11 years later, a sequel to the original last green leaves before autumn award winning photograph
Wandering makes photos
If anyone asks me how did I learn photography, I tell them, by walking the streets of Tokyo for hundreds of hours with my very first DSLR camera, a Nikon D80. What is great about living in a city with wide spread public transportation is you can take a train to one area, walk randomly to where your eyes take you, then just hop on another train and get back home without having to worry about returning to where your car is parked. This is how I went about finding one of my more famous photos, at least in Japan, which I titled, “Last Green Leaves Before Autumn.” I submitted it to Metropolis Magazine (the largest weekly English magazine in Japan) and they featured it in the Photo of the Week section. Picking up a copy of the magazine the Friday afternoon it came out and seeing my photo featured inside, I was stunned and even stopped strangers passing by to say (in English), “that’s my photo!” It was a moment of exhileration I have rarely ever felt again.
Then and now
That was in 2008. Fast forward 11 years and it is a very different world for both digital photography, and myself. The old Nikon D80 was great, and faithful, and got me started on a path that would lead to being a professional photographer. Of course it cannot compare to the Sony a7R IV mirrorless camera I just got 3 weeks ago. Nor can the lenses I used then (Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D) versus now (Sony 90mm f/2.8 G Macro). The bokeh in the original photo would be considered very flawed as you do not see perfectly round circles, but the edges of the blades inside the old 50mm lens. Then and now, I do not mind those flaws and appreciate them as the personal character of that old lens.
The new 2019 version of the Last Green Leaves Before Autumn photo is far superior from an image quality standpoint. The bokeh is much creamier and the leaves in focus are sharper. There is something strong to nostalgia though, and that original photo from 2008 is one I will never surpass in any future shot.