Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 two-shot composition — full exif Tall Tale young lady wielding a huge traditional Japanese archer's bow Kyoto, Japan ( it's also somewhat of a tall tale for other reasons, presented below ) Picking up from my “Badass Japanese Archery: Now It's The Ladies' Turn” post the other day, here are some more of the very colorful young ladies at the shooting platform. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1400 — full exif & map — nearby photos Dozen at a Time As described in “Total Discipline: Anatomy of a Japanese Archer's Shot”, each archer goes at her own pace, but each group of a dozen starts at the same time, so they're fairly in sync at the beginning, which can make for some interesting shots. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1800 — full exif & map — nearby photos Stringing the Arrow 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 102mm — 1/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1800 — full exif & map — nearby photos Second Arrow You can tell it's the second arrow because she has no spare in her right hand. You can also tell by the fact that the group is much further out of sync, with more than half having already left the platform. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500 — full exif & map — nearby photos As I mentioned in an earlier post the crowds were ridiculous, so it was challenging to get a good vantage point, and at that, “good” meant that you could see one or two archers well. With the crowed, hanging branches, ropes, lamp posts, and such, no place offered a good view of everyone, so it was always a compromise. I figured I'd have less clutter in frame if I could zoom up more, so I switched to the 300mm zoom, and less foreground/background clutter with a thinner depth of field, so I kept it at f/2 most of the time. This would allow me to get more intimate with the archers, such as this boss-looking dude and this tough-looking badass. The ladies could have the toughness, but their style of dress offered a softer side as well.. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 800 — full exif & map — nearby photos Well Framed There were about 90 groups of women, and I got there in time for the last eight or nine, so I had just a bit of time to try to jockey for different vantage points. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 1600 — full exif & map — nearby photos Anti Zoom I could get a wider shot when the view to the furthest archer was relatively clear ( also, it helps that I moved slightly further down range ) Another way to get a wider shot is to composite multiple shots together, like the vertical panorama I opened up with, but that's a lot of work. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 1250 — full exif & map — nearby photos ( focus here is on the hands, but with her serious look lost to fuzziness, it doesn't work ) 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 1100 — full exif & map — nearby photos Sporting Some Determination So, about the “Tall Tale” caption to the lead photo, as I mentioned, it's a composition made from two separate photos stacked one above the other, but what I failed to mention is that the two photos are of different people, taken five minutes apart. The top photo provided the bow, the visible body (face and arm), and most of the upper half of the hakama attire. The rest came from the lower photo, kindly provided by a conveniently-similar stance by the lady seen above in “Anti Zoom”. Interestingly, sleeve of the bow arm from both ladies appears in the composition: they just happened to align such that one appears to be the inside of the other, and doing that area that way allowed other parts to blend more smoothly. Lucky happenstance. I also removed a big ugly rope that had been cutting through the background, and extended the bow string along its natural path. I did all this because I really liked how the top shot showed the mammoth size of the bow, but in it the archer was cut off just below the chest, leaving an unbalanced lack of person in the shot. Other shots of the same archer didn't show the bow as well, so I looked for a way to recover balance to the shot I liked, and among the 1,000 photos from the day, exactly one showed a clear view of one archer standing in the same spot, and voila, we have this post's opening image. One more “tall tale” aspect is that the bow doesn't actually extend below the handle as far as implied by the composition because that particular bow is very uneven, with the portion above the handle much longer than that below. It's still absolutely gigantic, but not quite as much as implied. For reference, see this otherwise-unremarkable shot of the “upper-photo” archer... 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 4000 — full exif & map — nearby photos Miss Upper unretouched I've got to wonder whether that kind of bow is harder to shoot. I'd think that due to the uneven lengths to the curves, the bow string would not snap back perfectly perpendicular (the lower curve would have less distance, so would snap back quicker, I'd think). To be continued... 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 two-photo composite — full exif & map Every Little Bit as badass as the guys In yesterday's “Colorful Ladies' Wardrobe” post we looked at some of the young ladies preparing for their turn at traditional Japanese archery at the rite-of-passage event described in “Total Discipline: Anatomy of a Japanese Archer's Shot”. Before and after their turn they were as lively as you'd expect a bunch of twenty-year-old girls to be, but on the shooting platform they were all business, every bit worthy to appear along the likes of the guy seen in “More Badass Japanese Archery”. I'd been disappointed early on when I was driven out by the ridiculous crowds just before the ladies started, but after having left for lunch, I decided to return toward the end, and found it substantially less crowded. (It was still ridiculously crowded, and I spent half the time letting old ladies stand on the chair I'd brought), but overall I could see quite a bit: the last 100 (of more than 1,000) women, then the instructors, then the “playoffs” for the guys, then for the girls. So note to self: next year, drop in at the end. The earlier “Total Discipline” post may be helpful in following the next sequence... 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 1250 — full exif & map — nearby photos Staredown (With my lack of skill in wielding the 300mm at f/2, many of these are soft or out of focus, but the lady's presence is so compelling that I've gone and made a couple of these into desktop backgrounds.) 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 1250 — full exif & map — nearby photos Initial Aim 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 1250 — full exif & map — nearby photos Horizontal Adjustment 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 1250 — full exif & map — nearby photos Vertical Adjustment with what little focus the photo has on the tip of the arrow ( an idea that had merit, but didn't work out ) 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 900 — full exif & map — nearby photos Slight Emotion Look of satisfaction? These photos were from the playoff round, so out of more than a thousand women who participated, she was one of about a dozen women who had hit the target during the day. (It seemed to me that many more than that hit the target, so maybe one had to get a full-on bull's eye to progress to the playoffs. I don't know.) She progressed to the next round after this shot, so if any emotion leaks out it should be of satisfaction, but it's hard to tell. The lead photo in this post is from the following round to determine the winner, but as I mentioned in an earlier post, I had a difficult time following the announcements of who won, so I don't know how she did. I do know that I'd certainly love to present her with copies of these photos some day. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Nice Smile My recent coverage of the traditional Japanese Archery event described last week in “Total Discipline: Anatomy of a Japanese Archer’s Shot” has so far covered mostly the guys (such as with the previous post, “More Badass Japanese Archery”), but there were about as many gals as guys. Most of the time I was at the event was while the guys were shooting, so when I was out and about in the greater temple area, the women were in preparation mode. They were plentiful and very, very colorful. The guy's wardrobe was pretty standard across the 1,000 who participated, and was elegant in is simplicity. For me, that matched well with the art/discipline of Japanese archery and Japanese cultural history. The ladies, on the other hand, were decked out in a sometimes over-the-top way that I expect most would not see again in their lifetime, except perhaps on their wedding day. Unlike what's worn on the coming-of-age holiday, the outfits seen today are not kimono, but instead are a kind of hakama specific to archery. Men's traditional formal wear is usually hakama, and they can sometimes be quite colorful (especially for children, as seen here), but are more often fairly subdued in color but rich in detail. You can see a bit of what goes into it on this post. The level of gaudiness didn't rise to that seen each year on the Coming-of-Age national holiday (a holiday to celebrate those that have become legal adults — reached 20 years old — in the past year), but at times it was still pretty heavy. As I wrote in the “total discipline” post, this event was primarily a rite-of-passage occasion for those same young adults who had turned 20 in the previous year, but only if they had earned the right by advancing to a high enough rank in the art/sport/discipline of Japanese archery. As I roved around with my lens, it tended to be drawn toward the more reserved (less gaudy) looks among the crowd, but this post is a smattering of all kinds of shots, including some that I just like the vibe of. I would have missed most of these because after being driven out by the ridiculous crowd at the shooting range, I would have gone home but stuck around because Kyoto friend Nicolas Joannin (he from my “Rained out at the Fushimi Castle” post) had messaged me that he was on his way. When he arrived, I waited outside the staging area while he checked out the shooting area... 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1600 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Staging Area 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2000 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Keeping In Touch 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Too Slow I was too slow to keep up with the lady walking by but I somehow like the result anyway 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2000 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Hamming It Up for Nicolas, who had by this time returned Nicolas had retreated from the scrum at the shooting range and joined me in the staging area, and had been taking a photo of the girl practicing her motions when she noticed him and added a big smile. You can see the shot he got here, along with his others from the day. He got some very nice results. (He also got a picture of me.) 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2000 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Post-Performance Call 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 320 — full exif & map — nearby photos Helping Hands I can't say that some of the heavier makeup and accessories were always my cup of tea, especially when so many are gathered at once, but it was certainly photogenic, and I enjoyed the experience. Next, we'll see these same ladies switch to serious mode, shooting a lethal weapon on the firing range. And when I say “lethal”, I'm not kidding. I saw one of these arrows pierce all the way through 3" of hard bamboo at 60 meters. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 + 1.4X TC @ 420mm — 1/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2800 — full exif & map — nearby photos Serious Badass Look During the Japanese-Archery event last week that I've been posting about, after the 2,000+ young adults did their thing, a few dozen instructors also got to shoot. I don't know how they were chosen to participate... perhaps it's only the instructors of the kids who hit the target? Anyway, as last week's “Total Discipline: Anatomy of a Japanese Archer's Shot” describes, the goal is not simply to hit the target, but in mental and physical perfection with each step, akin to how the whole tea-ceremony thing not really being about having something to drink. So, while on the shooting platform, some of the archers got into an intense mode, and the guy in today's post was even more intense than the instructor seen earlier in “Traditional Archery Like a Boss”. I noticed his intensity immediately, and tracked him with the camera more than the others. (I was shooting the 300mm f/2 with a 1.4x TC with a monopod while standing on a chair among a bustling crowd, so these aren't all that sharp, but they're better than I expected.) 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 + 1.4X TC @ 420mm — 1/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500 — full exif & map — nearby photos First Look 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 + 1.4X TC @ 420mm — 1/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2200 — full exif & map — nearby photos 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 + 1.4X TC @ 420mm — 1/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 4000 — full exif & map — nearby photos Preparing the Second Arrow 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 + 1.4X TC @ 420mm — 1/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1400 — full exif & map — nearby photos Stance 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 + 1.4X TC @ 420mm — 1/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2800 — full exif & map — nearby photos More Intensity Usually you see no reaction whatsoever to their shot, so unless you watch the arrow's flight you have no idea as a spectator whether they hit the target, but I know he did because he came back later for the playoffs to determine the overall winner. (It's not the main point of Japanese archery as a discipline, but there is a “sport” aspect to it, so they do determine and announce winners.) 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 900 — full exif & map — nearby photos Playoff Arrow 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 900 — full exif & map — nearby photos Final Round 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 2800 — full exif & map — nearby photos All Done slipping their arms back into the sleeves of their hakama 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 4000 — full exif & map — nearby photos Accepting the Return of His Arrow to signify his third-place finish I didn't quite follow how the playoffs went, but I believe the “Final Round” was actually to determine second place — I was never able to figure out who won first place — and the three seen above were the runners up My guy was 3rd, while the like-a-boss guy at right was second. As I said, I was immediately drawn to the guy's intense presence, and he seemed to be the epitomy of a certain kind of traditional Japanese samurai masculinity. It was very cool to see. But beyond that, something seemed oddly familiar about him that I couldn't place until I got home and looked at the pictures, and it hit me that he's the Japanese reincarnation of Geoff Ralston, a VP at Yahoo! from back in the day. It's probably been a decade since I talked to Geoff, but this intense archer really reminded me of him. (Geoff could be intense as well, in a good way; I sometimes had friction with Yahoo! management, but I recall Geoff being top notch all around.) Any other Yahoo! alumni see the resemblance, or is it just me? 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Impromptu Photo Op “say, that gives me an idea...” Continuing with the rite-of-passage Japanese-archery event I've been posting about (第62回 三十三間堂大的全国大会) , after being driven out by the oppressive crowds at the shooting range, I spent some time with the more-manageable crowds in the greater temple compound. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/2000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Textures wood and stone I took the three shots above before having ventured into the scrum at the shooting range, but after coming out I broke out the Nikkor 300mm f/2 lens for some experimentation. (With its all-manual 7kg ultra-thin depth-of-field, any use on my part is “experimentation”.) 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 280 — full exif & map — nearby photos Pause eastern edge of the Sanjusangendo Temple, Kyoto Japan The entire eastern side of the temple property is a 500-foot-long covered-and-columned walkway in brilliant vermilion, so it offered great photogenic opportunities, though there was some challenge in having to zoom with my feet with the heavy lens and all my stuff. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 280 — full exif & map — nearby photos Spoiler lady with fuzzy boots ruins the artsy out-of-focus vibe I was going for 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 220 — full exif & map — nearby photos Mercifully Stationary Considering the rich depth of the scene (and the thin depth of the lens), these kind of shots were the obvious low-hanging fruit to try, but it's hard enough for me to focus this lens on a stationary subject, so it was all the more demanding when someone walked directly toward the camera. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1600 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Helping me Practice I didn't really feel comfortable with the focus (and wondered whether I needed to test the accuracy of my focus screen), so spent some time really concentrating on trying to hit focus without worrying about composition so much.... 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 320 — full exif & map — nearby photos Not Too Bad focusing on the eye 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Missed Call I was going for the eye of the yellow peep, but got the blue hamburger thing They were part of a group getting ready to pose for a photo... 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1600 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Group Photo at 300mm maybe a bit wider focal length would have made things easier Somehow they noticed me, and some posed just for me... 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/1600 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Smile Just For Me They seemed quite interested in having me take their picture, so the photographer in me wanted to do it right; despite having 20kg worth of gear, I quickly zoomed with my feet (moved) so that I could frame the opportunity just right, concentrating on that which was most important.... 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/4000 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Updated Framing from my detached, purely aesthetic point of view Some of the guys, being guys (like this, and this), hammed it up for me... The guy in the center is the same as in “Not Too Bad” above. There were 2,132 twenty-year-olds in their formal archery hakama, along with ample family, friends, and spectators, so there was more than enough to keep me occupied. | 
Jeffrey Friedl
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