A few weeks ago I was working in the Shonan/Kamakura area taking photos for a client. There, I noticed a lot of tourists taking pictures at what I thought was just a simple little train crossing along the coast. This crossing was close to the Enoshima line‘s Kamakurakokomae Station. From what I could see it was nothing special, just a regular train crossing that you see literally everywhere around Japan. My curiosity got the better of me though, and after a quick Google search, I understood what all the buzz was about. I found that this particular crossing was actually shown in the famous Shonen Jump anime and manga Slam Dunk. 

The series recently had a movie in theaters and is very popular both here in Japan and around the world. It seems that many fans of the series (both Japanese and international) visit this crossing to take pictures and reenact the scene shown in the anime. Sounds like fun!

A Strategy for Solitude

Now I don’t usually shoot photos of trains, but I am a fan of all things anime and manga. I decided I wanted to head back in my free time and try photographing the crossing and the Enoshima trains as they go through. But I really didn’t want to have to deal with all the tourists when doing this. This is a big issue in Japan right now, dealing with the huge increase in inbound tourists. And the one way to deal with it is to arrive before everyone else.

So before the crack of dawn, I was off on my bike riding along the Shonan coastline. I was hoping to arrive at the crossing before the first train at about 5:40 am and before anyone else as well. 

It was a cool morning and a great bike ride in the pre-dawn calm of Shonan. I was able to get there with plenty of time to spare before the first train, but I wasn’t the first person there. 

As I rode up and parked my bike, another photographer came around a corner and started to get ready to capture the first few trains of the day. Oh well, at least we were the only two people there, and the other photographer had their own ideas for shooting so we didn’t cross paths for most of the morning. 

Embracing the Early Hours

Since I was basically alone (except for the odd local heading to the beach) I really wanted to get back away from the tracks. From there, I wanted to try and capture the crossing and the train within the local environment. This would be something impossible to capture once all the tourists started showing up. They would be all over the place and for sure get in any images I wanted to capture. 

So from that first train at 5:40 am till about 6:00 am, I was able to shoot and move and just enjoy capturing the trains coming through the crossing at my own pace. With each passing train, I changed positions and slowly moved down the street closer and closer to the crossing. This allowed me to get a surprising variety of images at such a simple location. 

As I already said, I am not a “train photographer” but I had a very enjoyable and quite relaxing time while working in the area. Thanks to the train app I have on my phone, and the fact that trains rarely arrive late here in Japan, I always knew how much time I had to change positions between trains. Plus if I did happen to lose track of time, the crossing bells would remind me another train is soon to arrive! It was great fun! 

Early Bird Gets the Worm

Unfortunately, as time went by and the sun rose above the houses behind me, the inevitable march of the tourists began. The crossing slowly started to get a little more crowded than I wanted. Jumping on my bike around 6:30 am to head home, I caught the eye of the photographer who had arrived at the same time as me. We exchanged nods of recognition while I rode off back down the Shonan coastline. 

I really enjoyed my little morning shoot and learned a valuable lesson: the early bird does get the worm. As Japan is just extremely popular for inbound visitors, the only way to get photos of popular spots without a million people is to get there as early as you can. And I mean way earlier than you think. In the end, you may get sleepy in the afternoon like I did, but isn’t that what the large coffees are for?

RELATED:

Author: Jason Halayko

Jason Halayko is a professional photographer specializing in action sports and portrait photography. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

Global smartphone brand vivo announced the arrival of the highly anticipated vivo V30e, the final addition to its acclaimed mid-range V30 Series. 

Priced at just P17,999, the vivo V30e is designed to deliver the best mobile photography experience without compromising on style and performance. 

Here are the top reasons why vivo V30e is perfect for people who love taking photos.

Unmatched camera quality

The vivo V30e is equipped with a state-of-the-art camera system that sets new standards for mid-range smartphones in its price range. It boasts a 50MP Sony IMX882 main camera, which is renowned for its accurate color reproduction, ensuring that photos are vibrant and true-to-life with no color cast.

It also has a 32MP selfie camera that guarantees stunning, poster-like selfies with just one tap, and an 8MP wide-angle camera that supports a 120-degree field of view, capturing every detail even in group photos.

Revolutionary portraits with Aura Light 3.0

Experience the best portraits with the innovative Aura Light 3.0. This industry-leading light-filling tool ensures perfect portraits even in the darkest environments. 

With smart adjustments for cool and warm tones, your photos will always have harmonious and vibrant colors, bringing both subjects and landscapes to life.

Extended battery life for endless photography

Never worry about running out of battery during a photo session. The vivo V30e features the largest battery capacity in the Ve Series with a massive 5500 mAh battery. 

Also, you can enjoy up to 22 hours of video streaming, 15 hours of social media usage, nine hours of gaming, or 53 hours of music playback on a single charge.

Superior durability for adventurous photography

Capture memories without hesitation, thanks to the vivo V30e’s robust durability. It boasts an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance, which ensures it can survive accidental submersion in up to five feet of water for 30 minutes.

The vivo V30e offers seamless performance with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB of internal storage, expandable up to 1 TB. The 8 GB RAM with up to 8 GB extended RAM ensures smooth multitasking even with 27 apps running in the background. It also has a 120 Hz AMOLED 3D curved screen display that provides an immersive viewing experience – perfect for gaming, streaming, and browsing.

The vivo V30e is now available in two stunning colors: Cloud White and Coco Brown. You can purchase the vivo V30e at any vivo physical store nationwide, or online on Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok.

Don’t miss out on the vivo V30e, the best mid-range smartphone designed for photography lovers and those seeking exceptional performance. Visit the vivo website to learn the full features of the vivo V30e. – Rappler.com

PRESS RELEASE

There are no “stunning sunsets” in the work of Rennie Ellis, or “breath-taking” views. He never said, “There are no words”. If he witnessed something unusual, he wouldn’t have said, “It was like a movie”. Rennie hated flat, meaningless language and cliches, whether in his photography or his writing. And he never took a single cliched shot.

All of this helps to explain why Rennie has been described as one of Australia’s “most prolific and gifted social documenters”. He was an original. He didn’t care for the wide shot; he was about photographing the look on a face; the unposed moment of elation, excitement, apprehension. Someone showing off, someone bored.

These thoughts struck me when I recently went to the State Library of Victoria to see Melbourne Out Loud: Life through the lens of Rennie Ellis.

View image in fullscreen

Rennie, who died in 2003 aged 62, was a brilliant Melbourne identity who photographed the city for decades. No event was complete without him. (Nearly a cliche there, sorry Rennie.) But while he loved Melbourne, Rennie took his camera everywhere. I was fortunate to watch him in action many years ago in Italy and northern Africa when we travelled together for a few weeks.

View image in fullscreen

On one luminous blue day in Capri, we climbed up a seemingly never-ending set of steps and arrived at the ruins of Emperor Tiberius’s Villa Jovis. When you’re sitting at the edge of an emperor’s beach shack with a bowl of spaghetti vongole in front of you, it’s hard to get to your next commitment, especially when your lunch companion is Rennie. We lost track of time and missed a press briefing, which earned us a sharp dressing down – but it was worth it.

In Tunis we wandered through the markets and stopped at a cafe. Watching people walking by wearing the most sublime colours, Rennie’s eyes darted around, his camera on the table next to our espresso glasses. I wish I’d seen the photos he took that day.

View image in fullscreen

Travelling with Rennie underlined that the best travel photography doesn’t have to be churches and monuments. Everybody’s got those shots. But Rennie shot anything that caught his eye: the human moment, a real emotion, daily life. The small details that tell a wider story.

Rennie’s work is powerful because it shows the ordinary. Sure, some of his photographs depict glamour, but they are often about the person standing next to the celebrity.

View image in fullscreen

View image in fullscreen

People were the stars. This is why Rennie’s photos have become a valuable record of our social history, about how we dressed, danced, loved, celebrated, barracked, protested and sunbathed. How we felt. How we reacted.

Just like everyone with an iPhone today, Rennie was never without his camera. He bowled up to people and asked if he could photograph them, including one day when I was with him on the Paris Métro. No one he approached said no, at least when I was there. He had a business card, an infectious smile, a gentleness and genuine curiosity. That seemed enough.

The show at the State Library of Victoria is a superb encapsulation of Rennie: his sense of humour, his mischief and his interest in people, on the street, at the beach, at the Melbourne Cup, the Grand Final, at a fashion show or on a dancefloor.

View image in fullscreen

There’s Chris Bailey of The Saints playing with a young Nick Cave in the front row of the crowd. There are cheer squads at the footy. There’s Richmond player Robbie McGee sitting on the ground at the MCG, having a smoke after a game.

There’s Molly Meldrum riding a bike and wearing some sort of cape; there’s Sir Rod Carnegie dancing; there’s wildly dressed revellers at Inflation when that King Street nightclub was at its louche peak.

Celebrities were OK, if they were in situ. But it was regular people Rennie enjoyed photographing most. Some of them probably couldn’t understand why Rennie was so interested in taking their photo. They might not have thought they were important enough. They couldn’t know their image would one day tell a great story; to be frank, neither could many photographers.

But years later, it’s clear that the stories he told with his camera connect strongly with us today. It’s the thrill of the familiar, the recognition of the fashions or the hair or sometimes the backdrop. That’s us.

View image in fullscreen

I bumped into Rennie at a cafe in Fitzroy a year or so before he died. As ever there was the huge smile, the tangled mop of long hair, the stories at the ready. We cackled about getting into trouble that day in Capri. The questions tumbled out. He was always more interested in talking about someone other than himself.

His death was a shock to a city that was so used to seeing him everywhere. He seemed so full of life and energy. Melbourne – and Australia – was so much poorer for this loss.

But his photos live on. We should all take a bit of a Rennie with us when we travel. Don’t shoot the sunset: find a face or two.

Rennie’s images are priceless. He knew that. It just took the rest of us a while to catch up.

• Melbourne Out Loud: Life through the lens of Rennie Ellis is at the State Library of Victoria until 28 January 2025. No bookings required. Free entry

MANCHESTER, NH – A funny thing happened on the way to the dedication of a War Photographer Memorial in Manchester on Friday.

Eric Bailey of Phoenix Precast Products was out on an early septic tank installation in Barrington. He built in enough time to get from Barrington to his Concord office so he could change clothes, and then drive down to Veterans Park in time for the installation of the statue.

Turns out Phoenix Precast works with cement for all sorts of projects – from septic tank installations to heavy bronze statues in need of a sturdy base.

Bailey not only made it to the ceremony in time, but so did his septic tank customer, Marshall Bishop.

“I wasn’t acquanted with Mr. Bishop before today, but as I was doing the installation at his house I noticed he had a military background so I mentioned I was heading to Manchester next for the dedication of a statue honoring military photographers. Turns out he was a military photographer, with the Marines,” said Bailey. 

The odds of that are hard to calculate but Bishop knew a call to action when he heard it.

He synchronized his watch for ten-hundred-thirty hours, hopped in his car and made it from Barrington to Manchester inside of 45 minutes – right on time to see Josh Denoncourt snip the ribbon on the freshly-installed statue, its shadow already moving across the park with the Memorial Day weekend sun. 

Bishop’s gut reaction to the statue?

“Oh shit – that’s me,” said Bishop, with a hearty laugh. He leaned in on one of his crutches as he reminisced about his time in the trenches. It’s not often veterans who chronicled war from behind the lens see themselves reflected in public spaces, and especially not like this.

The statue was a gift to the city from Denoncourt who attended the brief dedication and cut the ceremonial ribbon after reflecting on his own service, and the meaning behind the statue. Denoncourt, 76, volunteered for the draft in 1967. 

During his remarks he told of how, before he left for the recruiting office, his father took him aside and urged him to save some of his $75 monthly paycheck. “They’ll give you everything you need; you’re not going to need all the money they give you,” said his father – who was the one who taught him photography.

Denoncourt vowed to his father that he’d save half his paycheck and so when a sergeant advised the new recruits during basic training to buy U.S. Bonds “or they’d be in a world of hurt,”  Denoncourt purchased a $50 bond for $37.50. He further explained that those who enlisted usually got their pick of jobs based on what the recruiter promised them, while those who were drafted replicated their day jobs in some way, or accepted whatever was assigned.

His generous investment of half his salary in a U.S. bond so impressed the brass that the sergeant said “give him whatever he wants” for a job. Denoncourt, whose civilian job was a customs import broker, decided instead to say he was an amateur photographer. 

“I guess the ‘amateur’ didn’t catch with him and that’s how I got to carry that camera,” he said, a note of pride ringing in his voice. He nodded toward the replica of the military-issue camera portrayed in the statue. “The camera looks big, but it’s 150 percent to scale and that camera is the end of an era – everything’s digital now but they continued to use some aspect of that technology up until about 10 or 15 years ago; so the time now is right to honor these individuals,” he said. 

Historically Denoncourt noted that the 1st Infantry Division, aka “Big Red One” with which he served (so named for the large number 1 in their insignia), deserves credit for deploying more combat still photo specialists than any other, going back to WWI.

He praised sculptor Matt Glenn of the Utah-based Big Statues, who got it all just right, Denoncourt said, from the nuances of the uniform and helmet right down to his watchful expression based on photographs he provided.

Denoncourt credited Phoenix Precast for saving the day, as Ray Popsie and Ryan Dore offered a “concrete solution,” after the quarry said they couldn’t provide a big-enough slab for his project until 2028. 

His “thank-you list” also included former Mayor Craig, who was in attendance, along with Mayor Jay Ruais and the aldermanic boards from both administrations, Phoenix installers Eric Bailey and Bill Corson, Swenson Granite, David Noonan Wrought Iron, which will provide a small protective fence, shout-outs to city Parks Director Mark Gomez and Parks Project manager Kate Waldo,  and U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan.

Prior to the ribbon cutting, the Ruais recognized the timing of the installation and what it means to include those who served as combat phographers as part of the array of memorials at Veterans Park:

“Today’s dedication holds special significance as it coincides with Memorial Day weekend, a day when we pause to honor and remember the courageous men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. It is a day of reflection and gratitude and respect for those who have laid down their lives to protect the freedoms that we hold dear,” Ruais said.

“Combat photographers occupied a unique and vital role within our armed forces. With cameras as their weapons, they capture the stark realities of war –  the triumphs, the tragedies, and the raw emotions found on the battlefield. Their work not only documents history but also brings the stories of our service men and women into the public eye ensuring that their bravery and sacrifice are never forgotten. The statute we dedicate today is not just a tribute to a singular individual, but a representation of all combat photographers who have risked their lives to bring their truth of war to the world. It stands as a reminder of their courage, their skill and their unwavering commitment to their mission. Through their lenses they have shown us the true cost of freedom, and the resilience of the human spirit.”

Below, a video of the ribbon cutting. Video/Carol Robidoux