Taku Kumabe Photography and Design

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Toronto, ON
Taku Kumabe Photography and Design

Nikon Canada Ambassador, freelance photographer, art director, and content creator. Photography services include one-on-one lessons to group workshops.

Partnering with businesses and agencies to create quality and relevant photographs.

04/22/2026

Happy accidents. In between long exposures I was doing one morning, I accidentally pressed the shutter button while moving the camera around.
Rather than end the exposure, I played around with the composition by turning it 90 degrees halfway through the exposure. This is what I got.
The fiery middle is the beautiful sunrise burn we had that morning. The blue on the left is the lake and the blue on the right is the clouds.
This reminds me of light leaks and overlays which were all the rage a while back. An abstract photo made from a happy accident.
Not all accidents are bad.
Z8 with Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 at 220mm, f/16, 6 sec., ISO100

04/21/2026

The spring season also marks the start of rowing practice early in the morning.
While I normally take photos of birds in flight, now it’s interesting to try and capture the rowers in unique ways.
Do you row? Are you excited for the spring season?
Z 8 with Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 at 100mm, f/4.5, 1/500sec., ISO640

04/19/2026

As I got out of my car, the clouds were bursting with colours creating waves of textures spanning my entire sightline. It was a beautiful morning.
As I approached the boardwalk, the lone tree stood in front of me with its overhanging branch silhouetting against the clouds high above me. It was still dark but the ambient light from the parking lot lit the side of the trunk exposing all its detail.
It was a literally a picture perfect moment that stopped me in my tracks in the middle of the boardwalk.
And that’s where this photo was taken with my Z 6iii with Z 24-120mm f/4 at 24mm, f/10, 3sec., ISO125

04/17/2026

Hello? Is it me you’re looking for?
It’s birding season! Are you looking for those elusive birds this time of year? They’re all over the city and they’ll be coming for the next few weeks.
Get out and enjoy the season while they are still around. You’ll never know what you will find.
Z9 with Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 at 330mm, f/11, 1/1250sec., ISO4000

04/16/2026

It’s hard to believe just two years ago today I took these at the local park in Toronto.
The cherry blossoms were already in full bloom. It just goes to show how the weather dictates when these fragile flowers will bloom.
One thing’s for sure though, April will always have its showers every year!
Z 8 with Z MC 105mm f/2.8 S at f/4.5, 1/500, ISO360

04/14/2026

Whenever I see the sun rising behind a line of trees like this, it makes me think of a sunrise in the Safari desert.
Is it just me?
Correct me if I’m wrong but I think the third slide is the lighthouse at the very end of Tommy Thompson Park. Has anyone been there before?
This was taken in the west end so I’m situated quite far from the subject.
Z9 with Z 800mm f/6.3 with 1.4x teleconverter at 1120mm, f/9

04/13/2026

A long exposures helps to minimize any distractions in an image.
During a beautifully coloured sunrise, I used the concrete barrier to act as a graphic element in this exposure to help divide the sky from the water. I kept just a sliver of the water on top to continue the blue water from the opening on the left.
If you look closely, you’ll notice a faint image of a gull on the breakwater as he was there for most of the 15-second exposure.
ZR with Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II with 10-stop ND filter. 35mm, f/13, 15sec., ISO100

04/12/2026

Seeing the sun rise vertically was an amazing moment! 😏
Have you ever seen this before?
Z 9 with Z 800mm f/6.3

04/10/2026

I went out for a sunrise earlier this week, but saw the beautiful moon shining in the sky when I arrived at the shore.
Instead of setting up for a sunrise, I turned my camera to the moon. I shot this with my Z 9 with Z 800mm f/6.3 and a 1.4x teleconverter for a whopping 1120mm focal length.
Sharpened with PureRAW to give a cleaner output. If you think about it, it’s kinda crazy you can capture all of this detail right from Earth. Almost as crazy as sending humans to the moon! 😏

04/08/2026

It’s great to see that the buffleheads are still in town. They are winter migrating waterfowl so it’s only about time before they will fly away further north to their breeding ground.
Here’s a shot of one flying directly toward me. The inset eyes of buffleheads made his eyes fall into shadow making it seem like he is flying blind.
Z9 with Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 at 600mm, f/6.3, 1/1000sec., ISO1250

04/06/2026

Continuing on with action shots of waterfowl, here’s one of a wood duck that showed his excitement for the recent snowfall.
At least one of us was excited about the snow. What were you doing when it started to snow this past weekend?
Z9 with Z 800mm f/6.3 with 1.4x teleconverter at 1120mm f/9, 1/1250sec., ISO1600

04/04/2026

Some two or three years ago there was a rare sighting of a Western Grebe here in the GTA. While I saw him from afar that time, I couldn’t get any decent shots of him.
So when I found out that another Western Grebe was found nearby, I went out to find him.
Fortunately I waited long enough for him to return, allowing me to see him in the quickly fading light. I love their brightly coloured red eyes, yellow bill, and beautiful black and white plumage.
Here, he is lit by the beautiful sunset we had that evening. He darted in the water just for a split moment, as he shook off excess water from his body.
I was hoping he would dart across the surface of the water, which they are known for, but alas, I would have to settle with this action shot.
Z9 with Z 800mm f/6.3 and 1.4x teleconverter at 1120mm, f/9.0, 1/1250sec., ISO10000

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Toronto, ON
M5J 2S1

Website

https://www.takukumabe.com/

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