To Hakone Geopark
November 11th and December 8th, 2022
Photographer / AKI GOTO
Over the past few years, I have had more opportunities to go to the sea and Izu Peninsula in Kanagawa, where I was born and raised, and visited Hakone Geopark several times from November to December. When I think that the rocks in front of me that I have been familiar with since I was a child are lava from 150,000 years ago, I feel like I am taking a grand time trip, and I want to capture the expressions of the planet that was born after a long time.
When capturing the time flowing in a landscape with a slow shutter speed or capturing the texture of a landscape with a super telephoto lens, it has become standard to attach a Markins ball head Q10i-BK to a tripod (GITZO). When shooting natural landscapes, I want to concentrate on shooting, so I honestly don't want to think about operating a tripod or ball head. In that respect, Markins' Q10i-BK ball head is small, fits comfortably in the hand, and is as natural to operate as moving a part of your body. The head itself has enough fixing power even when tightened with a small amount of force, so you can focus on the subject with peace of mind when shooting. I started using it in 2018, and even now, four and a half years later, I continue to use it comfortably while maintaining it. For me, an indicator of good photography equipment is that the tools are not conspicuous.
Attach a camera plate (PC-R5 or PC-R1) to the camera body, and when shooting with a heavy lens or a super telephoto zoom lens, use the VR holder VR15J-LS & YK-15L as a set. The camera plate and VR-holder plate are dovetail types compatible with Arca-Swiss, so they can be used intuitively with the Q10i-BK ball head or the same type of GITZO tripod, making them convenient. If you are having trouble with blurring when shooting with a telephoto lens, using the VR-holder will stabilize the focus.
When capturing the time flowing in a landscape with a slow shutter speed or capturing the texture of a landscape with a super telephoto lens, it has become standard to attach a Markins ball head Q10i-BK to a tripod (GITZO). When shooting natural landscapes, I want to concentrate on shooting, so I honestly don't want to think about operating a tripod or ball head. In that respect, Markins' Q10i-BK ball head is small, fits comfortably in the hand, and is as natural to operate as moving a part of your body. The head itself has enough fixing power even when tightened with a small amount of force, so you can focus on the subject with peace of mind when shooting. I started using it in 2018, and even now, four and a half years later, I continue to use it comfortably while maintaining it. For me, an indicator of good photography equipment is that the tools are not conspicuous.
Attach a camera plate (PC-R5 or PC-R1) to the camera body, and when shooting with a heavy lens or a super telephoto zoom lens, use the VR holder VR15J-LS & YK-15L as a set. The camera plate and VR-holder plate are dovetail types compatible with Arca-Swiss, so they can be used intuitively with the Q10i-BK ball head or the same type of GITZO tripod, making them convenient. If you are having trouble with blurring when shooting with a telephoto lens, using the VR-holder will stabilize the focus.
Canon EOS R5 / EOS R5 / RF28-70mm F2 L USM / F11 81秒 ISO-50
Just before dusk, I captured the andesite visible offshore. In order to capture the timelessness of time, I attached an ND filter to the RF28-70mm F2 L USM and shot it at bulb mode.
Canon EOS R5 / RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM / F8 60秒 ISO-400
Shot with RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM at a focal length of 363mm. To capture the rugged texture of the rocks precisely, we used the Q10i-BK + VR15J-LS & YK-15L. The high accuracy means there's no need to take multiple shots.
The large-aperture standard zoom lens RF28-70mm F2 L USM is heavy. In natural landscape photography where the wind often blows, vibration and blurring caused by the wind are a major enemy, so a VR-holder is attached to the camera platform and the camera is supported at two points. The angle of the VR-holder can be adjusted depending on the size of the lens.
The VR-holder VR15J-LS is Arca-Swiss compatible, so it can be attached to the Q10i-BK ball head in seconds. I leave the VR-holder on most of the time while shooting.
When shooting in portrait orientation, attach the vertical shooting sub-plate LC-R5.
Insert the camera plate PC-R5 attached to the EOS R5 body into the quick shoe and turn the knob to secure it in place.
Canon EOS R5 / RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM / F8 1/25 ISO-800 -3EV
This photo was taken by taking interval shots of the moon and then combining them with a lighter compound. The combination of the Q10i-BK ball head + VR-holder VR15J-LS & YK-15L allowed me to take a blur-free shot.
Canon EOS R5 / RF28-70mm F2 L USM / F2 5秒 ISO-400 +2/3 EV
This photo was taken in a pitch black forest with the light of the full moon filtering through the gaps in the trees. I used the Q10i-BK ball head and the VR-holder VR15J-LS.
Canon EOS R5 / RF28-70mm F2 L USM / F16 102秒 ISO-100
I shot this long exposure from a cape overlooking the sea with the RF28-70mm F2 L USM at a focal length of 70mm. I used the Q10i-BK ball head + VR-holder VR15J-LS.
Canon EOS R5 / RF600mm F11 IS STM / F11 1/8000秒 ISO-200
This photo was taken from the same cape as the work above, using the compression effect of a super telephoto lens. It was stabilized with two points of support using a ball head Q10i-BK + VR-holder VR15J-LS.
AKI GOTO
Born in Kawasaki in 1972. Since traveling around the world in 1993, has visited 56 countries. Currently working on creating works that use the scenery of various parts of Japan as a motif and are based on the theme of the flow of time on a global scale.
2020 Photographic Society of Japan Award Newcomer Award winner
URL : gotoaki.art
Reviewed Products
