Capturing the Eternal Flow of Time with the α7R II on Yakushima

Yakushima

Hello. This is Yosuke Kashiwakura. This time I went on assignment to Yakushima. I am sure many people have heard the name Yakushima, but I will give my own simple description of this island.

Some ninety percent of Yakushima is covered in dense forests and around twenty-one percent of the island’s land area is designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. It rains most days, and I imagine that some of you picture the island as having the subtropical climate of a southern land. But, it is also the most southernmost point in Japan where fallen snow is seen. There are two ways to get to Yakushima: by air from Kagoshima Airport to Yakushima Airport and by sea from Kagoshima Port to a port on Yakushima. It takes about thirty minutes by air and around two hours by sea (by jetfoil).

Yakushima is a place that still has expanses of primeval forest and that lures visitors into time everlasting.

Rain

As I mentioned above, rain is the usual weather on Yakushima. The day I arrived on the island it was drizzling.

I imagine some of you think that rain doesn’t go well with landscape photography, but here on Yakushima, the rain actually makes the scenery before your eyes very beautiful. Being wet with rain gave the vegetation of the forest a deeper verdure, allowing me to capture profound landscapes.

I dare say that, generally, when shooting this kind of scene, most people would use deep focus. But I had the idea that I wanted to focus on the fallen tree covered in moss so that it would lie across the image, and so I deliberately opened up the aperture and tried to focus on the fallen tree with its complicated shape. The thought I had when making this shot was how convenient EVF is. It really is useful, as it allows you to check the results of experimentation in real time.

Yakushima also has gorgeous waterfalls. Famous ones include Senpiro Falls and Oko Falls. I never tire of watching the movement of water in a waterfall as it pours down between gigantic rocks. It is one of my favorite subjects to shoot. As the surrounding rock was wet with rain, the texture of the rock was set off to a greater extent, enabling me to take more three-dimensional photos. The first image is Senpiro Falls and the second is Oko Falls.

While I thoroughly said that taking photos in the rain is lovely, what I most wanted to shoot here on Yakushima was actually a magnificent starscape.

As I made my way through the forest, while hoping a little selfishly that the sky would clear up by nighttime, all of a sudden strong light started to shine into the trees.

The forest, which had been damp until just then, suddenly changed its appearance and began to sparkle as if bathed by a spotlight. Wanting to get an impressive shot of the light pouring into the forest, I intentionally tried shooting the sun hiding behind a tree.

Magnificent Starscape

I guess my desire was heard. Night came without rain, and I was able to take a photo of the kind of starry sky I had imagined. It didn’t rain all night and I held out until the morning sun just started to rise, at which time I was able to capture that magical instant when the stars and the sun share the sky.

This time I again carried my α for shooting with. The reason I feel that the α is my best partner is, as I have talked about before, the fact that it achieves a good balance between mobility and high resolution.

This time on Yakushima, I once again found myself moving over a considerable distance―walking all the way of course. But thanks to the α, I didn’t feel at any time like I didn’t want to keep going or that I was too tired to hang in there; I was able to keep going around taking pictures to my heart’s content. This is the best blessing for a nature photographer. It is a solid advantage that you can feel out in the field. From here on, the α is going to remain my trustworthy partner.