Daibutsu Hiking Trail - Kita-Kamakura, Parting Shots from Kōtoku-in and Hase - Part 7

These are the last parting shots from my New Year's Daibustsu Hike. The first if of one of the guardian Nio at the entrance gate (or Nio-mon) to Kōtoku-in. The second is of a shimekezari. This New Year's wreath is hung over doorways or on doors to welcome the Shinto spirits. The third shot is of the crowded street leading up to Hase-dera Buddhist temple. It is one of the most famous temples in Kamakura and was founded in the 8th century. The last shot is of a lolly-pop that I glanced upon and quickly took a shot as I was making my way back to the Hase train station with my family.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f4.0, ISO 100, 1/250 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f4.0, ISO 100, 1/1250 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f4.0, ISO 100, 1/250 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f4.0, ISO 100, 1/100 sec.

Daibutsu Hiking Trail - Kita-Kamakura, Kōtoku-in - Part 6

The end of the Daibutsu Hiking Trail emerges from the woods above a tunnel and street several hundred meters away from Hase Station, Kōtoku-in and the Daibutsu. Arriving at Kōtoku-in were were lucky to be greeted by clear blue skies. A picture perfect end to a great hike in Kamakura.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 20 mm, f5.6, ISO 100, 1/60 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 20 mm, f5.6, ISO 100, 1/400 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens f8.0, ISO 100, 1/200 sec.

Daibutsu Hiking Trail - Kita-Kamakura, Kuzuharaoka-jinja - Part 5

The next stop on our way to the Daibutsu was Kuzuharaoka-jinja (there's more information in English here). This small shrine dedicated to Toshimoto Hino was founded in 1887 by Emperor Meiji. There is Daikokuten statue here that is popular among women who want a good marriage partner. I didn't find the statue (I wasn't looking for it) but I did find the matchmaking stones that are tied together. There is also a Masaruishi stone on prominent display at the entrance to the shrine. According to the sign, "Throw a dish at the rock to be rid of all malign influences in life..." There's a one-hundred yen donation for a small plate that you can throw at the rock.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 35 mm, f5.6, ISO 100, 1/320 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 17 mm, f5.6, ISO 100, 1/80 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 16 mm, f5.6, ISO 100, 1/500 sec.

Daibutsu Hiking Trail - Kita-Kamakura, Nōkyōchō or Shuincho from Jōchi-ji - Part 4

This is the nōkyōchō or shuincho from Jōchi-ji. It's a little more elaborate than the one from Tōkei-ji.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 35 mm, f4.5, ISO 400, 1/100 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 35 mm, f4.5, ISO 400, 1/160 sec.

Daibutsu Hiking Trail - Kita-Kamakura, Tōkei-ji and Jōchi-ji - Part 3

This set of photos from my New Year hike reveals some behind the scenes processing. I used to use Adobe Photoshop, but for the last few years I have been using Nikon NX2 to process the RAW files (NEF) from my Nikon. Usually I avoid over-processing since it slows down my workflow, and try to get the final shot in camera. However for first shot of the bell at Tōkei-ji and the two shots from Jōchi-ji, I wasn't satisfied and needed to bend the digital pixels to my will.

The temple bell or Bonshō at Tōkei-ji just didn't "pop" as I thought in would. The usual adjustments to curves and levels, contrast, and exposure, left this image a little too flat. However, I then tried B&W and finally selected a sepia version as the preferred version of this image. What do you think of my choice? Does this have more impact than the color version?

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 16 mm, f4.0, ISO 800, 1/125 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 16 mm, f4.0, ISO 800, 1/125 sec.

The next shot is some colorful autumn maple leaves. The leaves remaining on branches were thinning out and starting to lose their vivid fall colors. The colors in the original RAW file were also a little flat. The processing was a little more straight forward, curves were adjusted, color saturation boosted and contrast increased.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 35 mm, f4.5, ISO 400, 1/20 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 35 mm, f4.5, ISO 400, 1/20 sec.

The last shot is of Hotei, god of happiness at Jōchi-ji temple. The highlights in the original are almost blown out; however, since I shoot in RAW, there is still some hidden detail that can be coaxed out of the digital pixels in the file. The work on this image is basically a straight forward dodge and burn job. Darken the highlights, but not too much, and keep the shadow areas from receiving any additional exposure. In NX2, it is fairly easy to select and mask the areas to be dodged or burned-in using color control points.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 31 mm, f5.6, ISO 400, 1/1250 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 31 mm, f5.6, ISO 400, 1/1250 sec.

Daibutsu Hiking Trail - Kita-Kamakura and Tōkei-ji - Part 2

Just two more shots before hitting the Daibutsu Hiking Trail. This first shot is from behind the Buddha in the plum orchard at Tōkei-ji. It sort of foreshadows the last shots of the day taken of the Daibutsu at Kōtoku-in. The second shot is of temple sanctuary. Next stop Jōchi-ji.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 30 mm, f4.0, ISO 400, 1/400 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 35 mm, f4.0, ISO 800, 1/15 sec.

Daibutsu Hiking Trail - Kita-Kamakura and Tōkei-ji - Part 1

On the first weekend of the New Year the family headed out on a day trip to Kamakura for a hike. For those not familiar with Japan and the Kanto area, Kamakura is an hour by train or car (about 31-miles) from central Tokyo. After arriving at Kita-Kamakura station and before starting the Daibutsu Hiking Trail between Jōchi-ji and Hase, we visited Tōkei-ji. This temple is famous for being a former nunnery, was known refuge for women who were abused by their husbands, and was often referred to as the "Divorce Temple".

The weather on our hike was perfect, but I couldn't but help thinking that it would have been nice to do this hike a few weeks earlier in December with the autumn colors. Here at Tōkei-ji, the plum and cherry trees in the gardens around the temple were bare and the last leaves from the Japanese maples were struggling to hang-on in some of the warmer spots in the garden.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-Sf2.8, ISO 100, 1/200 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 16 mm, f5.6 ISO 100, 1/200 sec.

This is my friend Hazel's nōkyōchō or shuincho (temple calligraphy and stamp book). The calligraphy and stamp for Tōkei-ji is on the bottom left corner.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 32 mm, f5.6 ISO 200, 1/200 sec.