Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500mm — 1/2000 sec, f/10, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Watching Over a Frozen Kyoto
temple at Shogunzuka, Kyoto Japan
Last night we a short but intense snow flurry that dropped about 2" of snow in 15 minutes, leaving the mountains this morning with a nice frosting.
The building seen above is at Shogunzuka, covered in “Inside the “New” Temple Building at Shogunzuka Overlooking Kyoto” and, more widely, a bit earlier in “New Views of Kyoto from Shogunzuka’s New Observation Deck”.
A bit farther north, hikers were enjoying the clearing on Mt. Daimonji:
Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500mm — 1/2000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
The clearing is where the fires are lit during the Daimonji Festival each August, as covered in “Daimonji: Kyoto’s Least-Photogenic Festival”, and in its photographic rebuttal “Daimonji Fire Festival Up Close and Personal: Yaron Silberberg’s Photos from Last Year”.
It's a simple hike to the clearing, though perhaps more challenging with slippery snow.
Nikon D4 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500mm — 1/2000 sec, f/10, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Frosty
I tend to like this kind of frosty-cold-with-sharp-detail image, though my favorite is probably the photo seen exactly nine years ago today in “Snowy Mountains”. At first glance it's a boring photo, but I find it to be interesting at full, sharp resolution.
Also in the same realm is “Bridge Over Icy Water”, which then itself made a reappearance as a print in “Dabbling in Some Fine-Art Printing for My Office”.
One line through four generations:
- My dad's mom's native language was Polish.
- My dad's native language is German.
- My native language is English.
- My son's native language is Japanese.
All four of us were born in the United States of America.
父方の祖母の母語はポーランド語でした。父の母語はドイツ語です。僕の母語は英語。息子の母語は日本語。全て4人は米国の生まれ。
My four grandparents all had different native languages: one each with Polish, German, French, and English.
Three were born in the USA; only the native English speaker, my maternal grandmother, was not (she was born in Canada).
僕の祖父母、4人はそれぞれ違う母語があって：ポーランド語、ドイツ語、フランス語、英語。一人以外は米国の生まれ。母語が英語の母方の祖母だけは別の国の生まれ。
The previous post, “Another Visit to the Shugakuin Imperial Villa in Northeastern Kyoto”, ended with the photo of an old tea house. To give a better sense of its common, simple architecture, here's wigglegram of the room:
写真の上をマウスで左右にゆっくり動かすと「３D」な感じが出ます。
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Photo Op
Shugakuin Imperial Villa (修学院離宮)
Kyoto, Japan
Last month, as Kyoto's fall foliage season was just ramping up, I made my second (or third?) visit to one of the Japanese Emperor's estates in Kyoto, the Shugakuin Imperial Villa (修学院離宮).
The villa can be visited only by reservation, and the online reservation system is generally completely booked for the entire three months ahead that it has available. However, it's substantially easier for foreigners (non-Japanese citizens) to make a reservation in person at the Imperial Household Agency office in Kyoto; Kobe cycling friend Adrian took advantage of that, and kindly included me in his reservation.
I've posted about this place before, in “My First Visit To Kyoto’s Shugakuin Imperial Villa”, and its followups part one and part two (and a bonus boat).
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 29mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Gathering
Visits are via tours that are tightly controlled, chaperoned by (plain-clothed) Imperial police officers.
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 35mm — 1/160 sec, f/11, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/160 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Narrow Path
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 90mm — 1/400 sec, f/4.5, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Old (Famous?) Art
The tour was conducted by a man who had just returned to this property after many decades away; he had given tours ~30 years ago when he was younger, but had been transferred to Tokyo in between. He seemed to be quite knowledgeable and very witty, as he often held the group in rapt attention, or had them laughing.
The tour visits many small buildings on the property, and he described their history and special features. I didn't pay too much attention, as I was interested mostly in just taking pretty or interesting photos.
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
I Love This
kind of construction
One never wants raw wood touching the ground, as that invites pests and rot. The design of the stone base allows for the wooden pillar to be replaced if needed, but holds it tight in all dimensions. I just love this.
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 110mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tree-lined Path
the line of green trees below center line a path; the green seems to glow
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 160mm — 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/7.1, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tour
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/80 sec, f/7.1, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Another Building
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/7.1, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Between Buildings
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/7.1, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Leading the Way
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 45mm — 1/200 sec, f/10, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
View of Northern Kyoto
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/10, ISO 160 — map & image data — nearby photos
Imperial Pond
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/6.3, ISO 160 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 45mm — 1/200 sec, f/6.3, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bridge
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Photographing the Bridge
from a smaller bridge
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 35mm — 1/160 sec, f/8, ISO 180 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bridge
from another angle
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/800 sec, f/2.8, ISO 160 — map & image data — nearby photos
Golden Bird With Flower
atop the bridge
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/4.5, ISO 110 — map & image data — nearby photos
Another Tea House
damaged by a recent supertyphoon
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Inside the House
This tea house is seen again as a wigglegram in the next post.
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Earthy
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/25 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Spacey
Osaka Airterminal Hotel (大阪国際空港ホテル)
(a different view of this photo)
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/2000 sec, f/4, ISO 800 — image data
Otherworldly
ice crystals on a window at -10F (-23C)
I'm on a visit to my folks in Ohio, and while digging through my photo archives for some pictures for them, I came across a bunch of “abstract art” photos I took on a different trip here five years ago, so this post is a sampling of those.
The somewhat fuzzy ice crystals above were from the same frigid day that produced “Pretty Frost Pattern on a Window” and its followup.
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/2.5, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pointy End
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Drill
This drill was fruitful fodder for my favorite macro lens, the Voigtländer 125mm/f2.5.
The end of the drill bit appeared here, but the chuck is my favorite, visually.
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/4, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
For Good Measure
stacked wood strikes a cord
