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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 20 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Canopy of Color
Himukai Shrine, Kyoto Japan

In my previous post, “Changing Lenses”, I showed a picture of a friend in front of a serious splash of fall colors. The leaves were so low in the view because we were at the top of a set of stairs. From the bottom of the stairs, looking up, the view was the impressive canopy seen above.

The view was pretty impressive from most everywhere...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 20 mm — ¹/100 sec, f/5, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading Up

In the background of the center of the shot above, you can just barely make out bits of the namesake for my “Gate of Disrepair” post.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/100 sec, f/5, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
Distractions
keeping us from the shrine at the top of the steps

The shrine area itself is fairly small, but picturesque...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/160 sec, f/13, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Arriving with a bit of Sunshine

The small buildings at right, with thatched roofs, were interesting, as thatched roofs tend to be....

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/4000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ready for Winter

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Roofs can be thatched in various ways; these are thatched with large, rough reeds...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Rough Thatch

They're usually a bit more tidy, such as this, but often the rough nature can be used to preserve a natural feel, such as with or these thatched walls. (A much cleaner appearance, though certainly much more expensive, is to thatch with thin strips of ceder, such as this, this, and this.)

It seemed that only the top layer had become roughed up by nature.... the bulk of the roof seemed to be still neatly trimmed....

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/100 sec, f/3.2, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Neatly Trimmed
reed thatch at least a foot thick

The roof looks to be glowing a bit, because as the sun had just come out, the dew had heated up and started to steam. I first noticed it on the roof of a small wall fronting the further thatched building...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/125 sec, f/3.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Steamin' Hot

It was sort of dramatic in how it wasn't steaming at all when we first walked up, then suddenly started. As mist tends to be, it was difficult to catch with the camera....

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/1000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Steam in Grayscale

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/3200 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Reverse Angle
looking back toward the entrance at the top of the stairs

Stepping back even further added a foreground splash of momiji (maple)...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Momiji at 85mm

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14 mm — ¹/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Momiji at 14mm

In a competition between 85mm and 14mm, it seems that the winner is us.

Stepping back a bit further shows the bridge I was standing on (and the same guy who stood right there for five minutes, seemingly intent on doing nothing but spoiling the photos I and others were obviously trying to take)....

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/160 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos

The site continued back and up the mountain a bit, so I could step back and up further for a nice view. Playing around with one shot in Lightroom, along the lines of the Barbary style, I ended up with something that I think's sort of pretty...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/1250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Zak in Silhouette