Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/4, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
This Morning
Today was one of those “Why I Hate Living in Kyoto” days.
We awoke to a touch of fresh snow this morning, so Anthony and I headed out to play in it for an hour before he had to go to school. His play involved knocking snow off of anything that held it, and mine involved a Nikon D200 and a 17-55 f/2.8 zoom.
I took 249 pictures, of which 228 avoided the cutting room floor (including the iffy crow and snow shot I posted earlier). Of those that survived, there must be about 50 that are – to me – just stunning.
I include the shot above in the “stunning” category, so perhaps you can use it as a benchmark to decide whether my comments are realistic or blinded by narcissism (but do click on it to see the larger version before making your decision). We were at the Heian Shrine when the snow really started to come down, and I just snapped away as Anthony played.
Of course, it's been two years since I got my D200, so by now, “snapping away” means that I did put some thought into it, such as composition to include the ornate shrine sub-building behind him, and the framing to include the trail left when he rolled a snowball for a snowman.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Intense Snow
(crop from a larger photo)
For a while, the snow was as intense as the burn was two weeks ago at the exact same spot he's standing (see Intense Burn: Shinto Rite at the Heian Shrine). The picture above is just a crop; here's the full width of the frame:
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wow
(click through to the huge version, and view at full size)
Maybe I'm just enamored with snow, or Kyoto, or Anthony, or my own photography, but I think the shots from this morning are amazing. As I was looking through them, my head almost exploded as I tried to decide what to share. I couldn't very well post all 50ish despite a strong desire to do so, and I went around and around with ideas before I punted and decided to post just the two of Anthony (and the extra crop). I figure people are probably getting sick of snow pictures by now; I'll post more from today at a later date.
A few hours after all that snow, it had all melted away. After school, Anthony wanted to go for a bike ride (having ridden by himself for the first time yesterday). I needed to go to the post office, so he accompanied me.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/80 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading to the Post Office
After that, we headed to the park with the oval walkway...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 17 mm — 1/320 sec, f/3.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading to the Park
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Concentration
(he was pretending to be in a race)
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 190 mm — 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Far Side of the Park
You can see some of the tree snuggies on the trees behind him.
It's hard to believe that just nine hours earlier, the park looked like this:
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Center of the Park, Earlier in the Day
These are just great! I love the consistency throughout the day. Anthony’s yellow jacket makes a wonderful motif to follow throughout the day. The snow is beautiful, but I have to say that I was most drawn to the images of him riding his bike directly away from you. It is a great perspective and says so much. Leaving the nest, speeding off without your parental protection, etc, which I can completely understand. Also, they remind me of a series of shots (don’t remember where) of a guy who sets up his camera, sets the timer and photographs himself running away from the camera. Anyway, great set. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Jeffrey,
I have been a casual browser of your blog and I really do appreciate some of the images you put up from time to time. It was from you, that I decided to add the 17-55 to my already existing Sigma 30mm 1.4. Now comes the time that I find having a longer lens to be more useful.
I want to ask you, if you don’t mind doing a quick metadata search sometime, what focal length do you use most in your photography? I’ll be doing event/gathering and portrait photography and I find the 17-55 isn’t *that* much of a jewel to me. I feel I can get by a lot with my 30 stopped down. What do you think, for you? I travel once in a while, but I don’t find the need for a 17mm all the time. I can easily stitch panos taken with the 30mm.
See, for me, I find going really close for a tight portrait at 55mm to be a real drag, I am thinking of selling the 17-55 in favor of the 70-200. I don’t have the money to have both in my arsenal at this moment in time. Nor have I ever experienced the 55+ range. But I own a Fuji dSLR and I think having a long lens for portraits only makes sense.
I am sorry I had to post this on your blog, I could not find your email.
Thanks,
Bruce (b.yh.yan gmail com)
That first picture is terrific! It looks like a perfect postcard… that Anthony has just invaded. It’s photo contest material for sure.
I took some snow photos in Tahoe a few weeks ago (posted to flickr) and it’s tough (lost a lens cap and there was condensation everywhere), but the results were great.
For Bruce:
I use the lightweight 55-200 VR lens for portraits. It does a terrific job as long as you have plenty of light and/or good flashes. I like the longer lenses because it makes candid portraits easier, and flattens facial features. Best of all, you don’t need to sell a lens to afford it!
Somehow I also like the wire photo. It’s Japan!
The “Wow” photo is “Wow!” indeed 🙂 Lovely…