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Tom recounts his Japan trip

3rd November 2017

Tom shows us where in Japan the workshop was held

Earlier this year Tom joined up with local professional photographer, Rohan Reilly for a workshop on long-exposure photography, the location, Japan! Tom has been on several workshops with Rohan and has enjoyed them tremendously hence the desire to repeat the experience but in a different location. Japan with its beautiful scenery and iconic religious temples makes for an ideal subject for those interested in creating long-exposure images.

After showing us the area of Japan the group were exploring, Tom showed us what gear he took with him which included tripod and head, tilt-shift lenses, filter systems, spare batteries and cards, lens cleaning kit, chargers etc.

Tom explaining how camera position was critical to capturing this icon

Tom then took us through the tour showing us some of the images that he took along the way, explaining what his vision was for each picture and how the vantage point for the subject could drastically alter the feeling of the photo. Tom explained the significance of some of the religious sites they visited and the symbolism of the structures he was capturing. Tom explained how he made use of his tilt-shift lenses to make much larger panoramic images than one could achieve by simply panning a lens. Remember not to tilt, just shift!

In addition to the long-exposure photos he set out to take, Tom took lots of photos of the trip itself and of life in Japan. Included in the series were photos of the hotel rooms and toilets, the food and restaurants and various scenes in the cities and places they visited. fascinating to see how some of the temples that look so peaceful are to be found just metres away across from a busy highway!

Tom also gave us a short lesson on how to go about setting up to take a long-exposure photographs, from composing and focussing, to metering and then calculating the necessary adjustment in stops to give you the required exposure time for the effect you want. Tom also gave us a list of some of the smartphone apps useful in these circmstances;