

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/1250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Busy as Bees
at the Kajuji Temple (勧修寺), Kyoto Japan
As I mentioned the other day in “Kyoto’s Kajuji Temple at its Most Bleak (is Still Very Nice)”, it was indeed rather bleak (but still rather nice) when I first visited in the winter, but a recent Japan Times article about its summer beauty reminded me to make another visit, so this morning I did.
最近の記事は勧修寺(かじゅうじ;京都市山科区)の冬の景色けれども、今朝もう一回行きました。夏は全然違う。「生きてる」雰囲気です!

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/1250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lotus Flowers
pleasantly alive, unlike when I came in the winter

E-P2 — 1/200 sec, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Me Among the Lotus Flowers
photo by Nicolas Joannin

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/6.3, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Feeding (and Photoing) the Carp
kid's admission came with a bag of cut bread crust for the carp

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 160 — map & image data — nearby photos
Feeding Frenzy
for an ornamental fish, carp are really ugly up close

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/7.1, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
The Lake
wide angle view

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Common Scene
though entirely unhurried and uncrowded

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/8, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
From Behind the Lake
In the full-on harsh sunlight

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 180 — map & image data — nearby photos
Counting
(we can confirm that there are 209 circular stepping stones)

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Self Portrait
in the window of the main hall
(the sign says “main hall”)

E-P2 + LUMIX G VARIO 45-200/F4-5.6 at an effective 90mm — 1/2000 sec, f/10, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Stability
this stance doesn't have it
photo by Nicolas Joannin
I'm at a loss to explain the odd stance... my best guess is that I knew that the ground was uneven, so rather than risk misstepping when I wanted to move back a bit, I just leaned back. I dunno. I look silly so I post it.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Exceedingly Pleasant
in the middle of the city
(the lake is beyond the benches and the two kids)

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
(the people are on the near shore; the heron on an island)

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Closed for the Day?
do these leaves close up for the main heat of the day, or is this rolled-up leaf still unrolling?

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 180 — map & image data — nearby photos
Gray, Pink, and White
heron, lotuses, and lilies

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/2500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Off To Daddy Duty
He (she?) arrived at the nest immediately following what appeared to be the other parent, and such a racket arose that I thought there was a heron massacre going on. Or mating. Only after I saw the fuzzy “little” ones did I realize that it was parents feeding two or three “babies”....

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 severely cropped — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fuzzy Babies
サギの赤ちゃんたち
after the parents had gone off again
While water lilies are lovely, especially up close. if left unchecked there will soon be no water visible in that lake
How cool to see baby herons..a fairly rare sight around here unless you go to the rookeries in another county.
Was that some kind of green birdhouse or feeder on the tree on the “Common Scene ” shot?
And I guess I’m not the only one who thinks it’s easier to walk beside the stepping stones than on them.
The green box in “Common Scene” held binoculars; the stepping stones were close enough to each other to make essentially an unbroken path, so they were fine to walk on. —Jeffy
It seems that I had my lotuses and lilies mixed up, so I’ve gone back and updated the prose to hopefully reflect reality.