That Amazing Entrance Path of Kyoto Koutouin Temple
desktop background image of a fall-foliage scene at the Koutouin Temple (高桐院), Kyoto Japan  --  Inviting Entrance Koutouin Temple (高桐院), Kyoto Japan  --  Koutouin Temple (高桐院)  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, https://regex.info/blog/  --  This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/4.5, ISO 2500 — map & image datanearby photos
Inviting Entrance
Koutouin Temple (高桐院), Kyoto Japan
Desktop-Background Versions
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I stopped by the Koutouin Temple the other day, in the Daitokuji complex in north-central Kyoto. It wasn't quite peak of its fall-foliage colors, but it was quite. (I stopped by two years ago at a time when it was at the peak of color and it's quite nice then as well.)

One of my personal favorite photos comes from the first time I visited this temple, of a lady in kimono on this path.

Anyway, here's a wigglegram to give you more of a sense of the view...

Animatable Wigglegram (9 frames) — slowly sweep mouse from side to side to view 3D effect
写真の上をマウスであちこちにゆっくり動かすと「3D」な感じが出ます。

And for good measure, here's a vertical-background view...

desktop background image of a fall-foliage scene at the Koutouin Temple (高桐院), Kyoto Japan  --  Koutouin Temple (高桐院)  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, https://regex.info/blog/  --  This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/4.5, ISO 2500 — map & image datanearby photos
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions
1050×1680  ·  1200×1920  ·  1600×2560

Sort of odd, perhaps, but here's a straight-down view of the path...

desktop background image of a fall-foliage scene at the Koutouin Temple (高桐院), Kyoto Japan  --  Entrance Path Koutouin Temple (高桐院)  --  Koutouin Temple (高桐院)  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, https://regex.info/blog/  --  This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/60 sec, f/4.5, ISO 4000 — map & image datanearby photos
Entrance Path
Koutouin Temple (高桐院)
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions
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desktop background image of a fall-foliage scene at the Koutouin Temple (高桐院), Kyoto Japan  --  Looking Back reverse-angle view from halfway down the long section of path  --  Koutouin Temple (高桐院)  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, https://regex.info/blog/  --  This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 3200 — map & image datanearby photos
Looking Back
reverse-angle view from halfway down the long section of path
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions
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Continuing down the main path, it bends 90° to the right and eventually winds its way to the temple proper. Here's a wigglegram view after that 90° bend, looking back toward the bend, where the long section of the path is just entering the frame from the left...

Animatable Wigglegram (8 frames) — slowly sweep mouse from side to side to view 3D effect
写真の上をマウスであちこちにゆっくり動かすと「3D」な感じが出ます。
desktop background image of a fall-foliage scene at the Koutouin Temple (高桐院), Kyoto Japan  --  Random Leaves  --  Koutouin Temple (高桐院)  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, https://regex.info/blog/  --  This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 3600 — map & image datanearby photos
Random Leaves
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions
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desktop background image of a fall-foliage scene at the Koutouin Temple (高桐院), Kyoto Japan  --  Handrail  --  Koutouin Temple (高桐院)  --  Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, https://regex.info/blog/  --  This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 10000 — map & image datanearby photos
Handrail
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I shot these early on the same day that I ended up shooting 3,000 photos (70-gigabytes of raw data) because I was trying to see what I could do with wigglegrams. I think I have a bunch of nice ones, but they're still quite tiring to prepare for a post. Besides those on this post, I've published two so far, both sets of ladies in kimono (I published those first because I told the ladies who posed for me that I would post them, and I didn't want to make them wait.)

I'm sure I'll post more soon.


All 9 comments so far, oldest first...

What a beautiful place! Well done to the architect, and to you for taking pictures that make it look so intriguing!

— comment by David K on November 25th, 2012 at 4:10am JST (12 years ago) comment permalink

Nice shots as always. How did you find the time to edit out the 8,000 Japanese tourists in each shot? They are clogging up the trains and roads of Kyoto just to go visit places like this; how were there none there?

I went when there weren’t many people, but there were still people so I had to wait for the proper time and pounce when it appeared. —Jeffrey

— comment by Zachary on November 25th, 2012 at 8:37am JST (12 years ago) comment permalink

Two things:

First, you have rapidly programed me. On the first photo on this post, I immediately started swishing the mouse right and left over it before I even started reading. I was kind of disappointed to find it was a regular photo, and not a wigglegram.

Second, as I actually read happily found the wigglegram right below, I absolutely love that in the far distance, you can see someone squat down to get a better photo.

— comment by Marcina (Bellingham, WA) on November 25th, 2012 at 1:26pm JST (12 years ago) comment permalink

Hey there Derek from A-Bar the other night. Nice pics!

I actually went out in Kyoto with my girlfriend to check out the Fall leaves as well. It was a great day for for viewing them. We went to Eikando and Tofukuji. Take care!

— comment by Derek M on November 25th, 2012 at 11:33pm JST (12 years ago) comment permalink

“Entrance Path” really cought my eye – it’s an interesting composition both with and without your feet showing. I’m also impressed with the image quality you got at ISO 4000. Tom

— comment by Tom in SF on November 26th, 2012 at 3:59am JST (12 years ago) comment permalink

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying your wigglegram photos. They get me a little bit more giddy than cinemagraphic or 3Dish parallax GIFs and I’ve been pointing your posts out to friends who have been getting more and more into those media-ish types.

Any chance you would mind if I snatched up whatever js you’re using for the wigglegram stuff? I would really like to try to combined it with a audio field recording made at the same time as whatever photo(s) I’m showing.

Thanks!

Yes, feel free to take the JavasScript… it’s nothing special… just gets the job done. It’s changed quite a bit with each wigglegram… the one on this latest post uses no global variables, so is safest. —Jeffrey

— comment by rubin110 on November 26th, 2012 at 5:37pm JST (12 years ago) comment permalink

what a beautiful pics. From the first time i found your blog, i can’t stop myself to find other wonderful pics and admire it. I feel like i’m lost into the pics and addicted to it. when i see your pics of some beautiful scenary & moments, i think i have to fight for my dream. it inspire me.

— comment by Yanti Piran on November 29th, 2012 at 2:16pm JST (12 years ago) comment permalink

Koto-in is always so nice in autumn! Gotta go there next year 🙂

— comment by Damien on December 2nd, 2012 at 4:19pm JST (12 years ago) comment permalink

Hi Jeffrey,

As always, I love your photos – happened to see your link on my cousin Arthur Brigham’s Facebook page, but of course I’ve visited your site many times before to enjoy your lovely photos. I’m new to Wigglegrams – great fun – yet your photos stand alone, stock still…

Looking forward to seeing more – and keep photographing the ground – that’s lovely.

— comment by Alison Scott on December 21st, 2012 at 4:05am JST (12 years ago) comment permalink
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