Saturday, July 23, 2011

Steel


There is a large intersection between the Red Brick Warehouse the the seafarers' hotel. There are not crosswalks at the intersection. Instead, there is the steel pedestrian overpass that is built in a round shape with stairs and elevators at each corner of the intersection.


This long-exposure shot included someone who happened to walking by right in front of my camera while talking on their cell phone. Interestingly, the camera didn't pick up the person, but it caught the light from their cell phone.


With a little post-production of lighting, I was able to bring out the bluish gray hues of the steel. 

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Red Balconies


In the afternoon, we can see patrons at the restaurants enjoying their meals or drinks out on these balconies. I wonder why the warehouse originally had the balconies in the first place...


More corny self portraits.


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Me at MM21


Some corny self-portraits taken with a remote control and the camera on a tripod.


I kind like this shot more than the others.


The structure and design of older buildings had a lot of personality to them compared the efficient concrete and glass structures of today.

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MM21 Buildings


Landmark Tower in Minato Mirai 21 District of Yokohama on the shores of Tokyo Bay. For many years, this was the tallest building in Japan. A feat considering that the tower was built on reclaimed land in a country notorious for earthquakes. 


The three towers in the middle are referred to collectively as Queen's Square. Office space on the upper floors with lots shopping and restaurants on the lower floors.


One of my favorite shots. I like taking night photography with the tripod. You never quite know how a shot will turn out until you actual close the shutter. It's a lot of fun to experiment! 


This shot was taken in bulb mode with the shutter left open for about 30 seconds. 



There is a small park near the tower where they have maintained the original railroad tracks that were once used when this area was a major port of importing and exporting. The area is still important for that industry, but the facilities have moved down the coast a bit and trucks are used more now than rail.


A local hotel run by a seafarers' (sailors') organization. Typically, the officers of ships stay here while the rest of the crew stay onboard their ship.


Having fun with different angles.

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MM21 Ferris Reflections


These are just different shots of the Ferris wheel reflecting on the waves of water in the port.


This is probably my favorite shot of this series.


Of course, with each additional few seconds of exposure the effects come out quite different.


This shot has a bit too much saturation, but it does make it a little bit more surreal.


I was able to catch the reflections of the Landmark Tower in this shot.

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MM21 Ferris Wheel


Have ridden on this Ferris wheel only once. Unfortunately, the passenger cabins are made of a kind of  plastic that distorts the view from inside. Kind of hard to take any nice shots from atop the Ferris wheel without glass or glass-like windows.


This time-lapse shot for only for a few seconds. 


Whereas this shot was taken over a span of more than a minute.

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MM21 Red Brick Warehouse


Even the larger trees need wooden supports to help them from toppling over during typhoons.


Love how they light up the Red Brick Warehouse, one of the first western-style buildings built on the pier almost a hundred years ago. 


Now the building is a small shopping center with lots of boutique shops and restaurants.


During holidays, special events are sponsored and held at this quarter of the Minato Mirai pier refurbishing project.

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MM21 Boats Bridge


Tourists can reserve seats on this type of cruise ship that takes passengers around the bay while serving drinks and food. Occasionally, you can hear the passengers having a small party while sing karaoke.


There are quite a few different ships, which are typically fully-booked on weekend evenings. Groups of newlyweds and their guests, family or class reunions, and coworker gatherings are a common sight.


These ships need to navigate under low-lying bridges that crisscross parts of the bay. This accounts for the low profile of the boats. Their colors and lanterns create nice reflections on the water.




This is a shot of the one of the towers supporting Yokohama Bay Bridge. One of the largest suspension bridges in the Kanto area. Actually, it is one of my favorite bridges in Japan. The view from the bridge is beautiful as well!

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