[pinholecam] Wandering in Tokyo

[pinholecam]

#57

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Despite my 'wandering', I did have a sketchy 'plan' to go up a few vantage points to get a view of Tokyo.
I did not know exactly how to get to 'Seaside Top', despite some online search.
The search text 'Seaside' just turns up all sorts of places and stuff and various sources pointed me to different places.


As I've mentioned in the first thread, since I did not have internet access and could not do further research in Japan, I had made up my mind to go to the Mori Tower instead.
It was nearer to where I stayed and easily recognizable as a landmark.

However, I was lucky to pass by the Tokyo World Trade Center in Hamamatsuchō while commuting.
Ah-Ha!
Found the 'Seaside top'
Immediately rushed back to get my tripod and stuff (but forgot to bring one important item... I will say later... )

 

[CasualBear]

#57

Immediately rushed back to get my tripod and stuff (but forgot to bring one important item... I will say later... )

Filter??

 

[pinholecam]

#58

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I was clueless what would be on top of Seaside Top.
Open air or glassed.
I had often thought that it would be common to be the former.
But it was glassed.

That means shooting thru glass with lights reflecting off the interior.
I did not bring anything to shade the reflections.
This would end up to be a major pain for me, trying to remove off reflections in PP.

Seaside Top is a very nice site.
It has areas of dimmed lighting and thats more suitable for shooting.
I shaded the best I could with my bag, waving it like a monkey to observe which spot changed when I did (an indication of reflection)
But, still, its one bag and I certainly missed some parts.

Filter??

 

[pinholecam]

#59

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I'd highly recommend this place for shots of Tokyo.
The fee is Y620 which isn't too expensive.
There are very few people and security is not uptight.
No hassle of bag searches or no tripod rules.
It also has a pretty laid back feel to it.
Want a drink? Just buy it from the vending machine at usual prices (not cut throat ones we often find in SGP )

 

[andysim65]

#59




I'd highly recommend this place for shots of Tokyo.
The fee is Y620 which isn't too expensive.
There are very few people and security is not uptight.
No hassle of bag searches or no tripod rules.
It also has a pretty laid back feel to it.
Want a drink? Just buy it from the vending machine at usual prices (not cut throat ones we often find in SGP )

Can I know which station is the nearest to this place , wonderful pic , been following this seen pic 1, thanks.

 

[pinholecam]

Can I know which station is the nearest to this place , wonderful pic , been following this seen pic 1, thanks.

Its Hamamatsucho station.
Its also near Daimon on the Oedo line.
Just search for 'Tokyo World Trade Center' and you should be able to find it.
I did not know the key word to search for before, so had difficulty.

 

[aimANDshoot]

No probs, most are multi exposure, either HDR or exp blended.
The Sun and shaded parts (esp the dark wood Zen temples) needed to be exposed separately from the sky, so at the minimum, I'll need the 0ev and -2ev frames.

Thanks bro!

 

[andysim65]

Its Hamamatsucho station.
Its also near Daimon on the Oedo line.
Just search for 'Tokyo World Trade Center' and you should be able to find it.
I did not know the key word to search for before, so had difficulty.

Thanks very much for your info.

 

[pinholecam]

Thanks bro!

Thanks very much for your info.

No probs.
Just let me know if you need any other info.

 

[pinholecam]

#60

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Another thing about Seaside Top is that it has a good view with a leading line towards Tokyo Tower.
Not to mention that the iconic Tokyo Tower serves as a visual anchor for a shot.
The day I went up, the sky wasn't the best and it was a bit hazy.
I can imagine that its got to be fantastic in the best of conditions.

As I was left with not enough nights to cover all the high rooftop views, I decided that I would skip Mori Tower.
Not because it was not good (in fact its got a nice open air roof and a higher glassed roof so it can be even better), but Seaside Top basically mirrors it with the Tokyo Tower as a visual anchor.

 

[pinholecam]

#61

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This is the other venue I opted to go with my remaining night left in Tokyo.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
I wanted a vantage point that looked at another part of Tokyo, rather than the Moro Tower, which overlooked some of the same areas as Seaside Top.
Whats more, the best thing about this spot is that its free.

 

[pinholecam]

#62

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Too bad the day was hazy and cloudy, there wasn't even any sunset and it passed into night.

Photography wise, I think this site is only 'fair' imo.

Firstly, there is a security check and a queue, but its no big deal actually.
I'm already grateful that they even allow going up for views/photos for a government building.
I still remember a recent CapitalLand sanctioned visit to Capital Tower where no u-turn syndrome reared its ugly head when someone shot the outside of GIC, resulting in an instant compliant and all invited photographers being limited to ground floor shooting after that..... (duh?? ).

No tripods allowed.
Thats a killer for good night shots, imo.
I kind of got round this by lying my tripod on a ledge instead of standing it up.
Perhaps gorilla pods will do too, but I did not see anyone using it.
Then there are the bright lights, which reflect off the windows.
At seaside top, there were dimly lit zones that was easy to shade off, this place has none.
So bring a jacket or some dark colored sweater or cloth to cover.

Its also crowded and there are no seats to sit down next to the windows.

As for the view, I think the elements (more impressive buildings) that stand out are too near and there is nothing in the distance.
There is also less chance to get a sweeping view of the roads below to form a leading line, perhaps at 47th floor, its a bit too high.. (photographically speaking... )

But hey!
Its free, so still worth a visit.
Just don't bank on it as the best site for high area photos of Tokyo (mho)

 

[senate747]

Very nice pictures and write up..

 

[aimANDshoot]

#61

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This is the other venue I opted to go with my remaining night left in Tokyo.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
I wanted a vantage point that looked at another part of Tokyo, rather than the Moro Tower, which overlooked some of the same areas as Seaside Top.
Whats more, the best thing about this spot is that its free.

wa hahaha.. really beautiful. :cry:
These are multiple exposure shots right? Which means you blend the images manually? If not how to get rid of the situation when the buildings get overexposed by the lights coming from the rooms within?

 

[pinholecam]

Very nice pictures and write up..

Thanks glad you like it.

wa hahaha.. really beautiful. :cry:
These are multiple exposure shots right? Which means you blend the images manually? If not how to get rid of the situation when the buildings get overexposed by the lights coming from the rooms within?

Its 1 exposure, adjusted for the shadows and highlights.
The exposure was enough to expose what was important for the overall image.
I think what clipped at the highlights and shadows did not matter too much anyway, imho.

 

[pinholecam]

#63

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Last day in Tokyo, so I just wandered around near where I stayed.
Ironically, the Mori Tower is near enough for a 20min walk to reach, but I never visited it even at night.
Its a nice building in itself and pretty vibrant too with the shops and cinema.

 

[pinholecam]

#64

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[pinholecam]

#65

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[pinholecam]

I left out the human elements in this thread until I think its too late to add them here after all the landscape shots have been put up.

So I'm linking those shots to the Streets/Candids section here...
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=632661&p=8661680&viewfull=1#post8661680

 

[goderictia]

I like #65. It has so much vibrant energy with the light trails criss crossing each other. Very nice!