Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 360 — map & image data — nearby photos
Inspired by the Beauty
of the gorgeous Haradanien Garden (原谷苑)
for an impromptu fashion shot

This post is a continuation from Part 1 of “Kyoto’s Amazing Haradanien Garden”, with a bunch more photos that I hope gives a sense what it's like to visit at the height of cherry-blossom season.

I'll explain below why Haradanien (原谷苑) is wonderful despite the crowds, but make no mistake, it's very crowded.

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/320 sec, f/22, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Typical Scene
that you see if you want to see

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
iPad Photography in the Crowded Path

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/2000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Slight Clearing

It's crowded, but the layout of the garden, with wandering paths on a hillside, is masterful. There are people behind the lady posing above, but you can't see them, and that works well with the first rule of photography: “If It's Not in Frame, It Doesn't Exist”.

It works the same when you visit without the camera: the warm sense of enjoyment that I've dubbed “Cherry Blossom Joie de Vivre” permeates the experience, and the annoying part of “crowd” inexplicably seems to melt away.

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Typical Scene of the Crowds
that you see if you want to see

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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f/2 — ¹/800 sec, f/2, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Late-Morning Siesta
after a beer and some snacks

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f/2 — ¹/320 sec, f/2, ISO 180 — map & image data — nearby photos
Crowded But Eminently Pleasant

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/2500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Okay, This is a Bit Much
stepping up on the seats with shoes on, a huge no-no in Japanese culture
(judging from the language spoken, they were visitors from another country)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — ¹/1600 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hillside Dotted with People
with plenty of room for enjoyment

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — ¹/4000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lots of Benches
to relax on

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — ¹/4000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Alone
among the crowds

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — ¹/2500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
“This is All for Me!”
is easy to feel here

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/800 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Intimate Moments

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Big Smile

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f/2 — ¹/400 sec, f/2, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fun Result
checking the back of the camera

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f/2 — ¹/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bento Lunch

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f/2 — ¹/640 sec, f/2, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tour-Bus Staff
enjoy the place despite likely having been here many times

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f/2 — ¹/500 sec, f/2, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Slow, Lazy Pace

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There must be millions of individual blossoms in the garden, but sometimes one or two just stick out and grab your attention as being particularly appealing (such as those seen in “Subtle Pastel Blossoms at Kyoto's Haradanien Garden”), and in this next shot Damien is photographing such a blossom...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f/2 — ¹/640 sec, f/2, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos

He's borrowing my favorite lens, the Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5, because it's a macro well suited to close-ups of dainty things.

I tried it myself later when he returned the lens, but the result doesn't at all live up to my expectations. )-:

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos

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Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos

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That one particular blossom had really caught my eye and I expected to be wowed by the results, but they're just okay. I took one “establishing” shot of the blossom in context, and in looking at it now, I wonder what I saw in it. It's in the center of this shot:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f/2 — ¹/400 sec, f/2, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Meh

While Damien used my Voigtländer, I was borrowing his Nikkor 200mm f/2, which is the baby brother of my 300mm f/2. The feel of the focus ring of his lens is the most delicious I'd ever used, and I immediately wanted to get one.

I haven't yet had the time to look through my shots with the 200mm f/2 to actually evaluate the results, but it's telling that many of the shots I picked for this “vibe” post are from that lens.

Here's one more with his lens that I gussied up with just a bit of Lightroom “Funky Joy” that blossoms are so amenable to (such as seen here and here, among dozens of other posts on my blog).

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f/2 — ¹/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos

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And to end this “Part 2” post, here's one more pretty blossom with creaminess that's all Voigtländer:

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 180 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pure

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This is straight out of the camera, with nothing done in Lightroom other than setting the white balance appropriately.

Continued here...