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The flood of photo opportunities I enjoyed last November at the start of Kyoto's fall-foliage season began with a visit to the Kongourinji Temple in Shiga. I posted about it in “First Taste of Fall Colors” and “Deep Sorrow at the Kongourinji Temple's Path of Jizou”, but the aforementioned flood has kept me from following up with the main attractions from the visit.
The main stuff still awaits, but today's post moves us one step closer.
The path to the temple's main garden leads through an area that seems as pretty as a small garden in its own right...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/8000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Side Gardenesque Area
Kongourinji Temple, Shiga Japan
I took that photo from the spot holding the first of the 1,000 jizou (地蔵) statues described in the previous path of jizou post...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/1000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
The Temple's First Jizou
The tourists in the first photo add a human element that I tend to like, but it makes for a prettier desktop background without them, I think, so here's a version suitable for that...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/8000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Some alternate views...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Backdrop For Cherry-Leaf Colors
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/800 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
I Love These Duo-tone Leaves
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Garden Entrance
that way
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Garden Entrance
the old sign above the door seems illegible to me
The path continues inside the wall for a while before it opens up to the main garden. At first, it runs alongside a small stream...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 360 — map & image data — nearby photos
Stream with Moss-Covered Footbridge
... and then next to a side entrance for the main temple building, in which it seemed a video crew was at work at the time...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
I tried a shot zoomed up a bit, exposing for the leaves outside in the background, and after some heavy massaging in Lightroom got something, though I don't know what...
Continue around the corner, and the main garden opens up before you....
Call me a novice (OK I am). How did you get such a broad depth of field at f1.4 in the picture entitled “Side Gardenesque Area?
By focusing far away. Everything in the scene “far away” will be in focus… the further away you focus, the wider the depth of field becomes. Those folks are probably almost as far away as the hyperfocal distance. As you move the focus distance away, the depth of field grows more quickly behind the focus point than in front, so in this case, the main effect of f/1.4 is to put the leaves in the front out of focus. —Jeffrey
Dear Mr. Friedl, I thoroughly enjoyed your beautiful photographs. It brought so many memories of the time I lived in Tokyo 7 years ago. I love taking photographs as well but not as good as you for sure. Currently I’m living in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea – teaching at St. Joseph’s International Catholic School. All the best with everything that you do & your family as well. Warm Regards, Yogi