At Iwaizaki

February 24-26, 2021 / Kesennuma City, Miyagi

Photographer / Mimi Takamatsu

This time, I set out on a winter trip with new winter tires in high spirits, but the bad weather continued and I was getting anxious because I couldn't take the snowy scenery I wanted to capture. In late February, the forecast was for clear skies on the Pacific coast, so I headed to Iwaizaki in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, which I had been interested in for a while.

However, as I got closer to the site, many clouds appeared in the sky...

I thought to myself, "Well, that's a common occurrence, so I'll do some location scouting," and walked across the seawall built after the Great East Japan Earthquake, parked my car in a well-maintained parking lot, and walked.

The area is Sanriku Reconstruction Park and Sanriku Geopark, and is a coast formed by the erosion of ancient limestone areas by waves, wind, and rain.

From the observation deck in front, the sea and rocks spread out.

I watched the cliff for a while, which is famous for the rough waves crashing on the shore and the tide rising, but the waves were calm and the tide was not rising at all.

As I was walking along the beach, the sun started to shine on the horizon, so I thought it might be sunny! I quickly set up my tripod. With a Markins ballhead and plate, I was ready in no time.

Soon the sky opened up and the contrast between the blue sky and the clouds was really beautiful.

The Markins can be moved quickly by turning the fixed knob a little, so I was taking pictures quickly, but the wind started to pick up and the sky was covered with clouds, so I decided to pack up for the day.

Feeling somewhat unsatisfied, I drove early the next morning while it was still dark and arrived before sunrise. The sky changed every moment, and it was the magic hour when I, my camera, and the rocks were all enveloped in the same color.

It may sound a bit exaggerated, but it really gives you a sense of unity with the earth.

Soon the sun rose and the atmosphere changed, so we continued taking photos. The waves were calm again that day, and the sky was reflected on the water's surface.

I spent quite a bit of time concentrating on taking photos. The sun had risen considerably and the wind had started to pick up, so I thought about going home, but I went to the observation deck just in case and saw the waves rising up.

This is amazing! The water was splashing all the way up here! I have to take a picture!

I don't know when the right opportunity to take a photo will come. Thank goodness for the ballhead and plate that allow for quick setup. I finally managed to take a picture of the Spouting Rock without missing any shots.

Like this time, if I go to a place and find something that interests me, I make a point of visiting it several times, but it's true that there are still many landscapes that I don't know about.

I left Iwaizaki with the desire to continue capturing as many landscapes as possible that I can see and feel.

Mimi Takamatsu

Born in Ibaraki Prefecture. Influenced by a father’s interest in photography, started taking photos in elementary school and, after graduating from photography school, began a career as an artist in earnest. Photographs the scenery of the hometown and now travels around the country to create original works.