icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 290 mm — 1/640 sec, f/4.8, ISO 200 — full exif
A Few Blossoms Blossoming
Today was a really lovely day... warmer and less crowded than yesterday. So, of course, I stayed in all day working on my Lightroom plugins. But I did take some pictures during the day yesterday, in addition to the cherry blossoms at dusk that I've already posted, so I'll share some in this post.
Most regular cherry trees in this area are at 50%-70% full bloom, but the trees right outside my window are closer to 100%, so they made for a nice view, and attracted the weekend crowds. Most everyone had a camera.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 340 mm — 1/640 sec, f/4.8, ISO 220 — full exif
Shielding Against the Setting Sun
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 145 mm — 1/640 sec, f/10, ISO 1000 — full exif
Moment of Respite
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 340 mm — 1/640 sec, f/4.8, ISO 280 — full exif
Crossed Signals
he's looking at the blossoms; I'm looking at him
I don't think he even noticed me
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 260 mm — 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 900 — full exif
The Perfect Japan Picture
The picture above includes almost all the elements that make Japan Japan. There are the camera-toting tourists, of course, and the cherry blossoms, and the bicycle. And the utility pole placed for maximum ugliness. And a bit of a pink kimono in the background. And even some left-over momiji (fall foliage) in the foreground. The only things missing are someone smoking, and some rice.
(The blur in the lower right is Anthony's head, and not among the quintessentially Japanese features of the photo.)
Anthony's head was in the window because we were looking out for Gen and his family, who were on their way for a visit...
Zak normally doesn't lower himself to come to the slums of Kyoto from his penthouse suite in Otsu, but he needed to return a tripod he had borrowed from me, and thought to bring his family to check out Kyoto's pathetic excuse for cherry blossoms. (His blog is filled with all the Otsu cherry-blossom photos he takes that are better than my Kyoto cherry-blossom photos.)
After dropping off the tripod, we all headed out to the park so the kids could play. On the way, I snapped a picture of the blossoms I'd been seeing from the house...
D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 + 1.7×TC @ 120 mm — 1/640 sec, f/4.8, ISO 640 — full exif & map — nearby photos
River and Blossoms Near Sunset
At the park the kids played, and the camera-toting dads alternatively cursed the light and reveled in it. The sun was just going down, and sometimes the light was excellent, but sometimes still harsh.
D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 + 1.7×TC @ 340 mm — 1/640 sec, f/5, ISO 900 — full exif & map — nearby photos
Maki and Tamaki
Zak's wife and daughter
D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 + 1.7×TC @ 120 mm — 1/640 sec, f/5, ISO 1400 — full exif & map — nearby photos
Ugly Tree, Interesting Light
it'll be interesting to see what he came up with
D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 + 1.7×TC @ 175 mm — 1/640 sec, f/4.8, ISO 1250 — full exif & map — nearby photos
Drag Race
it appears to have been a photo finish
D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 + 1.7×TC @ 120 mm — 1/640 sec, f/8, ISO 2200 — full exif & map — nearby photos
Minor Slide Mishap
parenting sometimes gets in the way of taking pictures
D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 + 1.7×TC @ 220 mm — 1/400 sec, f/8, ISO 6400 — full exif & map — nearby photos
Loose Caboose
D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 + 1.7×TC @ 260 mm — 1/400 sec, f/4.8, ISO 3600 — full exif & map — nearby photos
Buddies in Play
D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 + 1.7×TC @ 160 mm — 1/250 sec, f/4.8, ISO 6400 — full exif & map — nearby photos
Tube Full o' Kids
Zak got a great photo from a better vantage; hope he posts it
As the sun went down, it got quite cold, so we headed back. On the way, I snapped a shot of the still-in-progress cherry blossoms hanging over the canal...
D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 + 1.7×TC @ 120 mm — 1/400 sec, f/8, ISO 2200 — full exif & map — nearby photos
Fifteen Minutes Before Sunset
6:06pm
After saying goodbye to Zak and his family, I dropped off Anthony at home, picked up my tripod and a warmer coat, and headed out to the bend in the canal that you can see in the picture above. I then faced the camera toward where the picture above was taken, and took the bunch of pictures in the increasing dusk that I posted yesterday.
From Burlington, Ontario Canada at the northwest corner of Lake Ontario, between Hamilton
on the west and Oakville on the east.
Yes we had more snow here today, winter has not yet left us.
Zak is an American as much as yourself living in Japan?
Working for? Methinks you find out when either his birthday
is or perhaps wait until Christmas and purchase for him his own tripod.
His blog is far less descriptive of himself and his environs than yours.
Many thanks…
Your D700 images are wonderful.
Photos of the children are always great. The last cherry blossom photo was for me preferable to the more spectacular ones of the last post. I think it’s just a matter of taste, but this was calm, while the others that were lit up had an almost Los Vegas feel to them.
Mr. Lee commented: “wait until Christmas and purchase for him his own tripod.”
Ummmm, I doubt it. You see, even though my brother is a generous guy (so I’ve heard), his tripod costs approximately the same as my current car. I know Zac is a good friend of his, but …
Do I detect a subtle nagging tone? I’ve been very busy with creative and interesting stuff!
I’m so glad that Bryce Lee left such a good description of where he lives. We all should. It certainly makes the comments all that more interersting. They come from such varied parts of the world…fascinating! Thanks, Bryce. My own mother was from Sarnia, Ontario.
I really appreciate beautiful pictures and details in your blog. I stumbled on your blog while looking for some pictures of Kyoto to plan our trip next year. Since than I am a regular and check it once at lunch time. I have used your book as a reference while working on reg ex in few projects. Anthony is such a sweet boy and looks very much like my son. Grandma Friedl, we live in St. Paul, MN. Next time you make a trip to “Mall of America” do think of us.