A Typhoon Makes for a Good Sunset (But It’s Me That Makes It Great :-)
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desktop background image of a dynamic sunset over Kyoto, Japan, as seen from the Shogunzuka overlook (将軍塚からの京都の夕焼け)  --  After the Typhoon Tumultuous Sunset Over Kyoto 京都の夕焼け、東山の将軍塚から  --  Shogunzuka (将軍塚)  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1800 — map & image datanearby photos
After the Typhoon
Tumultuous Sunset Over Kyoto
京都の夕焼け、東山の将軍塚から
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Typhoon #4 of the season blew nearby on Tuesday, the first one to have any impact on Kyoto. It wasn't particularly eventful, but as I discovered after 2007's Typhoon #4, the air can be quite clear and the clouds quite dramatic after a typhoon blows through, so yesterday after a photogenic hike in western Kyoto, I went up to Shogunzuka in eastern Kyoto to catch the sunset.

Shogunzuka (将軍塚)  --  Kyoto, Japan  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 155mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 450 — map & image datanearby photos

As usual, I was hoping for a jaw-dropping display, but as usual, I didn't get it. Still, it was better than most. And as usual, the deep color of the sunset (this time an orange with a strong pink tinge) gets completely lost in photographs... it turns into a totally unrealistic yellow in the brightest areas.

Since it's going to render unrealistically in photographs anyway, I thought I'd go ahead and “artify” it a bit in post processing (sort of like I did the other day in “Bland Sunset Over Kyoto: They Can't All Be Amazing”), but this time had a much nicer base from which to work.

Closer To Reality but still heavy with unpleasant HDR ish artifacts from trying to rein in the bright clouds, which, in reality, were not the least bit yellow  --  Shogunzuka (将軍塚)  --  Kyoto, Japan  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/6.3, ISO 6400 — map & image datanearby photos
Closer To Reality
but still heavy with unpleasant HDRish artifacts from trying to rein in
the bright clouds, which, in reality, were not the least bit yellow

The reality was quite nice (other folks were oohing and ahhing nonstop), but my photos (as taken) weren't particularly compelling, so I'm going the “artsy” route. I've done this a number of times recently, and am a bit worried to let it become a habit, but for now I'll just enjoy it when the mood strikes.

desktop background image of a dynamic sunset over Kyoto, Japan, as seen from the Shogunzuka overlook (将軍塚からの京都の夕焼け)  --  Ridgeline  --  Shogunzuka (将軍塚)  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 110mm — 1/320 sec, f/6.3, ISO 4500 — map & image datanearby photos
Ridgeline
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desktop background image of a dynamic sunset over Kyoto, Japan, as seen from the Shogunzuka overlook (将軍塚からの京都の夕焼け)  --  Shogunzuka (将軍塚)  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/6.3, ISO 5000 — map & image datanearby photos
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desktop background image of a dynamic sunset over Kyoto, Japan, as seen from the Shogunzuka overlook (将軍塚からの京都の夕焼け)  --  This Pink is the real color of the sunset (at least if your browser shows you the same pink I see in Lightroom)  --  Shogunzuka (将軍塚)  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/320 sec, f/6.3, ISO 2000 — map & image datanearby photos
This Pink
is the real color of the sunset
(at least if your browser shows you the same pink I see in Lightroom)
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Shogunzuka (将軍塚)  --  Kyoto, Japan  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/125 sec, f/6.3, ISO 6400 — map & image datanearby photos
Meanwhile in Osaka...
Osaka Skyline at Dusk, from 30 miles away in Kyoto
— scroll side-to-side —
or click through to a somewhat larger version

It's not quite the huge Kyoto panoramic that I posted last year, but I like the dusky vibe. The original photo had quite a bit of sensor noise, so I went with that vibe by adding some grain effect in Lightroom. (A much larger panorama of an orange-sunset Osaka skyline, appears on this post.)

desktop background image of a dynamic sunset over Kyoto, Japan, as seen from the Shogunzuka overlook (将軍塚からの京都の夕焼け)  --  Night Settles on Kyoto The Sun (and typhoon #4) say goodnight  --  Shogunzuka (将軍塚)  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 86mm — 1/320 sec, f/6.3, ISO 2800 — map & image datanearby photos
Night Settles on Kyoto
The Sun (and typhoon #4) say goodnight
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All 2 comments so far, oldest first...

Wow, “Ridgeline” is a very compelling photo. And I don’t normally go for that sort of thing. Wow.

— comment by Mark Sirota (Philadelphia, USA) on June 21st, 2012 at 1:50pm JST (11 years, 10 months ago) comment permalink

“A Typhoon Makes for a Good Sunset (But It’s Me That Makes It Great :-)”

It’s amazing what a little hot air will do! 🙂

Stunning photos!

— comment by Shawn on August 30th, 2012 at 9:13am JST (11 years, 8 months ago) comment permalink
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