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An apprentice Geisha, or Maiko, Gion, Kyoto



Figures walking by the bamboo framework of a house. Gion, Kyoto.



A man stands at the scramble crossing, Hachiko exit, Shibuya.



Ryoanji Temple garden, Kyoto.



Geisha bow as they bid farewell to their client for the night, Gion, Kyoto.



Geisha district. The streets of Gion, Kyoto.



Reflection of the torii, or main gate to Heian shrine (kyoto sequence).



An enthusiastic rickshaw driver on the way to Heian shrine.



A temple building overlooking the lake, Heian shrine



A dragon guards the gate to Kiyumizadera temple, Kyoto.



Dawn, Kiyumizadera Temple, Kyoto.



The Odaiba Bridge (rainbow bridge), Tokyo.



Pleasure boats, Odaiba.



Skyscraper, Shinjuku.



Votive tablets, Meiji Jingu shrine, Tokyo.



The Tokyo Tower.

I've been saying that I'd post these photo's from my latest trip in late July for a while now....I've been busy lately, but finally here they are! I went for almost 2 weeks this time, with a few days in Kyoto and a few in Tokyo. The aim was to create a portfolio as part of a photography course, and the result took a great deal of time and effort during my trip.

July is extremely hot and humid, and even the native Japanese suffer with the heat. I would recommend to anyone contemplating of going to wait for either November or April, as the autumn leaves and the cherry blossom can't be beat, having been at both times of the year. There may be further edits to the post as further pics are added down the line. I've had to reduce the size of all the pics as some of them run between 40-60mb per image in their original state. Enjoy!

These are really amazing, I especially love the Gion District, the Kiyumizadera Temple and the Tokyo Tower one... but they're all beautiful.

And the quality is perfect, what camera do you use?

Thanks! these days I use a canon eos 40d, fairly hefty price tag but the quality it produces is more than worth it. The photos you mention were produced using HDR, which involves processing multiple exposures to give a high range of tone. I'm considering putting the kiyumizadera one on allposter or some other site as the quality when printed at 30''x20'' is great, virtually every single leaf in sharp focus, and the file's way too big to share. Also, after spending a couple k on gear to build up a portfolio, i kinda want to keep the original file exclusive.

Thanks, I'll look into it.. I'm looking for a really good camera.

Good idea, I'd definitely buy a poster like that.. it's amazing

Good God! Thanks for sharing these amazing photographs. Makes me want to go back to Japan again...

do you mind if i take them for a screen saver? they're absolutely amazing.

sure! i'm sure i have a few more to dig out as well, theres a couple i took of the hyatt as well, i've been a bit slow to process them all...will give me something to do on the winter nights.... the only thing i don't want in circulation are the original raw files, which are too big to post/send anyway...i'm thinking of choosing photography as a major, and i want to definitely prove any shots in my portfolio are mine if need be.



edit: howling typo..

no problem, these will stay on my computer. thanks and fantastic work!

Wow these photos are amazing! Thanks!

Breath taking photos !!!

Thanks for posting them

..

Why hello there..

Those are awesome. Thank you!

Reviving an old thread, but was looking through an old hard drive recently and I found that I have a load of photos that I never touched at the time as I was into HDR type stuff. Anyway when I get the chance I'll put a few up on here.

P.S - 2008 me sounds a bit pretentious!

I'd love to see more

Yes post away, would love to see them too!

2008 you sounds pretentious, hahaha! At least you can laugh at yourself!
Please post more pics though, your photos a great. I love the skyline and bridge pics, and have used them both as screen savers for years.

These photos are beautiful.. Keep posting them! Great vibe / feel to them