Seeking the rays of light

August 21, 2019

Photographer / Shiro Hagiwara

Since July of last year, I have been running a photography class based at Ishi-no-yu Lodge in Shiga Kogen. Shiga Kogen is a place I have been visiting since I became independent as a photographer, but since I started running a monthly photography class, I have been able to look at Shiga Kogen more deeply.

My recent favorite is Kayanodaira. It is very popular as a place where you can enjoy the rays of light in the early morning, but I have not been lucky enough to see the rays of light until now. However, since the opening of the photography class, my luck has turned around, and I can almost always see the rays of light when I go there. I am so envious, or rather jealous (lol).

Of course, I was able to see the rays of light this summer, but the one in June was especially beautiful. When I arrived at the site around 4:30, the sun had not yet risen, and mist was floating on the ground. The sky was open to the east, so there was no doubt that the light would shine. The rays of light would also come. With this conviction, around 5 o'clock, rays of light appeared between the trees here and there. This made for hectic photography. I moved left and right in search of the rays of light.

The camera I used this time was one of my favorites, the Olympus OM-D E-M1X. It's an ideal camera because it allows you to switch between the mobility of handheld shooting and the ultra-high image quality and high resolution of tripod shooting, all in one. The Markins head was also a great help for this shoot (well, it always is). By attaching an Arca-Swiss compatible L-plate, it can be attached and detached from the head quickly and smoothly, allowing me to switch instantly between handheld and tripod shooting. As a result, I was able to take the photos I wanted, and my mental stress was close to zero! Even on a hectic shooting site, time flows comfortably.

However, when I'm taking pictures, I can't really look at the scenery, appreciate it, or immerse myself in it. The priority is how to express the scenery at that moment in as short an efficient and effective composition as possible. It's a waste to see such a wonderful landscape. So I just hope that someone can enjoy the scenery through the photos I took in the comfortable flow of time.

Shiro Hagihara

Born in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture in 1959. Involved in the launch of the quarterly (currently bimonthly) Landscape Photography magazine at Shin-Nihon Kikaku Co., Ltd., serving as editor-in-chief and publisher. After leaving the company, turned to landscape photography and engaged in a wide range of activities, including contributing to photo magazines, judging contests, teaching photography classes, giving lectures, and guiding photography club meetings. Latest book is the photo collection Color x Season (Fukei Shashin Publishing). Held photo exhibitions such as Color x Sentiment in 2015 and Color x Season in 2019. Currently vice president of the Japan Landscape Photographers Association (JSPA), a guiding member of the Japan Landscape Photography Association (JNP), a lecturer at Olympus Digital College, and a lecturer at Fujifilm Academy X.