
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 42mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Quick Portrait at the Sanzen-in Temple
三千院、Kyoto Japan
The fall colors starting to descend upon Kyoto has woken me up, at least momentarily, from an almost-two-month blogging slumber. Friends Paul and Olesia are visiting, Paul for the 100th time, Olesia for the first, so we took her up to the Ohara area of Kyoto, in the north-eastern mountains, for the first taste of autumn colors.
Walking up from the parking area toward the temples, the path is lined with tasteful shops. Here's a little kiosk selling only autumn-color handkerchiefs:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 36mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 34mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Symbol of the Area
apparently

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
A Few Colors

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Cucumber on a Stick

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 56mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nice Tree
near the entrance to the Sanzen-in Temple (三千院)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 45mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
Main Garden
few colors yet, besides green

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 120mm — 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Green-Tea Instagram Moment

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hallway with Nice Light

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/5, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Another Way
to enjoy the main garden
(10 minutes later, she tracked me down and asked for copies of the photos)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/6.3, ISO 3600 — map & image data — nearby photos
This Tree Can't Decide
what color to be

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 44mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Olesia

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nice Detail

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
“Secret Path”
that's not secret; I had simply never noticed it.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nice Place for a Portrait

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 125mm — 1/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Slumbering Jizo

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Photographers are Suckers
for moss

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 29mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fading Light

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 50mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Just Peeking
Hosen-in Temple (宝泉院)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Dressing (as in salad) Shop
On the way in, we stopped by a shop that gave taste samples of their various dressings and ponzu. They were all good, but two of them were “wow!”, so we stopped on the way back to get some.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 26mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Many Kinds

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Onion & Garlic
I also picked up a bottle of aka shiso flavor (red shiso). Really crisp and nice.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Field of Rape
The area used to produce a lot of rapeseed oil (also known as “canola oil”)
We took the long way home to drive through some of the deep mountain roads that I cycle on. When in the forest it was quite dark. In this photo below, it was actually much darker than it seems (I took a longer exposure than normal). Handheld for 1/13th second. It came out okay.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/13 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Much Brighter than Reality
near Momoi Pass (百井峠)
The “warm glow from the setting sun” look is from the car's hazard lights. 🙂
Nice to see your fall colors. Our season is pretty much already over. Now I just have to rake up the leaves.
Rick
Kenmore,WA
The last photo is awesome.
Nice photos! I see you’re still using your trusty D4. Any thoughts on the Z6 or Z7?
Are the autumn colors usually happening around November in your area of Japan, or is it late this year? I’m used to the US Northeast, when the colors are pretty much around October (mid- to late) and everything is brown by November.
This is pretty normal… peak is usually toward mid-late November. I’m happy with my D4, so I haven’t really paid much attention to new bodies since. Paul has a D850, which seems really nice. —Jeffrey
Beautiful photos. Inspiring me to get my camera out and carry it around rather than making do with my phone photos. I’m in Tokyo and the colours seem to be late this year…
You are a not a photographer you are a painter of light. A superb painter of light.
I am currently east of the Isle of Man.
Thank you for the photos, they are great as desktop wallpapers, the best. Can’t wait for your new winter pics.
Thank you for sharing. I’ve been waiting for this years installment and as usual, you didn’t disappoint! Just returned from Kyoto myself and envy that you get to see this every year.