Tokyo Gate Bridge: long exposure photography on a cloudy evening
In December 2019, I took some long exposure photographs of a decidedly cloudy Tokyo Gate Bridge. Many people say it looks like a dinosaur, but not me. I don’t see any prehistoric shapes in all that metal and concrete. Two horses with back trouble, maybe?
It is an interesting structure on Tokyo Bay. From it you can see Mount Fuji on a clear day. When I left home for these photos, the forecast was good. But did it hold?
The weather gods decided to sock it to me. But they weren’t cruel. By the time I got to my destination, the sky had changed. The clouds in Mount Fuji’s direction were thick and mushy. The light was ugly so Mount Fuji didn’t make it into this post, but I wasn’t defeated.
In other directions, especially towards Haneda Airport clouds were thick and grey, but I could still see a beautiful sunset through the gaps. The light would soon be gone so I was a flurry of activity. I took a couple of long exposures from one location, then I picked up the camera, tripod and other gear and sped off to the next location.
The pictures you see here were all I kept out of one hundred and fifty frames, each a few seconds long. So many were horrible, to be honest.
Where to take photos of Tokyo Gate Bridge?
As you might have guessed, I photographed the bridge from two locations. They were on the east side of the bridge. Each spot offers different physical conditions for a tripod setup.
The concrete wall to the north
To the north of the bridge, there is a concrete wall approximately 300 meters long. It features a barrier and is a frequent spot for local anglers. This surface is flat and stable, allowing a tripod to be set up securely. From this angle, the composition includes the span of the bridge and the distance across Tokyo Bay toward Haneda Airport.
The rock wall to the south
A rock wall is to the south of the bridge. While this location allows you to frame both the bridge and Mount Fuji together, it presents more physical challenges. The boulders are unstable, making it difficult to find a level base for a tripod. Waves also crash against these rocks, which requires caution. An alternative is the grass hill situated behind the rocks, though this change in elevation alters the composition of the frame.
Is Tokyo Gate Bridge worth visiting for photographers?
It was my first time there taking these long-exposure photos. That shoot was complicated by the weather not cooperating with me. But I can see it was worth it and taught me what to expect for a future shoot there.
With fewer clouds or maybe even on a cloudless evening, I’m sure Tokyo Gate Bridge would be brilliant under lights. Maybe mid-winter might be perfect! Hopefully, that will happen one day. If you want to find out the latest information concerning lighting schedules, walking rules etc, consult the official website. Anyway, I am definitely looking forward to my next trip there.
Rohan Gillett
Rohan has photographed Tokyo since 2011. He shoots it with his Canon EOS R5 these days. The project will take more than one lifetime to complete.
