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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data
Master of his Domain
Heian Shrine, Kyoto Japan
So after getting dressed up and then taking care of final preparations, we headed into the Heian Shrine for Anthony's shichi-go-san long-and-healthy-life blessing event.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 75 mm — 1/1000 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading In
with Grandpa kindly carrying all my extra camera gear
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 90 mm — 1/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Going In via the Main Entrance
Most people go in the small entrances on either side, but we thought to take a group photo in the exaggeratedly large main entrance (just out of frame to the left in the shot above), but it turns out that the only shot I got was the one that opens this post, with Anthony standing there looking out at the vast (and shockingly empty) courtyard.
It's the same courtyard where an annual festival has people throwing beans and a seriously intense burn. It's also the same courtyard where I got one of my favorite photos of all time, among many other things, as any of the “nearby photos” links under these pictures illustrates.
The lead photo of this post is one of the first in months for which I've had to go to Photoshop. I had underexposed Anthony and gotten a bit of Grandpa in the shot (where “a bit” means “his entire body standing at the bottom of the steps”), but was able to fix all that well enough in Adobe Lightroom where I center my workflow, but the thing I couldn't do in Lightroom was to fix some crookedness to the shot without cutting off Anthony's feet. One of my bad habit is that I often don't hold the camera level, which means that I often have to rotate photos slightly during post processing. Rotation in Lightroom always make the frame smaller, but in this case there was absolutely no room for that (without cutting off his feet), so after fixing other things in Lightroom, I moved to Photoshop where I could rotate without making the frame smaller. (This caused a wedge of “nothingness” to appear in the floor on one side where it had been rotated into the frame, but I fixed that by filling in with floor copied from the other side.)
Anyway, I'm happy with the result.
So, we made our way across the courtyard to the big main building. Photography is not allowed inside, but I have this shot of two other kids heading in for the event...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/320 sec, f/4, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Twenty minutes later we were out, and Anthony had a bag of candy and a fake sprig representing, I suppose, healthy growth.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 78 mm — 1/5000 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
All Done
Grandpa is still carrying all my camera gear, and Anthony's shoes too! Thanks, Grandpa!
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 150 mm — 1/5000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/3200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Photogenic Event
The Heian Shrine is surrounded by city on all sides, but you'd never guess it from the photo above. I really like it. I've never been inside the building in the background, but I believe it's where a lot of the wedding stuff goes one. One of my first blog posts was of some of its lanterns.
When I took the photo above, there was yet another shrine building to my back. I called everyone over to its shade, set up a nice photo, then enlisted the help of the first person I saw nearby with an SLR (a tourist from France, it turns out) to use my camera to take a family shot:
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 110 mm — 1/320 sec, f/3.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Family Portrait
me, Anthony, Fumie's dad, Fumie, Fumie's mom
Geez, I look fat. I'm not that fat. Really. Must be a defective lens. I need a new lens. Yes, I shall buy a new one (or three!) forthwith. Problem solved.
( It was not long after this that I took the photo posted the other day in “Anthony Gesture in B&W at the Heian Shrine”. )
Hi,
I’m Van, from Vietnam. I myself have had a very lucky occasion to stay in Kyoto last July and I really missed it after going back home. While surfing the Net looking for some photos of Kyoto, I found your blog. It’s very attractive to me. I added it in the bookmark of my web browser. I want to express my thanks to you for all of your great photos. They remind me of many memories of this beautiful and peaceful city.
Wish you and your family all of happiness.
Great family photo – have you ever considered having a portrait of you, Fumie, and Anthony with ALL of you in traditional formal wear? Do they even make tabi socks in US size 14?
We’re thinking of trying later in the fall. I enjoy seeing the traditional clothes, but feel it’s a very affected look whenever I see them on a big white guy, so am a bit reluctant to wear them myself, but I’ll give it a try if I can find some that fit. —Jeffy
“I’ll give it a try if I can find some that fit.”
I know! You can use your camera strap and some Kleenex to construct yourself an authentic Sumo Wrestler outfit! Very traditional! A bit cheaper, too.
A Kleenex brand tissue? Hmmm, I dunno… what would I do with all the excess tissue? —Jeffy
Jeff, better think twice. You’re leaving yourself wide open in that last question. I know your sister and brothers….you’re asking for it.
My siblings?…. naaaaaaaaah. (And I don’t think they could top “wide open” anyway). —Jeffy
Love this blog, your kid is one cute boy. Randomly surfed here looking for shichi go san rentals in California. sigh. It comes as no surprise that the kimono rental businesses are not listed on the internet in very high numbers. Thanks for the sharing!