Funky Flowers at the Kyoto Botanical Gardens
One down, 76,916 to go.... -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2006 Jeffrey Eric Francis Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
One down, 76,916 to go....

I've been crushed with work as of late, which is why I haven't been posting much. I've recently started doing some consulting on a high-pressure project, and have continued working with new builds of Adobe Lightroom as it rolls toward its public release in a couple of weeks. Despite being a just 1.x release, it nevertheless offers some interesting ways to customize it, and I've been working on some tools that will help with that, and I want to have them ready for release along with Lightroom.

Still, I feel bad not posting something worthwhile, so I went into my archives of “blog about when you get a chance” photos, and thought I'd share the one above, which comes from Anthony's first preschool field trip to the Kyoto Botanical Gardens last May.

If you don't understand the caption, perhaps this full-resolution crop, taken from the lower-left corner, will help:

Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2006 Jeffrey Eric Francis Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Like the little worker bee probably feels, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by all the stuff I need to do. I usually bite off way more than I can chew.

It's better than being bored, though.

The images above are actually both crops, from this full-frame image (the bee is slightly right of center):

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 18 -200mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 200mm — 1 / 180 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 — full exif & map Funky cone-shaped flowering plant -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2006 Jeffrey Eric Francis Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 200mm — 1/180 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 — full exif & map
Funky cone-shaped flowering plant

I don't know what kind of plants they are, but they're about two meters tall — very impressive. (UPDATE:: according to this comment, they're Echium wildpretii. Thanks Peter!)

Here's another view, from a distance, which I find appealing for some reason.

Nikon D200 + 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 135mm — 1 / 200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 — full exif & map -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2006 Jeffrey Eric Francis Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D200 + 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 135mm — 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 — full exif & map

All 4 comments so far, oldest first...

I like the second shot, too. Looks like a parade of garden gnomes marching past the hedge.

— comment by Marius Moore on February 9th, 2007 at 12:31pm JST (17 years, 2 months ago) comment permalink

We were there yesterday! Better to have Greg run up an down the avenues and paths of the the Botanical Gardens than to have him running down Kyoto’s streets. These days he just likes to get out and run and doesn’t want to turn back. Last week he actually ran past your place on a “spur of the moment” outing. We ran from our home in Shuugakuin, down the Takano and Kamo Rivers, then east through Heian Shrine and Maruyama Park, and finally down to Grandma’s house near Gojo. Grandma wasn’t home, so we ran all the way back up to Sanjo before getting on the bus back up north. I think it must have been at least 5 km.

Tomorrow we are thinking of going to the Auto show at Miyako Messe. Interested?

— comment by Nils on February 9th, 2007 at 5:03pm JST (17 years, 2 months ago) comment permalink

I believe the wonderful cone plant is Echium wildpretii, native to the Canary Islands and related to borage and forget-me-not. And, from your Ise trip (I think), I am sure Grannie Friedl is right in suggesting a species of _Rhus_ or sumach growing out of the wall.

I love browsing your website/blog, for the photographic info., the superb introduction to colo[u]r space, the photographs, the Lightroom notes; above all for the snapshots of Japan – I visited twice, last time in 1988 – too long ago – but doubt I’ll make it again, alas.

You are so lucky to live in one of the botanically richest areas in temperate regions, I’m green with envy – just need you to focus on some more plants!

— comment by Peter on February 21st, 2007 at 2:15am JST (17 years, 1 month ago) comment permalink

WOW! I just happened on this site while searching for “funky plants”. It combines 3 interests of mine: plants, photography and Japan. I, like you, have too many interests and too many projects going at once. Does anyone know where these cone plants can be grown outside?
Keep up the good work!

— comment by Joseph Lyles on February 4th, 2008 at 12:34am JST (16 years, 2 months ago) comment permalink
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