MountainWorld Photography

Bamboo Fence, Japan

A simple bamboo fence arcs into the forest of Yoyogi-koen Park near downtown Tokyo, Japan.

As my client and I strolled along the quiet pathways of the Yoyogi-koen near downtown Tokyo, Japan, we were amazed by the Stark contrast between the glittering neon and thumping sprawl of the Tokyo metropolis versus the serene peace and quiet of the Yoyogi-koen.

The park seemed to exude a Zen-like peace: hushed, deliberate, planned. As we strolled down one path, I noticed a stunning bamboo fence running away into the forest. The lines were perfect, a slight bow in the fence drawing the eye into the distance.

I leaned against a small tree to stabilize myself for the slow shutter speed necessary in the dark forest on an overcast day. A wide open aperture setting allowed the background to fall out of focus while keeping the foreground sharp and crisp.

To me, the scene seemed quintessentially Zen...What is the sound of one hand clapping?

Equipment: Nikon D100, Nikon 24-120 lens

King Penguins

King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) bickering at Gold Harbor, South Georgia Island.

I had just finished co-leading a team of adventurers from Geographic Expeditions in Sir Ernest Shackleton's footsteps across South Georgia Island with my friends Dave Hahn and Dierdre Galbraith in 2004. After a successful crossing, we continued traveling around the island by ship, stopping at the notable destinations like Grytviken, Stromness, Salisbury Plain, and Gold Harbor.

At the latter, I took off with my camera for a stroll amongst the King Penguins which were in abundance along the shore. Wanting to get a better view of the azure waters, snow capped peaks, and stunning scenery of South Georgia, I climbed uphill into the grasslands and followed a group of male Kings trying to figure out where they were going and what they were doing.

Eventually, we came to a hilltop with the stunning background you see in the image. Apparently, the King Penguins could not get along very well, and almost immediately started bickering. To me, they seemed like little boys taunting one another. One King, without warning, just reached out and slapped his friend in the beak. Stunned and irritated, the victim launched a counter attack, seen here, with flying flippers and squeals. Soon enough, the whole argument passed, and off they went in peace.

Shot with: Nikon D100, Nikon 24-120 zoom lens.

Welcome to MountainWorld Photography...

Welcome to MountainWorld Photography, where you will find images by me (photographer Jake Norton) along with descriptions of the images featured.

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