The evening of Saint Peter at Afurada.

 

Fireworks over the Douro river, Afurada, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.

For a full size photo please click on the image.

A story behind: Just one week after the street feast of St John we have another fireworks over the river of Douro, just on the other side of the Arrábida bridge.

I positioned the camera just above the water level to get the fireworks and their reflection in the river simultaneously. The water was calm allowing a nice colourful mirror image.


Location:  Porto, Portugal.

 

Gear: Nikon D 700, Nikkor 16-35mm 4G ED AF-S.

Aperture: f/8, 3 sec.

Exposure bias: +0,3 EV

ISO: 320 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

Date: 29th of June, 2014.

St John's Eve, Porto, Portugal.

A reddish river with a fireworks over the Douro river, Porto, Portugal.

A story behind: The Feast of St John coincides with the June solstice also referred to as Midsummer. The St John aslso hapens to be a patron of the city of Porto, Portugal.
Every year there is a big party going one all over the city with a fireworks over the river of Douro being the high point. St John's night in Porto (Noite de São João) is considered by several guides as one of the best street parties in the world.

Location:  Porto, Portugal.

 

Gear: Nikon D 610, Nikkor 50 mm, handheld

Aperture: f/3,2, 1/100 sec.

Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

ISO: 1600 EV

Focal Length: 50mm

Date: 23rd of June, 2014.

A few days in Douro Valley, Portugal

A late afternoon  in the vineyards of the Douro River region.

A story behind: We stayed the at beautiful rural hotel Quinta da Pacheca.  Located at the bank of the Douro River with a serene surroundings the hotel is a place to stay when you are visiting the region.

An evening at the gardens of the hotel with a glass of Reserva Tinto wine, a dinner at the excellent Gato Preto restaurant and the sunset over the vineyards.

Location:  Regua, Portugal.

 

Gear: Nikon D 610, Nikkor 70-300 mm.

Aperture: f/5,6

Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

Focal Length: 270mm

Date: 1st of May, 2014.

Quinta da Pacheca hotel at night. 

The Tokyo nightlife

Click on the image for a full size.

A late evening street photo with a traditional rickshaw, Tokyo, Japan.

A story behind: On the streets of Tokyo one can frequently spot a characteristic Japanese rickshaw (or ricksha / Ginrikisha  / 人力車) pulled by a person on foot.

The price is around $50 for scenic ride around town.

Japanese rickshaws were invented in 1869 in Tokyo and soon there were over 40,000 rickshaws in Tokyo. The popularity of these ginriksha (human powered car) spread like wildfire.

 

Location:  Tokyo, Japan.

 

Gear: Nikon D 610, Nikkor 70-300 mm.

Aperture: f/5,6

Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

Focal Length: 180mm

Date: 31st of April, 2014.

ISO: 3200

 
Maciek.

Sunrise at the Lake Chuzenji

Sunrise at the Lake Chuzenji, Japan. Click at the image for a full size.

 

A story behind: This is a scenic lake in the mountains above the town of Nikko, Japan. It is located at the foot of Mount Nantai, Nikko's sacred volcano, whose eruption blocked the valley below, thereby creating Lake Chuzenji about 20,000 years ago. Now it is a famous spa regions with a couple of nice hotels.
We spent there two wonderful days.
 

Location:  Above the town of Nikko, Japan.
 

Gear: Nikon D610, Nikkor 16-32 mm, tripod, ND 0,6.

Aperture: f/20


Shutter:  15 sec.
 
Exposure bias: -0,33 EV

Focal Length: 24 mm

ISO: 50

Date: Saturday, 12th of April 2014, 06.45 a.m.

Maciek.

 

 

A floating Torii on the Biwa Lake

 

 

 

A floating Torii gate on the Biwa Lake, Japan.

Click in the image for a full size.

 

A story behind: Very early morning, 30 minutes before the sunrise at the bank of the Biwa Lake (Japan´s largest lake), central Japan.  The Torii gate of the Shirahige-jinja Shrine. A wonderfully calm morning. A moment to remember forever.
 

Location:  Lake Biwa, Japan.
 

Gear: Nikon D610, Nikkor 16-32 mm, tripod, ND 0,6.

Aperture: f/16


Shutter: 6 sec.
 
Exposure bias: -0,67 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 50

Date: Friday, 11th of April 2014, 04.45 a.m.

Maciek.

 

Geisha and blooming Sakura tree

 

 

Date: 7th of April, 2014.

Place: Kyoto, Japan.

 
Maciek.

The mount Fuji sunrise

Click on the image for a full size.

An early morning at the lake Shoji, Japan.

A story behind: 4.45 in the morning. Temperature: - 2ºC.
Mount Fuji, 3,770 meters, the highest mountain in Japan. Almost a perfect volcanic cone. A large part of the mountain is still buried under the snow ( April 2014). According to recent data, the pressure in the main lava camber of the volcano recently overpassed the limit of 1.6 megapascals. Professor Masaki Kimura believes that until 2015 we will see a significant increase in the activity of the volcano with the possible eruption of a small degree.

Location:  Lake Shoji, Japan.

 

Gear: Nikon D 610, Nikkor 16-33 mm.

Aperture: f/14

Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

Date: 1st of April, 2014. 4.45 a.m.

 
Maciek.

Hanami or cherry blossom time in Japan

Click on the image for a full size.
A late evening photo of the Hanami festival in Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan.

A story behind: Hanami is an important Japanese custom and is held all over Japan in spring. When we booked our trip to Japan we were hoping to see cherry tree blossom. Every year it happens at a slightly different time. Usually it begins in late March or early April and depending on the weather conditions it can last from a couple of days to three weeks. Hanami literally means viewing flowers, but it generally indicates cherry blossom viewing. It's said that the origin of hanami dates back to more than one thousand years ago when aristocrats enjoyed looking at beautiful cherry blossoms and wrote poems.
Nowadays, especially young people in Japan have fun viewing cherry blossoms, drinking and eating. It is like a picnic under the trees.

Location:  Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan.

 

Gear: Nikon D 610, Nikkor 70-300 mm.

Aperture: f/5,6

Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

Focal Length: 100mm

Date: 1st of April, 2014.

 
Maciek.

Shibuya at night

Click on the image for a full size.
A normal night at the famous Shibuya Crossing.

A story behind: Shibuya is a sakariba (party town) for the Japanese youth.

This is a huge and loud intersection decorated by a sea of neons.
When the lights turn red and traffic stops completely, pedestrians from all sides surge into the crossing. This is a moment of incredible chaos when everybody moves into a different direction but after a minute when the traffic lights change again all this madness and scramble stops.

Location:  Tokyo, Japan.

 

Gear: Nikon D610, Nikkor 16-32 mm.

Aperture: f/8

 ISO: 3200Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16mm

Date: 1st of April, 2014.

 
Maciek.