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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm — 1/160 sec, f/4.5, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
$240 Audio Recorder
suspended over a stream by a $9 tripod and a rock
Mountains north of the Kitashirakawa area of Kyoto, Japan
This cold I've had for the last week and a half seems to be getting a bit better, but it's been a killer, flip-flopping me between sleeping all day due to lack of energy, and wanting to sleep all day but not being able to due to insomnia. A few days ago I was an absolute zombie from having not slept for two days, but got enough of a second wind that I decided to try to get out a bit into Nature, to see whether that would refresh me a bit.
I brought the Zoom H4n high-quality audio recorder that I mentioned in yesterday's post, to try to practice with it a bit, heading to a mountain trail that runs along (and sometimes through) a small stream, far away from any sounds of the city. I wanted to try recordings of the babbling stream with various audio-recorder settings, so I could get a sense for how to use the unit.
The picture above was one of the first tests. I had forgotten to bring my headphones, so I couldn't tell what kind of result I was getting. I recorded at uncompressed 96kHz 24bit-per-channel stereo (far higher quality than CDs), but it didn't really matter... it was just a stream.
For what it's worth, here's the recording I got from the setup above (as a one-minute mp3)....
Babbling Brook
60 seconds, though every one sounds exactly the same
I was hoping for something a bit more subtle... maybe something I could listen to in my insomnia to lull me to sleep, but with the microphones so close, this seems a bit too river-rapids and less babbling brook.
But I didn't know what I was getting at the time, so tried various setups...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
A Different Setup
These pictures were at the real start of the mountain trail (I had taken the scooter over the bumpy remains of what had once been some kind of access road up to this point), and I decided to venture in a bit.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 29 mm — 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Small Bridge
of spongy, rotted, moss-covered logs
The logs didn't look like they'd support the weight of a large bird; I decided against traversing the short bridge, opting to jump over instead.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 42 mm — 1/160 sec, f/3.2, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
Reverse Angle
The path was fairly non-existent at times, but the ascent was mild and the going easy... a pleasant stroll on, as it turned out, the first warm day of spring, with temperatures in the upper 60s (20C).
Eventually there was sort of a clearing, with diverging paths and a sign post..
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/160 sec, f/9, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Clearing
sort of
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 60 mm — 1/160 sec, f/3.5, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sign of the Vines
dating from November 1983
The little clump of trees had vines dangling down all over, and hanging from some of the vines or branches were wooden commemorative plaques left by hikers. I've seen many before at other places (the top of Mt. Daimonji and even at the highly unchallenging Shogunzuka overlook), but there were only a few here, from a preschool in the south of Kyoto that apparently makes yearly field trips here.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
2007
with faces and drawings by the kids
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48 mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 450 — map & image data — nearby photos
2006
the large branch it had been hanging from had fallen, so I propped the plaque back up
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/160 sec, f/10, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
2009
cute
2008 was probably there somewhere, among those in lesser states of preservation.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/160 sec, f/10, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Reverse Angle View From the Sign
I'd come from the (hard to discern in this photo) path on the left. The path on the right almost doesn't look like one, but according to the sign there's something or other 1.1km away along it. I didn't intend to go that far, but took it a bit and came across one bit of white in the otherwise overwhelmingly brown and green forest....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 66 mm — 1/160 sec, f/7.1, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Just This One Tree
was covered head to toe with this fungus
Back to the main trail along the river, the entire way it was spotted with clumps of moss of all kinds, here, there, and all over everywhere. It was pretty, though none of my photos capture it.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 52 mm — 1/160 sec, f/10, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fallen Log #1438
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 58 mm — 1/160 sec, f/10, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fallen Log #7201
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 58 mm — 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Gnarled Moss
Wandering further along the trail, I came across another fork in the path and another “bridge”, this time over a narrow but quite deep (15-feet?) chasm that I would not want to have fallen in...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 27 mm — 1/160 sec, f/5, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bridge of Dubious Stability
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Be My Guest
I decided to give it a try and immediately regretted it. The “railing” is worse than nothing because it is not even as sturdy as it looks (and it looks completely unsturdy), so it gives a false sense of safety, as minuscule as it may be. The logs were just as rotten and spongy as those before, but this time they were three times as long, and actually spanned a dangerous void. One foot ventured out onto the bridge about the same distance, and sanity caught up with me and I decided to take the other path.
Every once in a while I'd see a different situation in which I could test the recorder. Here I'm way up on a rise pointing to the fairly-far-away stream, hoping to get a softer sound, and maybe some birds...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 50 mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
None of the results were great, but it was fun and quite pleasant. I'd like to go back again some time when I'm well rested.
Thanks for audio. I find this very good to have some sound with pictures. please send us more sound of Kyoto. the wind in sakura 😉 etc…
If you can brave the French, there are a bunch of “Kyoto ambiance” recordings at Stéphane Barbery’s site, here. —Jeffrey
Nice audio, it really adds another dimension to the pictures.
Jeffrey,
Maybe you have received many “home” cold remedies, but I wanted to share one that works like a charm for me. It’s an old grandmother’s remedy.
Taken when you feel that twinge in your throat that tells you that you are just about to come down with a cold, it will completely get rid of it. Or, if you have already gotten a cold, it seems to reduce symptoms by 50%. I’ve used this remedy for a few years and have recommended it to many others. It seems to work for some but not others. [ie. Your Mileage May Vary]
The remedy:
Do this LAST before bed at night:
Put 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon honey in a small glass. Microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds. Mix. Sip this until gone.
As you can imagine, it does not smell the greatest, but the taste is not all bad. If your results are anything like mine, you will swear by it for the rest of your life. I can go to bed at night feeling quite cruddy and thinking that I would have a full-blown cold the next day, but then in the morning I feel perfectly normal! I have been cold-free this entire winter, even though I felt one coming on a number of times. If you try it, I hope it works for you.
Re.: The photos on this post.
It’s interesting how an old forest in Japan can look amazingly like an old forest here in the US Midwest. Do you have a sense of Deja-vu since you grew up in Ohio?
French is not a problem as I am French. I know some of Stephane work (got his last book for Christmas) but dit not know about sounds. Thanks
That’s pretty cool. When I was in high school, I had a friend who used to go out and record the sounds of nature. I think my favorite recordings of his were the ones at the beach. You could hear the waves crashing onto the shore along with the sounds of birds. It was very relaxing. I’m excited to hear more.
Nice idea with the audio. Better than videos, which takes the “surprise” out of a hike. I think I will add audio to my site … maybe a moving audio, especially along a stretch of hike by a brook.