0Japan, Yabusame, Traditional mounted archery, Parade of archers, judges and assistants

Yabusame Opening parade

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2015/02/28 Claudio Beffa / / / / /

Before the beginning of the Yabusame competition, the archers, the judges and their assistants parade along the track in front of the spectators.

For every figure there is a specific clothing that is a perfect reproduction of the original: the materials, the shape and the decorations of each dress date back to the Kamakura period. Attending the parade is like jumping back in time of nearly 800 years.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Pentax SMC DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL IF DC WR
Focal lenght: 135mm
Shutter time: 1/500 s
Aperture: F/5.6
Sensitivity: ISO100

 

This shot belongs to the award-winning series in the PX3 Prix de la photographie 2014 edition: “Yabusame” – Bronze medal – Category Press/Performing arts

 

You can find the full blog post about the japanese traditional horse mounted archery at the following page: Yabusame, the japanese horse mounted archery

 

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0Japan, Yabusame, Traditional mounted archery, Archer guiding the horse

Yabusame Guiding the horse

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2015/02/28 Claudio Beffa / / / / /

A Yabusame archer guides his horse to prepare for the parade.

The ceremony of Yabusame is going to start and the archers with their assistants and horses are getting ready for the opening parade.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Pentax SMC DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL IF DC WR
Focal lenght: 135mm
Shutter time: 1/750 s
Aperture: F/5.6
Sensitivity: ISO100

 

You can find the full blog post about the japanese traditional horse mounted archery at the following page: Yabusame, the japanese horse mounted archery

 

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0Japan, Yabusame, Traditional mounted archery, Relaxation time for archer and horse

Yabusame Relaxation

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2015/02/27 Claudio Beffa / / / / /

A Yabusame archer and his horse take a second to relax

The challengers of the historical competition of Yabusame are accompanied to the meeting point before the race. There are some minutes to relax and this is a precious moment because the ride will require great abilities and concentration.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Pentax SMC DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL IF DC WR
Focal lenght: 31mm
Shutter time: 1/500 s
Aperture: F/5.6
Sensitivity: ISO100

 

You can find the full blog post about the japanese traditional horse mounted archery at the following page: Yabusame, the japanese horse mounted archery

 

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0Japan, Yabusame, Traditional mounted archery, Running archer

Yabusame Running archer

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2015/02/26 Claudio Beffa / / / / /

A Yabusame archer runs toward the stable

The historical competition of Yabusame is going to start and the archer, dressed with traditional japanese silk clothes, hurries to reach the stable keeping in hand his Zouri to run without hindrance.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Pentax SMC DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL IF DC WR
Focal lenght: 78mm
Shutter time: 1/350 s
Aperture: F/5.6
Sensitivity: ISO100

 

You can find the full blog post about the japanese traditional horse mounted archery at the following page: Yabusame, the japanese horse mounted archery

 

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0Futami, Mie, Japan, Meoto Iwa, Island, Wedded rocks, Gods, Izanagi, Izanami, Shimenawa, Rope, Sea, Sunrise

Meoto Iwa wedded rocks

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2014/09/14 Claudio Beffa / / / /

Meoto Iwa, the wedded rocks, Japan

It’s May. My journey of discovery of Japan’s natural and spiritual treasures brings me in a place of great importance, both in the meaning and in the scenic way: Futami, Mie prefecture. This is a beloved place for Japanese people, because of the important significance: the two rocks symbolize the gods Izanagi and Izanami and the bond between them through the Shimenawa, the sacred rope. They are the creators of Japan and the father and mother of all divinities.
From all over Japan, many couples come in this place to witness the enchanting beauty of sunrise between the Meoto Iwa and to pray the gods to bless their marriage. I’m very happy for having managed to capture this moment and to contemplate this wonder with my sweet Sara, hoping that Izanagi and Izanami could bless us too.

This image is the result of the manual blending of two shots: the main one is a 108s exposure, while from a longer exposed frame I’ve taken the darker details of the rocks. I took this shot with my K-3, the flagship D-SLR by Pentax (if you don’t consider the medium format behemoth 645z) using the smc K 30mm F2.8, an ultra rare lens back from the 80’s: during the film era it was a wide angle lens, but now on a crop sensor camera becomes a perfect normal.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Pentax SMC K 30mm f/2.8
Focal lenght: 30mm
Shutter time: 108 s
Aperture: F/11
Sensitivity: ISO100

 

This photograph has been awarded three times at the following international photography competitions:
Honorable Mention in the 2015 edition of the ND Awards: “Meoto Iwa” – Category Fine Art/Landscape
Honorable Mention in the 2015 edition of the Monochrome Awards: “Meoto Iwa” – Category Landscape
Nomination in the 2017 edition of the Fine Art Photography Awards: “Meoto Iwa” – Category Seascape

 

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0Temizuya, Dragon, Water, Soul, Temple, Shrine, Travel, Japan, Pentax

Water Dragon a special Temizuya

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2014/09/14 Claudio Beffa / / / / /

The Water Dragon, a special Temizuya

When entering a shrine or a temple, the first thing to do is to wash both hands and mouth at a “Temizuya” in order to purify the soul. Most of the times the Temizuya is a common section of bamboo that pours the water in a metal or stone basin. But recently, during a brief trip in a mountain, I’ve found a truly beautiful Temizuya: an amazingly well crafted head of a dragon appearing from a dense bush, was pouring a thin stream of water from his tongue into a basin made of thick granite, bouncing off on a metal “hishaku” (ladle). Since the dragon symbolizes the water (besides the other elements) I think that this Temizuya is a beautiful example of iconography and craftmanship.
With this Black and white conversion, I tried to emphasize the shapes and the textures of the materials through the light coming from above.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-5
Lens: Pentax smc D FA Macro 100mm f/2.8 WR
Focal lenght: 100mm
Shutter time: 1/200 s
Aperture: F/4.5
Sensitivity: ISO400

 

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0Hiei, Hieizan, Mountain, Enryakuji, Temple, Buddhism, Tower, Bell, Peace, Vermilion, Red, Momiji

Enryakuji Bell tower

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2014/06/07 Claudio Beffa / / / /

Enryakuji temple’s Bell tower

A fascinating element of the Enryakuji temple complex is the Sho-ro, the pavilion that houses the giant bell of peace (Heiwa no kane). It’s located near the main Lecture Hall (Daiko-do), just alongside of a beautiful grove of pines and red momiji. One of them stretches its branch full of red leaves towards the roof of the vermilion colored pavilion, offering me an amazingly vibrant view.

When someone hits the heavy bell with the wooden clapper, the air fills up with the metallic but warm vibration emitted by this giant piece of art, creating a peaceful and meditative atmosphere. The two elements that I truly love of Japanese temples are this sound and the fragrance of the incense: I feel them as gifts for my senses, and I’ll miss them when I’ll leave this beautiful country.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Pentax smc DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited
Focal lenght: 15mm
Shutter time: 1/60 s
Aperture: F/5.6
Sensitivity: ISO400

 

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0Toyama, Ainokura, Town, Gassho, Farmhouse, Winter, Night, Snow, Japan, Pentax, Long exposure

A warm shelter

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2014/04/04 Claudio Beffa / / / / /

A warm shelter, winter night in Ainokura

During the night the ancient village of Ainokura is not less beautiful than daytime: in winter the Gassho-style farmhouses pops out from a sea of snow with their warm lights. In the darkness and cold of the valley, the traditional houses offer a safe and comfortable shelter.

This image is the result of HDR blending of three long exposures, taken with my Pentax K-5 and the smc A 50mm F1.2

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-5
Lens: Pentax smc A 50mm f/1.2
Focal lenght: 50mm
Shutter time: 97 s
Aperture: F/11
Sensitivity: ISO100

 

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0Ainokura, Toyama, Mountain, Winter, Night, Snow, Japan, Pentax, Long exposure

In the coldest winter night

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2014/04/04 Claudio Beffa / / / / /

In the coldest winter night, the traditional japanese village of Ainokura

A winter night has just fallen on the small valley of Ainokura village, and this is my only chance to capture its beauty, because tonight my girlfriend and I will sleep in one of those Gassho farmhouses. With my backpack full of gear and the tripod in my hand, I undertake the “climbing” of the path that leads to an high viewpoint on the slope of nearest mountain: it’s completely dark, and turning off the headlamp is the same as closing the eyes. The path is steep and incredibly slippery, because the soft snow has turned itself into compact ice; so I proceed with the speed of a turtle for about half an hour. My efforts are repayed when I reach a good vantage point and a beautiful scenery discloses itself at my eyes: the traditional houses are embraced into the warm yellow lights of the lamppost, the same light that comes from their windows sealed with thick rice paper. Outside of the illuminated area, there is the darkness and the silence of the mountains, that is where I am: the only sounds come from my steps and my breath, and from time to time I can hear some little snowdrift falling from the tall trees and rolling down on the slope. If this is not heaven, I can’t imagine what could be: I feel the peace of being close to nature and my soul lightens itself in the thin cold air of this this snowy corner of Japanese beauty.
After about an hour of contemplation, my hands and feet are freezing, I turn on the headlamp again and… a couple of tiny eyes glows in the reflection of the light beam! They are about 100 meters away and I don’t know if they belong to a fox, a raccoon or a wolf, but maybe it’s time to go back to the village cautiously…

This shot is a single long exposure of about 3 minutes, took using the “mirror up” function, in order to avoid the slightest vibration. In the out-of-the-camera shot, the only visible things are the lights and some details of the houses but, thanks to the incredibly high performance of the Pentax K-5 sensor (it has a massive 14EV of latitude!), I managed to recover a lot of details in the darkness.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-5
Lens: Pentax smc A 50mm f/1.2
Focal lenght: 50mm
Shutter time: 185 s
Aperture: F/11
Sensitivity: ISO200

 

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0Toyama, Mountain, Ainokura, Village, Winter, Snow, Japan, Pentax

Ainokura town

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2014/04/04 Claudio Beffa / / / / /

Ainokura, a traditional and rare japanese town

Hidden between the mountains of Toyama lies a rare gem: the traditional town of Ainokura. Together with Suganuma and Ogimachi, in Ainokura the time flows with a pace completely different from the giant japanese cities. Everything seems to be remained unchanged from the past: the most distinctive aspect of this town are the farmhouses, made completely in wood and built using just the technique of joint; no nails are used and the timber joints are strengthened by thick ropes. The roofs are steep and made of straw, to cope against the winter’s heavy snowfalls and to keep a constant temperature inside the house. This is the only region in which the Gassho-style houses can be found: for this reason these three villages have been registered by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage. When the forest discloses the view on the small valley of Ainokura, the farmhouses are a real beauty to see and are perfectly integrated in the surrounding nature, in harmony.

This shot is an hdr blend of three exposures, executed with the “mighty” Pentax 50mm f/1.2 and the Kenko Zéta EX Circular Polarizer.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-5
Lens: Pentax smc A 50mm f/1.2
Focal lenght: 50mm
Shutter time: 1/25 s
Aperture: F/11
Sensitivity: ISO80

 

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