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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/5000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Row, Row, Row Your Boat...

I'm not sure which is worse.... being sick for a week, or, after getting better, having to face the mountain of email and work that accumulated during that time. (And how is it that a month's worth of stuff can accumulate in just eight days???)

Here are some more photos from our trip to my folks' place in Ohio during the summer, following along after previous posts “Hosing Down a Dirty Boat”, “Boat Ride for Anthony and Josh”, and “Grace and Luke's Turn in the Boat”. In this installment, Anthony and I went out in the boat with my sister, with Anthony taking a try at rowing...

Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D @ 28 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Learning the Basics
photo by Marci Kreta

Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D @ 28 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Not as Easy as it Looks
photo by Marci Kreta

Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D @ 28 mm — ¹/2000 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Taking a Breather
photo by Marci Kreta

I got my camera out as he gave it another try...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Giving Another Go

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/4000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Still Somewhat of a Challenge

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/4000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Not Exactly as Fun as He Envisioned

Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D @ 28 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Why yes, now that you mention it,
Bubbles are Much More Fun
photo by Marci Kreta

As with the floating fluffy seed in “Santa-Clause Wishes, and Photography Practice”, I used the floating bubbles to practice some on-the-move manual focusing....

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/1000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bubble

I'm not exactly sure whether a floating soap bubble has much definition to appear sharp in the first place, but this one looks pretty good to me. Here's a full-resolution crop of the bubble, on the surface of which you can see the clouds, lake, and the clouds reflected in the lake...

full-resolution crop

At the far left, you can even see the tree on the island.

Tomorrow morning should have a bit of excitement, as Typhoon #18 is forecast to cut close by, and it's apparently a bruiser. We're totally safe here, so I'm just looking forward to the dynamic weather. (Having grown up in Ohio, I really enjoy a good thunderstorm, but they're rare in Kyoto, so I'll have to make do with a typhoon.)

There's been a light rain on and off all day, with not the slightest hint of a breeze until recently. As I started to write this post, the wind really whipped up into a major frenzy, doing the kindness of pointing out the location of every single piece of paper in my office that is not nailed down. (I've got the door to the balcony open so I can enjoy the sound of the rain.)

But now as I finish up, the mild rain continues, but the wind is completely gone.

The typhoon is forecast to cut through this area tomorrow morning around 7am. By noon it'll probably be clear and sunny, with the exceptionally clean air that often follows a typhoon, so I'm planning to head up to the Shougunzuka Overlook and am hoping for some great shots of Kyoto's valley. We'll see.