I have finally figured out how to take this shot. How many times have you wanted to take a picture of someone indoors in front of a bright, outdoor background only to have one of the following three things happen?

1) Person comes out OK; background is completely white
2) Background comes out OK; person is completely black
3) Flash bounces off window making the background look like it just got sucked into a wormhole

I have had the above three items occur on many an occasion. Through trail and error and error and error… I have found the solution. First, make sure your flash is on. You may even need to force it to flash. Second, focus on outside target. Third, move so that you are not directly pointing camera at outside window anymore. (i.e., you should become more parallel to the window than your initial perpendicular focus required in the second part above) Finally, center the picture between the outside and your person and take the picture.

The outside should look good as it was your focus. The flash should not hit the window since your camera is no longer directly pointing at the window. Your person should also look good as the flash lightened them up.

By the way, this is Ellie on the 14th floor of a building on the Waseda University campus with the Shinjuku skyscrapers in the background.

Posted on February 9th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: ellie, shinjuku, waseda university. Comments: 1

I previously mentioned the nice view from Ebisu Garden Place Tower on the day after the typhoon when the skies were extremely clear. I was recently there again, this time with my camera, on a day when the weather was changing.

Beyond Ebisu, in the immediate foreground, you can see Shibuya. I like the way the sun, between a break in the clouds, drew a line under the Shinjuku skyscrapers in the distance.

Posted on February 3rd, 2010 under Japan. Tags: aerial photography, shinjuku. Comments: 2

On a recent, extremely clear sky day, after rain and wind, I went to the top of Shinjuku to watch the sun set. It was marvelous. And yes, that is Mt. Fuji (in the upper right part of the photo) from Tokyo. The sun set on one side of the building and then…

The moon rose over the other side of Shinjuku…

And then the people came out to play…

Posted on November 11th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: buildings, japan pictures, mt. fuji, night photography, people, shinjuku, sunset, Tokyo. Comments: 1

My last post on Waseda University was so popular, and one person who responded wanted more, that today I will offer a part two.

This first photo, above, is the view from my Friday night class in Building 11. Waseda University is in Shinjuku-Ku but is far enough away from downtown Shinjuku that you can see the high-rise buildings rather nicely.

The second picture is the view out my office window in Building 6. Even though this part of the building is covered in ivy, Waseda University is not part of the Ivy League.

Finally, for today anyway, here is a shot of the university on the approach from Waseda Station on the Tozai Subway Metro Line. The Okuma Bell Tower can be seen in the background. Some sort of festival is going on pretty much non-stop. On Friday, November 6, the Athletic Festival will be held. Later this month, it appears there is going to be a Photo Journalism Festival.

Posted on November 4th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: night photography, nishi-waseda, shinjuku, signs, Tokyo, waseda university. Comments: 5