Diamond Fuji

Hello fellow F-stoppers,

About 2 and a half years ago, I learned about this thing the Japanese call Diamond Fuji. It's when the sun sets (or rises) directly over Mt. Fuji. The first time I attempted to photograph this, I was equipped with my best camera gear, a point-and-shoot Ricoh CX3 in full auto mode. Due to the cloudy horizon on that day, I couldn't get the shot. After that I kept trying but kept running into bad weather, every time! Eventually, I decided I'm going to have to get closer to Mt. Fuji so the weather would be less of a factor. A friend of mine lent me her camera, I forget which kind it was but it was an Olympus mirrorless with a kit lens. On that trip I took some of the best pictures I had ever taken, but when it came time for Diamond Fuji, I was in the wrong spot. I needed to be about 0.5 kms more south. When I came back from the trip I reluctantly returned my friend's camera, and posted the pictures on SNS and got lots of good feedback. I immediately went to buy my first DSLR, a Nikon D7100. For about 6 straight months I shot pictures every single day, and studied Youtube tutorials and started following lots of popular photographers and taking their advice, people like Matt Granger, Jason Lanier, Zack Arias, and Trey Ratcliff to name a few. I've even met some of them, which was very inspirational to me. Meanwhile, the chase for Diamond Fuji continued, as did the bad weather.

Fast forward another year, and here I am. I've now been shooting with the same D7100 for a year and a half. I'm now a working professional shooting everything from newborns, weddings, various events, studio shoots, and my most recent and biggest jobs are shooting hostesses for men's cabaret clubs here in Japan. And then I finally, just today, got a picture of Diamond Fuji!

I know now, more than ever, that it's not about the destination, it's all about the journey. Set a goal for yourself, people. And then chase it relentlessly. You'll pick up so much skill and knowledge on the way there. Most importantly, enjoy the trip!

Attached is today's picture of Diamond Fuji. Go ahead and critique it if you'd like. I appreciate the advice. After all, it is your advice, along with the desire to improve, that got me here.

Thanks everyone,

Musashi