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How to find new photo locations
Do you ever struggle to find new photo locations? You know something that is unique or offers a new angle. I know I do. Why? Social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest are packed with images. It’s said that 14 billion are shared daily (a link to statistics is at the bottom). But many of them are so similar. Have you noticed that? I want new places and angles. How about you?
This story goes back a few years. It happened in 2020. These photos date from that time. Maybe you’ll find it useful.
I was in a photograph Tokyo Skytree phase that year. Several hundred inhabit one of my hard drives. I haven’t published that many though on this blog (for various reasons). A few were special, but many were average, at best. You’d probably seen other photographer’s versions on the net somewhere.
Well, I was going everywhere to shoot Skytree. But I was doing what everyone else had done. It was the same stuff over and over again. There was no innovation. It was time to do something new.
But it was so hard. Why? It seemed every vantage point in the city had been used. Where was my new location? How could I find it? That was the problem. The solution was close at hand. Well, Google had some tools that proved to be my savior. Actually, many photographers have found it to be a boon.
What is that tool?
That tool is Street View on Google Maps. It allows you to walk along roads anywhere in the world virtually. You might wonder how this helped me find a new angle to photograph Tokyo Skytree. It simplifies looking for new photo locations.
How does it find new photo locations?
The first thing I did was enter a keyword into Google Search. That was of course “Tokyo Skytree.” Next, I clicked the Image tab and looked at the results. There were many thousands of course. I went through those until I found a rare composition. The question was where was it?
The image had many poles with the tower rising behind them. Everything was reaching for the stars! It looked incredible. It was exactly what I wanted.
The next part was finding it. Unfortunately, the picture had no location or EXIF data. Other photos were the same. Where was it? I didn’t know. There was no useful information!
The only thing I knew was that the poles were close to the tower, due to the angle of the shot. They looked almost under it. I also assumed the poles were in a park.
How could I find it? I looked at Google Maps for parks near Tokyo Skytree. There were a few green spots. I dropped a pin on the road near those spots and checked them out. It didn’t take long to find it.
The spot was Koume Children’s Park, almost right under the tower. Almost, but not quite! They were separated by one street crossing. It wasn’t hard to get to at all. Once I found it, all I needed to do was go there. Searching for new photo locations was over.
Photos Tips for this location:
- The shot can be done handheld or with a tripod.
- For this picture, you’ll be pointing your camera nearly straight up! Can your tripod head rotate that far?
- I’d suggest getting as close to the spires as possible to make gaps seem wider than they are. That will also allow more of the tower to be visible.
- The spires/poles might be quite close to your camera, depending upon its position. That might make keeping everything in focus problematic. The stacking technique can help keep everything focused. I went with f/16 and didn’t encounter any problems.
- Be careful when composing your picture. If you don’t, you might find later there is a spire right in front of the tower, which you regret later.
- If you use a wide-angle lens, a building on the right might enter your frame.
Park information
- There are toilets and drink machines.
- The park is over the road from Tokyo Skytree.
- Kids play soccer and other games in the park, so be careful of errant flying balls.
Where is Koume Children’s Park?
Address: 1-33-3 Mukojima, Sumida City, Tokyo
The park is over the road from Tokyo Skytree.
Here it is on a Google map:
Location photos
Closest train stations:
- Honjo-Azumabashi – It’s about a ten-minute walk to the park. It’s on the Toei Asakusa Line.
2. Oshiage Station – It’s about a ten-minute walk to the park. It is served by the:
- Keisei Oshiage Line
- Tobu Skytree Line
- Toei Asakusa Line
- Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon Line
3. Tokyo Skytree Station might be best for some as it is over the road from the park. The Tobu Skytree Line serves it.
Koume Children’s Park opening hours
It is open twenty-four hours a day.
When is the best time to take this picture?
I honestly can’t say in this case. Morning, noon, and night are all good because they are so different. Any time of the day can yield great results. Even against a solid blue sky, it can look great!
Conclusion
Images flood the internet. Many of them are so similar. It’s hard to find something unique and that is what we want in our photography. So searching for new photo locations can be challenging. But it’s not impossible. There are online tools that can assist us.
I hope my experience and tips here will be useful. Oh yeah, you don’t have to Tokyo Skytree! And please share this post on social media if it will help someone.
For more Tokyo Skytree articles, look at:
External related websites: