Views of life encountered in eastern Hokkaido in early winter

December 25, 2019

Photographer / Yoshiaki Kobayashi

In the latter half of December, it is not uncommon for the temperature to drop to minus 20°C in the Kushiro area in the morning, and winter has arrived in earnest. However, December 2019 saw a record lack of snow, and even at the end of the year, the ground was still visible in many places. In such a situation, I started shooting while wandering around trying to find some winter-like scenery.

December 25th. The temperature at 6am was minus 18°C. There was no wind, and it was a perfect day for shooting. I headed to Otowa Bridge in Tsurui Village. Even without snow, the riverside would be covered with frost, which would create a winter-like scenery. This place is famous as a roost for red-crowned cranes, and many photographers from all over the world visit.

This morning's equipment was a PENTAX 645Z. It was combined with a 600mm super telephoto lens. With the lens at 4800g and the body at 1550g, it was a heavy equipment weighing over 6kg. Supporting this are the Markins Q20i-BK and BV-HEAD. With a load capacity of 50kg, they can support this equipment with ease. In fact, the heavier the tripod, the smoother it moves and the easier it feels to handle. It's a great combination. And using a tripod with levelers further improves operability.

After 7 o'clock, when the morning sun started to shine in, I saw the red-crowned cranes take off early, even though it was still cold. The cranes, which appear to fly slowly, seem to fly very fast when captured through the viewfinder. However, the smooth movements of the BV-HEAD allowed me to follow the cranes. The red-crowned cranes flapping their wings against the frost lit up by the morning sun are also dyed red, making this a photo that symbolizes a winter morning.

At 8 o'clock, the sun rose a little higher, and the frost covering the riverbank sparkled, creating a fantastical scene. As the temperature rose, the red-crowned cranes began to move, taking flight from the sparkling river surface. With such heavy equipment, it is often difficult to compose the shot while keeping the camera level using a ball head. However, by using the BV-HEAD, I was able to compose the shot without tilting the screen. I often feel that the combination with the BV-HEAD is effective even for landscape photography.

Next, I went to Tsurumidai, a nearby feeding area. There was little snow, so the ground was visible in the photo, which gave the impression of an incomplete season. So I decided to photograph the red-crowned cranes flying by with the blue sky as the background. I changed my equipment to a Canon EOS 7D Mark II and a SIGMA 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM, both of which are suitable for photographing moving subjects. The tripod mount of this lens has an Arca-Swiss compatible groove, so it can be attached to the BV-HEAD without a plate. The knob type is convenient because it can be fixed even if the plate width is slightly different.

A mother and baby red-crowned crane fly in the blue sky. The father is flying in the lead, and the bird standing next to the young bird is probably the mother. I release the shutter while paying close attention to the movement and overlap of the feathers. The combination of the BV-HEAD with the pan bar BP-10 allowed me to follow the smooth lateral flight of the red-crowned crane, giving me time to think about the movements of the crane.

In the evening, I changed the stage and photographed swans at Kussharo, taking pictures of them against the setting sun. I used the PENTAX 645Z again, but since I wasn't using a super telephoto lens this time, I attached it to the BV-HEAD with the camera plate attached to the body. The camera plate attached to the 645Z, the P67U, is a bidirectional type with grooves cut vertically and horizontally on the mounting part, and because a typical L-plate has horizontal grooves that are unidirectional, there is no problem with the camera facing sideways when using a BV-HEAD with vertical grooves. The body can be attached to the BV-HEAD, so you can use any lens, and it has the advantage of being able to quickly set the composition without worrying about the tilt of the screen, even when taking landscape photos, which can look unnatural if the horizontal is not aligned, so it is very useful.

In the reddish light after sunset, I wanted to capture the movement of a swan swimming slowly across the lake, so I took a panning shot at 1/4 second. When panning, you can stably track the movement by moving slowly with the moving subject while keeping the arm holding the pan bar attached to your body. I think the subtle blur and soft depiction make this cut a good look at the graceful movement of the swan.

Yoshiaki Kobayashi

Born in Tokyo in 1969. After graduating from Tokyo College of Photography (now Visual Arts Tokyo), became a freelance photographer. Photographs a wide range of nature, from small natural areas to vast landscapes and wild animals. Moved to Hokkaido at the end of 2006 and is currently taking photographs with the theme of "Landscapes of Life."