Mt. Fuji – FuyÅ-hÅ (‘the Lotus Peak’) is a perfectly symmetrical cone that reflects beauty and one of the Japan’s Holy Mountains. It is a majestic creation of nature that has inspired artist and poets on their journey in discovering and understanding the beauty it represents. What makes it more interesting is that Mt Fuji is actually a three-layer volcanic mountain that is also surrounded by numbers of lakes. Though it is an active stratovolcano, that last erupted in 1707-08, Mt. Fuji has been recognized for its cultural value as a holy mountain worshiped by people since ancient times and now being acknowledged for its cultural contribution to the art and spirit of Japan. As challenging as it may seem, people desire to reach the summit of Mt. Fuji. Japan being as ‘The Land of the Rising Sunâ€, to experience and see the ‘’arrival of the light’’ – goraikÅ, – makes it more special; like a kiss of the sun. The mission of this series is to showcase Mt. Fuji beyond what it already is. This majestic mountain has become one of my obsessions when I entered the world of photography. I have seen many pictures of it and studied them for quite some time. My first encounter with Mt. Fuji was back in 2011, but I was thinking of capturing it with beautiful colors. On my succeeding visits, my mindset was in monochrome. I captured the images on digital camera and converted them to Black and White on post processing. Using long exposures, the images suggest calmness and allowed me to eliminate distractions like clouds formations and water movement. The square crop is used for balance and to turn the viewers’ attention only on the mountain. Also, the application of minimalism in my images gives more focus on my purpose. The series highlights the beauty of Mt. Fuji in the absence of color. I wanted Mt. Fuji not as the main character, but the only character in the story.
