Waterfalls of smoke

Posted by Kelly Photography (Tokyo, Japan) on 4 December 2006 in Landscape & Rural and Portfolio.

I had an opportunity to go to Saitama which is North of Tokyo for a day so I ended up in this place called Kuroyama which means black mountain. But I can definitely say that there was nothing black about this place.

This picture is the first of a series of pictures I took at this place.

Enjoy everyone.

VFXY Photos | Listed on Photoblogs.org

Comments (14)

Makoto T from Sapporo, Japan

Beautiful one.
I enjoy your new series.

4 Dec 2006 1:20am

@Makoto T: Thanks for your visit Makoto...I enjoyed your last picture too with the ducks...great scope. I hope you enjoy the rest of my series.

Chris Sullivan from Melbourne, Australia

Great take, the delay on the water works really well with the resulting softness of the background with its vivid colours. Nice photo.

4 Dec 2006 3:34am

@Chris Sullivan: Thank you very very much...I was going for a really soft feel. I wanted to try something a little different from my other really sharp photos.

MnX from PARIS, France

I love this kind of waterfall photos.

4 Dec 2006 3:34am

@MnX: Thanks mate!!! Just wait I've got more of these kinds of photos coming.

Manuela Photography from Hainburg (near Frankfurt/Main), Germany

Just wonderful!

4 Dec 2006 4:14am

@Manuela Photography: Thanks mate!!

Gnarf from Stockholm, Sweden

Beautiful waterfall! I like how the water hits the surface of the pond, looks really soft. Loking forward you more pictures from this serie :)

4 Dec 2006 7:22am

@Gnarf: THank you very much...welcome to my site. Please come again and enjoy the rest of my series. I love the smoky effect of water with a long shutter speed.

Duncan Galbraith from kyoto, Japan

Great technical shot Colourblind, the slower exposure works well here. As for constructive criticism, the landscape itself could be a little sharper I feel, although having said that the picture as it stands does have a nice softness to it...its a tough call.

4 Dec 2006 9:10am

@Duncan Galbraith: Yeah thanks Duncan, I thought it was a little soft especially the clarity of this picture. I guess I opened the lense for a little too long and the wind caught the leaves a little. I will try and play around with the sharpness and see if that's better but I thought people would like a different angle to my regular supersaturated and supersharpened photos. I think if you look at it a while it kinda has a fairytale look about it...kind of peter pan like. Thank you very very much for the critique. I will give it a go.

Aidan from Seoul, South Korea

Great shot, You really get a sense of the dampness of the place from this photo.
I agree that the plants could be a little sharper - that sharpness would contrast really nicely with the smooth, silky nature of the water. I think everyone has been in that situation where they want to take a photo like this, but they don't have the tripod necessary to pull it off.

4 Dec 2006 9:45am

@Aidan: Thanks mate...actually this was taken on a tripod but due to the wind or maybe my pressing the shutter slightly blurred the end result. I've taken yours and Duncan's advice to play around with the sharpness and see what comes from it. Thanks for your visit...come again!!

seventhray from United States

This is a real pretty photo! I like the softness of the water! I have taken shots on a tripod and still have had them come out a little blurry also, it can be frustrating! But this is such a lovely place I think it compensates for a little bit of blur. But if your going to take another crack at it I would love to see it! :D

4 Dec 2006 1:49pm

@seventhray: Yeah mate...thanks for the visit. If I have another chance I'll go up to the mountain again and take this photo. But I don't know if it'll look the same. I'm sure it's because I moved the camera a little while pressing the bloody button but oh well...silly me for not taking another one with a timer or something. Thanks for the advice we'll do mate!!

badala from Leiria, Portugal

Magical nature design.

4 Dec 2006 4:40pm

@badala: THank you very much...thanks for the visit!!

Angry Buddha from United States

I love time elapsed waterfall shots...can't wait to see the rest of the series from this not Black mountain.

4 Dec 2006 4:54pm

@Angry Buddha: Thanks mate!! Yeah it's a wierd name huh!! Maybe at one stage it all burnt down or something so they decided on black mountain.

Darren from Tokyo, Japan

Nice one mate. The misty waterfall looks really cool especially how it fans out. Colourblind I think the image is just out of focus and not motion blur, maybe.

4 Dec 2006 7:12pm

@Darren: Yeah you're probably right. I should have just taken a couple of shots of this. Yeah it looks like the whole thing is out of focus actually.

Matt Trujillo Photography from Portland, United States

Great shot. I agree that it would be improved by more clarity in the landscape. I doubt the wind tossed the rocks about, and they look as slightly blurred as the rest of the scene. My guess is camera shake caused when you pressed the shutter release. There are two (non-Photoshop) cures for this condition: The best solution is to buy a cabled remote. These are pretty cheap. I keep one velcroed to my tripod, because when you need it, you need it. If you don't have the dough to drop on gear, or you forgot your remote (as I did often before the velcro), set your camera body's timer, as though you were going to take a photo of yourself. The ten seconds or so of hands off allows the camera to settle, bringing clarity to the shot. Love the direction you're headed. Cheers.

4 Dec 2006 7:23pm

@Matt Trujillo Photography: Thanks for the advice...I guess being lazy isn't an excuse and in the future I shouldn't be so. I've got a remote but I just don't use it really. I will start using it from now on that way I won't regret taking a blurry picture. The self timer is a good idea too but I can't change the setting on my camera and it goes for 10 seconds. You're idea of velcro on the tripod is tops mate. I'll give that a go definitely. Thanks for that piece of advice especially!! Thanks again for your visit.