Amanohashidate which translates to "Bridge in the heaven" is one of the three main attractions of Japan, the other two being Miyajima and Matsushima and all three are called Nihon Sankei.

Today I challenged myself to not use any other lens, only the Tamron 35mm 2.8, although I did have my 28-105 with me in case the manual shots were shit. The Tamron proved to be a great lens and the best $45 AUD I've ever spent (although my Takumar's were a steal too) and was sharpest between f/5.6 ~ f/11. Taking photos of the stretch of sandbar from the lookout, I focused to infinity, set the aperture to f/11 ~ f/16 and snapped away.

Location - Kyoto, Japan

Camera - Pentax K10D

Lens - Pentax M 50mm 1.7

Focal Length - 75mm (1.5 crop factor)

ISO - 200

Shutter Speed - 1/1500 sec

f stop - f/1.7 (probably)

Post Processing - Faux Bleach Bypass

Comments - I have been using the Bleach Bypass effect on a lot of my images lately but am aware not to overdo it. The reason I like this effect is that I like when hidden details are revealed and shadows become a mysterious black.

Location - Kyoto, Japan

Camera - Pentax K10D

Lens - Pentax M 50mm 1.7

Focal Length - 75mm (1.5 crop factor)

ISO - 100

Shutter Speed - 1/250 sec

f stop - f/1.7

Post Processing - Brightness, contrast and vibrancy, Bleach Bypass

Comments - I wanted to see how the 50mm 1.7 lens would handle this very dark situation as the only light was coming from the candle flame. I also wanted to see how difficult it was to be able to focus in such low light. I focused on the flame (although it was flickering), focused, pressed the green button on the K10D and took the shot.

Location - Kyoto, Japan

Camera - Pentax K10D

Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5

Focal Length - 105mm

ISO - 100

Shutter Speed - 1/30 sec

f stop - f/4.5

Post Processing - B&W conversion

Comments - This was a very spur of the moment photo when I looked up and quickly took the photo. I like the effect of leafless branches contrasted against a cloudy sky as it looks fairly depressing. That a Raven was sitting on a branch was an added bonus. The photo is not super sharp but the effect is there.

Location - Kyoto, Japan

Camera - Pentax K10D

Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5

Focal Length - 34mm

ISO - 400

Shutter Speed - 1/250 sec

f stop - f/3.5

Post Processing - Basic B&W conversion, nothing special.

Comments - I especially like this shot. It's simple, B&W suits it and the light shuffle walk seems very Japanese.

Location - Kyoto, Japan

Camera - Pentax K10D

Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5

Focal Length - 50mm

ISO - 200

Shutter Speed - 1/30 sec

f stop - f/4.0

Post Processing - Bleach Bypass, contrast and vibrancy.

Comments - I like the composition of this photo and the bokeh is quite nice too. I think the the face of the rail is pretty sharp with no added sharpening filters. I added a light Bleach Bypass effect in post to lift the details in the design.

Location - Kyoto, Japan

Camera - Pentax K10D

Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5

Focal Length - 105mm

ISO - 100

Shutter Speed - 1/60 sec

f stop - f/4.5

Post Processing - A little under exposed (easily fixed in PP) but I decided to keep it relatively dark. I then converted it to black & white which I think adds more mystique to the photo.

Location - Kyoto, Japan

Camera - Pentax K10D

Lens - Pentax M 50mm 1.7

Focal Length - 75mm (1.5 crop factor)

ISO - 200

Shutter Speed - 1/750 sec

f stop - Either 1.7 or 2.8 for the bokeh produced

Post Processing - Bleach Bypass effect

Location - Kyoto, Japan

Camera - Pentax K10D

Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5

Focal Length - 50mm

ISO - 200

Shutter Speed - 1/500 sec

f stop - f/4.0

Post Processing - Converted to B&W with contast & brightess adjustments.

Location - Kyoto, Japan

Camera - Pentax K10D

Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5

Focal Length - 105mm

ISO - 200

Shutter Speed - 1/125 sec

f stop - f/4.5

Post Processing - I increased the brightness and contrast to make the eyes more vivid.

Location - Kyoto, Japan

Camera - Pentax K10D

Lens - Pentax FA 28-105 f3.2 - 4.5

Focal Length - 70mm

ISO - 200

Shutter Speed - 1/10 sec

f stop - f/4.0

Post Processing - I used a bleach bypass effect to enhance the wood grain and lettering, I also added a vignette.