range focus to make it faster. Overall I'm happy considering how cheap I got it. Big thanks to +andrew holian  for helping me out :)

2012-11-03 03:06:13 (6 comments, 4 reshares, 75 +1s)

Waiting for the sun to come up at Towada-ko lake

Full Resolutions:
SmugMug: http://smu.gs/SmqoOP

#landscapephotography   #japanphotography  

2012-11-02 14:07:43 (22 comments, 4 reshares, 21 +1s)

Just saw this commercial a few minutes ago and I couldn't stop laughing 

2012-11-02 12:12:42 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 71 +1s)

Vanish
Nara, Japan

Awesome view from Mt. Yoshino even it was a rainy day. 

SmugMug: http://smu.gs/SkteE6

2012-10-30 13:51:01 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 41 +1s)

The Hidden Marshland
Akita, Japan

Another awesome view from Mt. Hachimantai. Good thing my friend +Jason Arney lent me his 70-200 monster lens which gave me more options for my landscape shots. I like the challenge of finding a good composition with a long lens.

Full resolutions here
SmugMug: http://smu.gs/Q44QKQ

2012-10-29 15:27:53 (5 comments, 5 reshares, 60 +1s)

Lonely Cabin on a Cloudy Morning
Akita, Japan

Still figuring out my new camera. I've been doing tons of hand held photography just to see how much I can get away with things. So far, things are looking quite awesome.

That said, I'm also in a hunt for a new tripod and head combo. I've spotted a tripod I like but searching for a reasonable head is still not yet finished. I've got my eyes on a Benro B3 but yet to read all about it. Anyone got experience with it?

Full resolutions here:
SmugMug: http://smu.gs/RPt8nA

2012-09-04 05:04:43 (10 comments, 6 reshares, 105 +1s)

The Manila Cathedral

Visited Manila just for a few days just to see my friend get married. I went to the walled city called Intramuros where Japanese hid before the Americans flattened the city during WW2. Obviously, the cathedral was rebuilt and now stands as one of the well known places in the city.

Full resolutions here
SmugMug: http://smu.gs/O7UqIV

#philippines   #manila  

2012-08-21 13:55:38 (19 comments, 11 reshares, 135 +1s)

Sunflower Dreams

My dream of shooting a sunflower field came true when I went to Hokkaido. Although we got busted for trespassing, I was happy mostly with the shots I got. I didn't realize these flowers could grow so tall (taller than me >_<). So most of the time I was holding my camera above my head and doing a little bit of spray and pray. This is one of those shots that turned out nice.

SmugMug: http://smu.gs/PaW5sR

2012-08-20 13:23:52 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 98 +1s)

Lavender Girl

Just a cute girl enjoying the lavender fields in Farm Tomita in Hokkaido, Japan

SmugMug: http://smu.gs/NAQH6D

2012-08-20 01:46:37 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Due to to foolish move on my part, compounded with a bad choice by another person, my main work camera has gone M.I.A., at the absolute worst time. I'm extremely sad about this, beyond embarrassed, and even heartbroken about it. That camera had become an extension of me through the birth of two kids, the earthquake, Photohoku, starting our company, and much more. To say it has helped me immensely to achieve all kinds of things, is even a gross understatement. Which is why I am so devastated about whats happened. 

The story is that I went to Nakano, by bicycle, with Zoe to hang with a friend and his daughter. At one point I was holding my daughter in one hand, and searching for her shoes in my backpack (where the camera was) with the other hand. I couldn't find one shoe in the backpack, so I removed the camera from the bag, set it on the bicycle child's seat, found the shoe, put it on... more »

2012-08-19 23:41:08 (73 comments, 84 reshares, 406 +1s)

The Blue Lagoon (Hokkiado, Japan)

Wondering why the this pond is blue and why all the trees inside the pond are dead.

SmugMug: http://smu.gs/P7Y9BV

2012-08-18 05:15:37 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 72 +1s)

Rainbow Hills of Furano

This was taken at Farm Tomita in Furano, Hokkaido. I just love the colors of summer there and I'm wishing I could go back once more for the autumn season.

Full resolutions:
SmugMug: http://smu.gs/P4rEog

#landscapephotography  

2012-08-07 15:18:12 (9 comments, 3 reshares, 97 +1s)

The Burning Tree

Just when we though the best of the sunset was over, the clouds suddenly turned crazy red. I had to run to a different position just to get a composition I want because I know these things last for only a few minutes.

SmugMug: http://smu.gs/NlIVYW Flickr: http://flic.kr/p/cKnXCU

#landscapephotography   #japanphotography  #sunset #hokkaido   #hokkaidowednesday  

2012-08-06 15:19:51 (7 comments, 3 reshares, 81 +1s)

The Autumn Experience

Autumn in the northern part of Japan is about 2 months away. But still I'm already excited and psyched up to experience another crazy colorful autumn in Touhoko and/or Hokkaido. 

This shot was taken in Hachimantai in Akita Prefecture. It was my first time to experience anything like this - mountains and mountains autumn colors. Even my Japanese friend was blown away with the experience. Hoping to see this again this year.

Good night everyone :)

Full resolutions:
SmugMug: http://smu.gs/QxmYKE Flickr: http://flic.kr/p/cLFcEA

#landscapephotography   #autumn   #japan #japanphotography  

2012-08-05 10:03:29 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 105 +1s)

Solitude

One thing I really like about Biei (a town in Hokkaido) is you can just stop at any side of the road and find something worth taking. After we shot the sunrise near the Philosopher Tree (http://smu.gs/QgpWD9) we saw this tiny house in the middle of nowhere. I immediately instructed our wonderful driver to step on the brakes so we could shoot this road side gem.

Full resolutions here
SmugMug: http://smu.gs/NhEmyz Flickr: http://flic.kr/p/cJhCDL

2012-08-04 09:53:15 (24 comments, 27 reshares, 243 +1s)

The Blue Pond of Asahidake

Climbed about halfway of Mt. Asahidake of Hokkaido's Daisetsuzan National Park. Well, not really climbed but more like rode the ropeway halfway to the top. There were a lot of interesting spots around the mountain, my favorite of which are the blue ponds. Some of the ponds actually still have small patches of snow around them even if it is already at the peak of summer.

I owe this shot to the Photoshop wiz +Jason Arney for lending my his CF card when I ran out of memory. My day could have gone sour if I had to delete some of my shots just to get new ones. Check out his awesome work here
http://smu.gs/QpMqSd

As always, full resolutions of my photos are available here
SmugMug: http://smu.gs/Ng0w4l Flickr: http://flic.kr/p/cK6AFf

#landscapephotography  #hokkaido #japan #mountains  

2012-08-03 07:45:01 (17 comments, 3 reshares, 105 +1s)

Rainbow Fields

The main reason I wanted to go to Hokkaido this summer was to see for myself if these fields truly exist (and of course taste the lavender ice cream). After dumping  our stuff in the hotel, we immediately went to Farm Tomita, the well known tourist spot for these colorful fields. Despite the tourists, it was easy to find good angles without people

Also found in
SmugMug: http://smu.gs/QlFNAr

#landscapephotography   #summer   #hokkaido   #japanphotography  

2012-08-02 00:41:36 (27 comments, 8 reshares, 147 +1s)

Isolation

I've been out of G+ for almost a month now due to work and personal problems. But thanks to my recent trip to Hokkaido, its beauty has given me loads of inspiration again to do what I love the most.

This was the shot of the Philosopher's Tree in Biei. The gang and I had to wake up 3am in the morning just the catch this sunrise. 

A big thanks to +Jeff Austin for telling us about this place and +Jeff Matsuya for driving us around and keeping us alive.

For full resolutions, kindly visit my SmugMug or Flickr
SmugMug: http://smu.gs/QgpWD9
Flickr: http://flic.kr/p/cGV7fU

#landscapephotography  #hokkaido #japan  #sunrise