First Taste of Kyoto’s Autumn
Autumn Hits Kyoto ( processed with some freaky over-sharpening in Adobe Lightroom ) -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2007 Jeffrey Eric Francis Friedl, https://regex.info/blog/
Canon IXY Digital 700— 1/100 sec, f/4.9 — map & image datanearby photos
Autumn Hits Kyoto
( processed with some freaky over-sharpening in Adobe Lightroom )

Anthony and I went out today to try the remote control car he got from Grandma and Grandpa for his birthday last week, our schedule or the weather conspiring to prevent us until today.

We headed to the rear of the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art (in the same area as the “Hanami and Lunch” picture on this post) and gave it a try. I happened to have my point-n-shoot with me, so snapped a couple of pictures...


Canon IXY Digital 700 — 1/250 sec, f/2.8 — map & image datanearby photos
Remote (out of) Control

Canon IXY Digital 700 — 1/250 sec, f/2.8 — map & image datanearby photos
It's Fun!

I'd not charged the battery in the week after opening it, so about the time he was getting used it, silly me, the battery wore down. Doh!

Still, it was nice out, and the setting sun was lighting up the trees like a torch, so we stayed around a while for him to play and me to take some pictures (albeit with a dinky point-n-shoot).

It seems that Autumn starts later in Kyoto than the rest of the world, which is why a month ago I used some pictures from last year to put up a Kyoto Fall Color Preview (Part I · Part II · Part III).

People seem to enjoy the season: by far my most popular post these days is last year's “Color of Kyoto” desktop background. On top of that, the individual picture on that page is – according to my server logs – the background image on about 50 different people's social-networking site (MySpace, Friendster, etc.)

Yet so far this year Kyoto has only the most early hints of what's to come. Many trees have a touch of change, but only a scattered few have really gotten colored in earnest. We happened to be near a few of those just as the final rays of a setting sun were sandblasting them with crimson, so they were absolutely livid with color.

But unfortunately, as I said, I had only my point-n-shoot. I tried, but I couldn't capture the scene.

First Casualties of the Season -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2007 Jeffrey Eric Francis Friedl, https://regex.info/blog/
Canon IXY Digital 700 — 1/60 sec, f/4.9 — map & image datanearby photos
First Casualties of the Season

Considering how “un-fall” it is still in most of the city, I was surprised that this particular tree was already surrounded by a thin carpet of fallen leaves.

Surprising -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2007 Jeffrey Eric Francis Friedl, https://regex.info/blog/
Canon IXY Digital 700 — 1/80 sec, f/2.8 — map & image datanearby photos
Surprising
Leaf me Alone -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2007 Jeffrey Eric Francis Friedl, https://regex.info/blog/
Canon IXY Digital 700 — 1/60 sec, f/2.8 — map & image datanearby photos
Leaf me Alone
Not Bad, For a Start -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2007 Jeffrey Eric Francis Friedl, https://regex.info/blog/
Canon IXY Digital 700 — 1/320 sec, f/3.5 — map & image datanearby photos
Not Bad, For a Start

The building you can sort of see in the center of the picture above is the Westin Kyoto Miyako, generally considered to be the best hotel in Kyoto, where heads of state used to stay until two years ago when the Kyoto State Guest House was built. Anyway, the mountain (hill) to the right is behind it, with very easy walking paths up to nice vistas, from where I took the Heian Shrine from Afar pictures, looking toward where Anthony and I were today.

Turning around to look in the same direction as that shot, but from much closer, Anthony watches the big kids play baseball.


Canon IXY Digital 700 — 1/200 sec, f/7.1 — map & image datanearby photos
Watching Big Kids Play Baseball

The lighting in that shot seems a bit odd because the baseball grounds were still being bathed by the ultra-crimson last light of a setting sun, while Anthony and I were in the shadow of the museum.

It was one of those late afternoons where the clouds were brilliantly colored and captivatingly dynamic, and for half an hour they kept drawing my gaze, seemingly to completely changing character from moment to moment so as to always be newly interesting.


Canon IXY Digital 700 — 1/640 sec, f/2.8 — full exif
Interesting Clouds

I tried to foster an appreciation for this beauty in Anthony, but he was more interested in making a pile of leaves.


Canon IXY Digital 700 — 1/160 sec, f/3.5 — map & image datanearby photos
Why Enjoy Beauty when you can Kick Leaves?

We eventually headed home, but headed up to the top (fifth) floor to find that we just missed the sunset. He wasn't too interested in it anyway, so we went home. I swapped my point-n-shoot for my real camera, only to return and find that the fireworks were over....


Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 17mm — 1/100 sec, f/8, ISO 320 — full exif
Just Missed It
Oh Well, I Guess You Had To Be There

One comment so far...

Hello Jeffrey!
Thank you for your so so so beautiful photos!!!
Looking at tham made me happy!

All the best
Sayonara
Ayelet (from Israel)

— comment by Ayelet on July 6th, 2010 at 5:24pm JST (14 years, 3 months ago) comment permalink
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