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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/4000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sunset Over The East China Sea
from Oganzaki, on Ishigaki Island, in the far southern reaches of Japan

After arriving to Ishigaki Island on the first day of our short Golden-Week vacation, we puttered around the island a bit, and ended up at Oganzaki (御神崎) in the north-west corner of the island. In checking photos on Google Earth prior to the visit, it seemed like it should provide a nice sunset, and when I mentioned it to Fumie, she said she'd had it on her list as well, from reading the guidebooks.

It's not much more than a small lighthouse and a small park...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/2000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lighthouse
and a small speck of a moon

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/3200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Small Park Area
as seen from the Lighthouse

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Beyond the park area the adventurous can take paths out onto the rocks and boulders of old coral...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 60 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
That's a Lotsa' Water

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 110 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
I'm a Sucker for These Kind of Pensive Shots

Of course, when faced with the unimaginable grandeur of the ocean amidst the stunning beauty of nature, Anthony does....

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 130 mm — ¹/1250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Dinosaur Play
A kind of play described here and here

He eventually made his way down to where he could see over a cliff, down into a rocky intertidal zone at low tide...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 95 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/10, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lotsa' Rock
and lots of wind

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
View Back Up Toward the Lighthouse
the path is up toward the right, out of frame, with the little park about halfway there

We made our way back to where Fumie was sitting. The small crowd that had gathered for the sunset was all congregating at the little park, which seemed the natural place to see the sunset from, but we thought it'd be more interesting to sit back and include the people in our foreground, so we picked a spot on the sloping grass near the steps up to the lighthouse...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/5, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Our Vantage Point
for the sunset

But the sun wasn't setting quite yet, so Anthony was off to play more...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 110 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/10, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Flying in the Wind

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 78 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/4.5, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
“No Entry”
Why is there a path leading here?

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 170 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/4.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading Back to Mommy
as the sun turns golden

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/8000 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Back at our Vantage Spot
20 minutes before sunset

The sunset was pretty lackluster, but a zoom lens can make the most of what color is there. The lead photo in this post focused on the people in silhouette. Here's a similar shot that focuses on the water...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/3200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/3.5, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
Anticlimactic Finish

The sun eventually dipped into some clouds on the horizon, and the crowd quickly left. As regular readers of my blog know, I've spent some time hunting down a nice sunset in Kyoto (you'll find some of the better results on this page), so even though the weather today had given us a fairly bland sunset, I knew that you could still get some fireworks of color long after.

Indeed, 10 minutes later the sun had dipped far enough down to light the foreground clouds from below, with a deeply rich red that made the clouds seem on fire...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/400 sec, f/7.1, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Final Sparks

Heading to the car, I turned to snap a picture of the lighthouse, now getting an early start on the evening's chores...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 170 mm — ¹/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lonely Lighthouse
Oganzaki, Ishigaki City, Okinawa Japan

Continued here...