
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 60mm — 1/100 sec, f/4.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Selecting Mushrooms for the Grill
At the Takatsuki Shiitake Mushroom Center (高槻しいたけセンター)
in the mountains of northern Osaka Prefecture, Japan
As I mentioned the other day, we made the hour drive from Kyoto to the mountains of Takatsuki to visit a small food/entertainment area where the main attraction for us was picking (then grilling then eating) shiitake mushrooms.
As one might expect, the mushroom area was like an old damp basement, but with more light...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 26mm — 1/50 sec, f/2.8, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
One of the Mushroom Rooms

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 26mm — 1/50 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
They're Grown on Logs

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 42mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Large Selection

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Humid

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 34mm — 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Inspecting

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Weighty Choices
There's a limit of five mushrooms per person, so you have to take care in how you select and pluck a mushroom, to maximize your take. If they were stuck together, they were considered one mushroom, so we tried to find groups.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 36mm — 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Trying To Extract as a Unit

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 36mm — 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Got It!

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 36mm — 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
My Mushroom
I picked just one, and let Anthony get the rest of my quota

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3600 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Holes
where the mushrooms grow

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Spurned
They sell out pretty quickly, and we were later than we'd like, so we didn't have all that much of a selection.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
More Puffy Than Most

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 35mm — 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Our Take
At some point while rolling around in the basket the big group of mushrooms Anthony had picked broke apart, so our plan fell astray. It was a good lesson in what can happen when you try to be greedy. I doubt they actually enforce the five-mushroom limit with the strictness of the Soup Nazi, but we didn't want to flout the rules and stopped our foraging.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
About Nine US Bucks
We then moved over to the restaurant where we order meats and veggies to grill along side our mushrooms...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 40mm — 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ready for the Grill
at Sasauri no Sato (ささうりの里)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/4.5, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Mmmmm....
The mushrooms were not the same class as seen in “Feasting Like Indulgent Royalty on Matsutake Mushrooms” but they were still quite tasty.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38mm — 1/80 sec, f/4.5, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Happy Tummies

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 26mm — 1/50 sec, f/4.5, ISO 720 — map & image data — nearby photos
Somewhat Rustic Decor
The intermittent rain had let up and Anthony was itching to get some energy out, perhaps by kicking around a soccer ball, so we paid the ¥220 per person to visit the Yamabiko no Mori (山びこの森) play area without really knowing what to expect...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/50 sec, f/4.5, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38mm — 1/80 sec, f/4.5, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
“Tarzan Rope”
it goes only about 20 meters, but still fun

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/5, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/5, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Me
with my height necessitating more of a Spider Man pose than a Tarzan pose,
it made me appreciate the abs work at the gym
photo by Anthony

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 62mm — 1/125 sec, f/5, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Rare
shot of me looking not wholly unphotogenic.
I like it. Silliness and fun can work wonders.
photo by Anthony
We then tried the roller slide seen in the previous post.
We called it a day when the rain picked up, but not before one more swing on the way back...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 27mm — 1/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 140 — map & image data — nearby photos
♪♫ ♪ I'm Swiiiiiiingin' in the Raaaaain... ♪ ♪ ♬

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Abrupt Stop
the trolley stops when it slams into the end
(Your body continues flying; how far, exactly, depends on how well you hold on)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wet, Dirty, and Tired
in other words, “heaven” for a kid

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 56mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Quality Time
I like the post-processing of the last two, especially the vignetting. Did you use the radiant filter?
Kind regards,
Gianluca
Thanks. I’ve never used the radiant filter… I did add some vignette, but as you can tell from the brightness in the upper left, most of the dark in the other corners is natural in the scene, so I can’t take quite as much credit as God on this one. —Jeffrey
What a great memory of what looks like a fun day with your family.
I initially visited your site years ago after buying your Regular Expressions book. Since that time, I occasionally pop into your site to catch up on Lightroom and photography, but I often find myself wondering at how your family is growing since I last visited. Luckily with your avid photography, I don’t have to wonder long. I live in Ottawa, Canada. A world away from you, but I have a son about Anthony’s age, so I can relate with your activities and family fun. Thanks for the blog!
Cheers,
Chris
I just like that it looks as though you and your family had a blast!
Btw, all nice pics!! The mushroom pics with the shallow dof are the ones that stand out the most for me.
I have reading your blog since Anthony was a baby, I just came back after awhile and I can’t believe how big he is! incredibly tall and handsome! You have a beautiful family.
Burlington Ontario Canada,23:00 2013 12 17:
Having been absent without permission from the web site am surprised your young cchild (weed) has grown by lengths. Soon a teenager. And the image entitled “Rare” is an excellent view of you Dad!
Send a print of that to your parents in Ohio, that’s worth framing!
OK so I’ve been busy and waiting for a ship I could understand to appear. Purchased a D700 with few
activations from B&H statesdie. Looked at all the current Nikon full frame models and was not impressed least of all by the various mechanical problems. So a D700 it was , and now I find you’re using a D4! Horrors! So what happened to the D700, worn out?
However like yourself, other activities intrude over the last year. For me a completely rebuilt bunglow
and the associated problems. Still there’s two feet of sloopy snow out there and a very cold night and that’s a Canadian winter so far. So tomorrow out with the camera to do so full frame photography.
Also have the new Lightroom here to be installed; that’s my Christmas present to myself and to learn how to use same. Any one specific manual you might suggest to peruse that will make the course more or less easy?
Best to you and your family in Japan and the USA for this Christmas season.
The D700 is gathering dust in a closet, though it holds an honored spot in my hart, and I still use it sometimes when I want two bodies. It was the high point in digital cameras… the D4 is in many ways a step down in both build quality and software, but it’s got better low-light performance and its auto-ISO (which I use often) is slightly less inconvenient. —Jeffrey