Akira

Dallas, thank you for the newsletter for the heads-up! Here's my humble post.

Thank you, Greg, for kind words. We seem to share the frustration. These were just a few lucky shots from many disappointing failures!

Here's one more.

I think this bridge has become a familiar subject to me, thanks to your beautiful representations! FWIW, I can see all the images posted in this thread.

Today's visitor to the same tree was an oriental turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis).

It is always nice to see the landscapes of unfamiliar regions of the globe. I'm particularly enjoying the second batch. Thank you for sharing, Alex! Hope you would post more from this trip!

Glad you like them, Dallas. Yes, manual focusing at these small and swift birds are extremely challenging. I've never used any modern AF telephoto lenses or cameras with the sophisticated animal/bird detect AF. But I would suspect it would be challenging for such modern systems to chase swift little birds flying among branches and twigs. I created lots of failed images!

Down the balcony of my apartment, there is a Japanese plum tree. When its flowers are in full bloom, we can observe some little visitors. Typical visitors are Japanese white-eyes (Zosterops japonicus) which I have managed to capture in a few frames with my crude kits (I've been using older MF telephoto lenses with the adapters). This year, I could capture another visitor (brown-eared bulbul: Hypsipetes amaurotis). The bulbul is very cautious and it flies away whenever it just feels the existence of a human. The second image here is one of the my first frames I could capture.

Thank you, Chris. I think that cherry blossoms attracts people more because they want to have parties under the cherry blossom trees. The plum flower is regarded as the annunciation of the end of the winter and the beginning of the spring. So, it carries more spiritual character. Historically, it is believed that dead bodies are buried at the root of a cherry blossom tree. There have been literature works inspired that belief. Nevertheless, the cherry blossom in this modern society is rather considered as the opportunity for partying outdoors.

And some improvisational shots...

About 20 minutes on foot, I can visit this public plum garden called "Ikegami Baien". It is a good destination for the stroll, because I can get there without depending on any traffic system that are generally crowded, especially during weekends. This weekend, I found various Japanese plums in the garden in the best states to appreciate. All images were shot with SIGMA fp and 45/2.8 kit lens.

Thank you, Dallas, for warm welcome, as always!

Sorry for my long absence. The best way to avoid crowded place in a huge city like Tokyo, using transportation facilities as little as possible and staying at home as much as possible. So, the top of the emergency stairs and open corridors have become my most visited locations for the photography. #1: Sunrise shot from the top, the 6th floor of the emergency stairs. SIGMA fp with 45/2.8 kit lens. #2: Sunrise shot from the open corridor. SIGMA fp with AF Zoom Nikkor 70-300/4.5-5.6 (bought for 110 USD on eBay). #3: Night scene with the crescent moon and Venus (can you see?) shot from the open corridor. SIGMA fp with 45/2.8 kit lens.

Nice to seeing your images of the motifs different from your usual citiscapes. Thank you for sharing!

Impressive images. I like the B&W ones more. Somehow, the first image reminds me of the "Starry Night" of the screen saver for the ancient Mac.