Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/50 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Yoko-chan Preparing to Sing
It's been a busy few days, photographically speaking. The other day Anthony went swimming in the river with Greg. This evening I had one photo-op event with noh musician Riko-chan's daddy, and another with Yoko-chan, whose daddy arranged for my recent visit to a Japanese high school. On the way home, I spotted the most amazing (not in a good way) car in the parking lot of a convenience store, and had to whip out the camera then as well. Much photo-processing awaits.
This post is about Yoko-chan, one of Anthony's kindergarten friends. She performed today at the Kyoto Brighton Hotel's “Relay Music Festival in Atrium”, which is a series of free musical performances every evening in July. They've apparently been doing it a while, because tonight's was performance #519 (for the series, not for Yoko-chan :-)).
The hotel has a large atrium, at one end of which is the stage....
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 17 mm — 1/40 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Brighton Hotel
Kyoto, Japan
There is, to a first approximation, no light inside. I was expecting the worst, but wow, it just goes to show what a monopod and a little VR can do. This next shot was taken with my Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 zoom at full 200mm zoom, with a glacially long 1/20th second shutter...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/20 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nervous Kids Waiting to Perform
There was a mix of women and girls, singing old children's folk songs. Yoko-chan's daddy told me that most people wouldn't even know them today, but most people's grandparents would. I actually knew one song because I heard it over and over and over in a Bank of Kyoto radio commercial that played about every five minutes throughout the afternoons while I was working on the first edition of my book in 1994-1996.
Anyway, they came out and sang very nicely...
The kids both sang and did little dances. I'm not sure what's going on in this next shot, but it's cute...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Yoko-chan's daddy is also a camera geek, and was getting shots as well. I like to get the shot of people getting the shot, so where we are....
I don't know about you, but I'm just a sucker for little kids in traditional Japanese dress. Cute. cute. cute.
It was over all too quickly, and Yoko-chan came out to be greeted by a bunch of her classmates...
There was even less light after the show, because now there were no spotlights. I switched my super-fast Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens for the lobby shots. Here's Yoko-chan's daddy and other parents waiting for the kids...
The lady in red is Mizuki-chan's mommy. I see Mizuki-chan at “Jumping” (preschool gymnastics) and just know that she will be participating in the 2020 Olympics in some event. I hope she'll let me take pictures.