I’d seen countless pictures of Fuji-san, but nothing quite prepares one to the majesty when you see her up close. On the shores of Lake Kawaguchi-ko, most people were busy taking selfies against the mountain. A little away from this narcissism, I found a quiet spot among the low rocks and reeds to just gaze. The eye and mind wandered among the snow line, the faint high ridges and the pine trees at the bottom.
I set up the camera for a 2 min long exposure and sat down. The wind, coming down from the snow and given more life by the water, was very cold.
I closed my eyes and listened. Nearby, a pair of wading ducks disturbed the reeds. Behind me, a French couple trying to take a selfie, but never finding the right angle. A little out in the low rocks, a Japanese photographer trying to wedge his tripod and in the far distance, the discordant shouts of a group of Chinese.
Sometimes, the act of photography is as much a receptacle for sound as it is for a visual.