Photoshoot at the Peak of the Haradanien Garden’s Awesomeness
Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/800 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos

I visited the super-duper unbelievably amazing Haradanien Garden (原谷苑) today, in the mountains above the Golden Pavilion temple in northwestern Kyoto. It was my first visit since the photoshoot with John and Ai two years ago.

This time I went with Eric, Gigi, and Damien just to practice portraiture. Gigi wore a kimono she bought yesterday.

I can not begin to tell you how wonderful Haradanien is. When the blossoms are at their peak, such as now, it's 100× better than any other garden I know of, anywhere.

金閣寺の近く、原谷苑、は今メチャメチャメチャ美しいです。 行きにくい所ですが、今週はおすすめです。今日全然満開でした!

desktop background image of a cherry-blossom scene at the Haradanien Garden (原谷苑), Kyoto Japan -- I Can't Get Enough of These Blossoms -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 140 — map & image datanearby photos
I Can't Get Enough of These Blossoms
Desktop-Background Versions
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desktop background image of a cherry-blossom scene at the Haradanien Garden (原谷苑), Kyoto Japan -- Inviting -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/800 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos
Inviting
Desktop-Background Versions
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Engulfed -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 140 — map & image datanearby photos
Engulfed
Focusing Via Live View -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image datanearby photos
Focusing Via Live View
Posing for Her Husband -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos
Posing for Her Husband
desktop background image of a cherry-blossom scene at the Haradanien Garden (原谷苑), Kyoto Japan -- Posing for Me -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400 — map & image datanearby photos
Posing for Me
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Touching Base -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600 — map & image datanearby photos
Touching Base
Easy Laugh -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 720 — map & image datanearby photos
Easy Laugh

I wanted a different kind of shot of Gigi than Eric did... they tended toward the serious, refined look (easy to get with Gigi), but I wanted more levity and spontaneity, so those are the kind of shots I'll share here.

Well, except this one:

Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 160 — map & image datanearby photos
Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/16, ISO 2500 — map & image datanearby photos
Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos
The Smile I Was Looking For -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 110 — map & image datanearby photos
The Smile I Was Looking For
Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 160 — map & image datanearby photos
Candid Moment -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 160 — map & image datanearby photos
Candid Moment
A Different Look -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos
A Different Look
I Have No Idea what the glove was for -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 140 — map & image datanearby photos
I Have No Idea
what the glove was for
Best Friends that just met -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 125 — map & image datanearby photos
Best Friends
that just met

Gigi was getting a bit tired, so never one to be shy, Eric approached a couple of ladies and asked whether they'd be interested in having us photograph them. They readily agreed.

Joanne and Ting Ting -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 125 — map & image datanearby photos
Joanne and Ting Ting

They had seemed like best friends, but it turns out that they'd just met each other earlier in the day, here at the garden. I was shocked at how easily they worked together and with us. They said that they weren't models, but they acted like what I imagine a pro model would act like. Super easy and enjoyable to work with.

Substitute Shooter Gigi uses one of the girls' camera to shoot them -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 360 — map & image datanearby photos
Substitute Shooter
Gigi uses one of the girls' camera to shoot them
Appreciating Gigi's Handiwork -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 160 — map & image datanearby photos
Appreciating Gigi's Handiwork
Joanne sort of inspired by this shot -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 125 — map & image datanearby photos
Joanne
sort of inspired by this shot
Ting Ting -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos
Ting Ting
Damien's Turn -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/1250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos
Damien's Turn
Shooting Joanne -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 140 — map & image datanearby photos
Shooting Joanne
Shooting Both -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 160 — map & image datanearby photos
Shooting Both
Big Guns Damien pulls out his Nikkor 200mm f/2 -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image datanearby photos
Big Guns
Damien pulls out his Nikkor 200mm f/2
What They Were Shooting -- Haradanien (原谷苑) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2015 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 180 — map & image datanearby photos
What They Were Shooting

It was a really fun time, on top of the feeling of accomplishment I have for having ridden my bicycle there (about 40 minutes, including at the end a short but killer 100m ascent over 1,000 meters distance).

It turns out that Joanne is leaving Kyoto today, but Ting Ting will be around for another week, so we may get a chance to meet again.

Continued here...


All 2 comments so far, oldest first...

I enjoyed seeing these images, particularly the first one. This image invited me into the composition, asking me to complete in my imagination what was outside the frame.

— comment by Tom in SF on April 10th, 2015 at 1:47am JST (9 years ago) comment permalink

oh… now you’re talking pretty, jeffrey.

— comment by nnkka on April 11th, 2015 at 6:48am JST (9 years ago) comment permalink
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