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iPhone 4S at an effective 35mm — 1/390 sec, f/2.4, ISO 64 — map & image data — nearby photos
Outlying Temple Building
iPhone photo and processing by Paul Barr
Rarely does a photo take my breath away, but this rendition by Paul Barr does it every time I come across it. I don't know what it is about it, but if you'll excuse the pun, I'm really drawn to it.
Paul recently got an iPhone 4s, and to complement its camera he loaded a few photo-processing apps, and spent some time over coffee futzing with the apps to get a feel for them. He ended up with a jumbled mix of results, almost all of which are interesting (though one really creeps me out), but the one above really strikes me as exceptional. I intend to frame it for my wall.
The temple building itself is fairly generic and I didn't recognize it, but it turns out to be from our trip to the Jingoji Temple last month. Apparently I was standing next to Paul when he took the shot, though I was in the process of photographing a different building at the time.
Paul isn't sure which app he used to process the photo, but suspects it's PhotoForge2, an app that Stéphane Barbery recommended to him.
Paul normally shoots with a Nikon D3, but he was also using his iPhone at times because he wanted to get to know the iPhone camera. Frankly, after seeing the low-light prowess of my Nikon D700 I can't see myself ever using a point-n-shoot like the iPhone except when I don't have a “real” camera around, but Paul shows that skill, patience, and perhaps some luck can go a very long way.
Regardless of the source of the photo, there's also Paul's inspired processing. Paul says that he doesn't know whether it's luck or genius that he came up with this, but it's my guess that it's luck that allowed him to get there, and genius that allowed him to stop there.
I'd like to be able to do this kind of thing myself, but I'm scared for the amount of time it would take, and how I'd feel about the outcome. I've dabbled a bit with “artsy” processing from time to time, and usually feel that by the time I'm done that it's started to get a bit cliché. I think it's just lack of artistic confidence: I'm a scientific geeky guy, so “art” is totally foreign to me.
I do very much like the “artsy” art I printed for my home office (photos processed via Corel Painter Essentials, as written about last year and in 2007), and I think the “Impressionism in Lightroom” shots from last fall are impactful. Among other recent artsy-fartsy endeavors are “A Few Stylized Shots from Bunny Island” which I also like, and “Context for the Bamboo-and-Leaf Photo, and Some Crazy Post-Processing” which perhaps was more useful for the experience than the results.
Then there's the whole realm of black & white processing, which is much more complex and artistically varied than you could possibly imagine if you've never really looked into it. I use it sparingly (of note recently here, here, here, and here), but if you want to get an idea for just how complex it can be, watch Martin Bailey's walk-through of Silver Efex Pro, a B&W conversion application by Nik Software. I have resisted getting it because my head would explode at all the possibilities, and I have enough on my plate as it is.
Update: Paul put up the original photo from which the result above was derived.
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Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sun and Rain
and some pretty strong hazy lens flare
I posted the other day about the wonderful and moody Kosanji Temple (高山寺) — commonly referred to, in error, as the “Kozanji” Temple — in the north-west mountains of Kyoto. Part of the mood was the really dynamic weather... brilliantly sunny above the high canopy of the towering pines, punctuated by dark clouds and fits of spritzy rain. It had been the same all day, including while at our earlier visit to the Jingoji Temple (神護寺) a short distance away.
Leaving the cover of Kosanji and returning to the relative openness of the area's parking lot, we got a new appreciation for the dynamic mood.
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bare, Complex, and Bright
Photographically, the photo above is junk, but I include it for the memory of the striking nature of the tree, with bare branches so complex that they appear to be full of bark-colored leaves at first glance. (Click through to the larger version and you'll be able to see quite a bit of detail in the branches.)
The tree was being lit up by the sun while the background trees were not. I reminds me of the Stark Tree that I posted in February, which I still use as my laptop's desktop-background.
Other trees nearby were still in their autumnal glory...
It was perfect conditions for a rainbow, and we watched for one on the way home. An adult in the car (who will remain nameless to protect the guilty) suggested that in Japan rainbows happen only at 2pm. The physics of rainbows requires that the sun be within a particular ranges of angle, and this doesn't necessarily include 2pm. The discussion raged for a bit before we all got the joke: the Japanese word for rainbow, niji, is a homophone with the word for “two o'clock”. Sigh. We hadn't thought of it as a joke at first because we aren't in elementary school. 🙂
Anyway, we eventually did see a rainbow from the car...
... and later I stopped on my own to take the shot seen in “Rainbow and Helicopter over North-East Kyoto”, similar to this one:
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heli and Rainbow
It had weakened considerably by the time I got home...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Main Gate to the Heian Shrine
I wondered weather the dynamic afternoon light might translate to a spectacular sunset, so I hiked up to the Shogunzuka overlook, but was relatively disappointed in a nice but uninspiring sunset...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nice. Not “Bad”, but Not Great.
As I often do, I took the shots to make a panorama, such as the one I posted two months ago....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/60 sec, f/3.2, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Brisk Kyoto Dusk
Here's a slightly larger version of the panorama that can be scrolled...
In this case, though, I decided to go ahead and make Kyoto look a bit more vibrant by brightening up the city. It turns the detail into mush, which is why I'm not posting a large version, but it gives the wide view a nice (if unrealistic at the time) vibe.
And like in the previous panorama, and in other posts, at the far left you can see the skyscrapers of Osaka some 30 miles away.
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iPhone 4S at an effective 35mm — 1/120 sec, f/2.4, ISO 80 — map & image data — nearby photos
Electric Bush
with open high-voltage wiring at a convenient “kid friendly” height
On the way home from the park with Anthony, I noticed preparations for the new-year hatsumode “first visit to the shrine”. As happens every new year, the street leading to the Heian Shrine will be closed off for several days, and the sidewalk lined with food vendors.
The preparations that I noticed were for the food-stall power supply, and if you'll forgive the obvious pun, it's shockingly unsafe.
iPhone 4S at an effective 35mm — 1/120 sec, f/2.4, ISO 64 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hanging Outlet
not quite UL® approved for outside installation
Basically, they took two singleton strands of insulated wire and strung them over some bushes and then up through branches of the trees lining the sidewalk. These wires are used both to carry high-voltage current, and to support the weight of themselves and whatever hangs from them.
At intervals, short segments of insulation were stripped and at these spots bare wires were hooked, leading down to in-wall outlets just hanging bare.
I took these snaps while awkwardly holding my iPhone way above my head... sorry for the lack of quality. But with these dangling overhead like this, think about how they'll be used: you can't just shove a plug into them because they're just hanging free, so someone will have to reach up, grab the outlet tight, and if they're not electrocuted, shove the plug in. All I can say is that gloves are highly suggested.
Of course, there are no grounding wires; Japan generally doesn't have them to begin with.
Where the trees don't provide enough support, they built a sturdy scaffolding to hold the dangerous wire safely away from the public:
iPhone 4S at an effective 35mm — 1/350 sec, f/2.4, ISO 64 — map & image data — nearby photos
single bamboo pole just standing free is certainly
Totally Safe
I don't know how someone can think this is okay. Just shocking.
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Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/125 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Big, Moody Space
at the Kousan Temple (高山寺)
Kyoto, Japan
Earlier this month, on the wonderful day in Kyoto's Takao area that I mentioned in the rainbow post a few weeks ago, we visited two temples. I posted a few scenes from the first in “On The Path To Northwest Kyoto's Jingoji Temple”, and while I have a bazillion more from there that I want to share, today's post is from the second, the Kousan Temple (高山寺).
The Japanese name, 高山寺, looks as if it should be pronounced kozanji and that's what most Japanese would guess, but for whatever reason the temple actually uses kosanji. Even the Japanese Wikipedia article was wrong, though I've now updated it and the English as well (but the title of the English article remains incorrect until someone with greater permissions than I have makes the change).
The temple area is a sprawling expanse of paths through towering trees on the side of a mountain, with few buildings. It has a lot of moody character.
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Depth
The paths tend to be surrounded by both tall and short trees that provide multiple canopies, creating a strong sense of space and dimension. I suppose that sounds silly, but I don't know how else to describe it.
Turning from the view in the shot above to see where the path leads....
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Big, Rustic Stairs
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/25 sec, f/16, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Above The Stairs
It's perhaps difficult to see even in the larger version you get when you click through the thumbnail, but the shot above shows the dual-canopy nature that was common. There's the towering canopy of the pines, then a lower one of yellow. It was magical.
Nikon D3 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 27mm — 1/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Getting the Shot
photo by Paul Barr
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/125 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hillside
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/80 sec, f/1.4, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Top of the Stairs
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/80 sec, f/1.4, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
The Path Continues
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 3600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Crossroads
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
At a Side Garden
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Orange Floor
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Symbols
of something, I'm sure
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
That Rustic Flight of Steps
from afar
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Dynamic Lighting
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Big Tree
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/200 sec, f/11, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Big Tree
up close and personal
Nikon D3 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/40 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Big Tree
as a sturdy object upon which to steady my shot
photo by Paul Barr
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/2.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Near The Big Tree
The shot above looks much nicer in the big version, but it still only hints at the sense of space the multi-layered canopies provided.
Nikon D3 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Under the Big Tree
using the earth as a sturdy object upon which to steady my shot
photo by Paul Barr
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Paul Barr
worm's-eye view
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lantern and Moss
always a favorite of mine
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Big Leaf
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Back at the Road
The building in the background was featured in my blog two years ago, starting with “Toganojaya Restaurant”, with followups here and here. I'd known that there was a temple nearby, but the visit earlier this month was my first.
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A month ago in “Another Day of Amazing Fall Colors in Kyoto” I posted on photo similar to the one above, from that day's trip to the Imakumano Kannonji Temple (今熊野観音寺) in eastern Kyoto.
The tree with the red leaves had particularly impressive colors, but only when viewed from about where the group is standing. From where I took the photo above, the leaves look fairly bland, at least relatively speaking. As you can tell from the shadows, the leaves were not being backlit.... it was a hazy day and the sun was more or less to my back in the photo above.
This little clearing was behind a building, so most people never see it to begin with, but those who do generally arrive from behind the camera position in the photo above. They see the view in the photo above, then return back to the main area, missing most of what the tree has to offer. In this respect, we were lucky to have arrived via a back route...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
First Glimpse of the Clearing
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Moody Light
The light in the clearing was a bit other-worldly to begin with, likely due to a combination of the hazy day and the nature of the clearing, with high trees most of the way around but open sky directly above.
This is the scene we found when we entered the clearing from behind. (The first photo appearing above was taken from the path near the corner of the building.)
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Self Portrait
As we moved through the clearing to the red leaves, they suddenly came alive in a way digital photography can not capture. They seemed positively luminescentb, as if they were somehow fluorescently turning non-visible light into visible light. In the next photo, I had to tone the image down unnaturally — as evidenced by the dark background — just to keep all the red from blowing out the color channels to white...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Blown
Despite darkening the whole photo quite a bit, the red channels are still blown out so that the leaves have become solid blotches of whatever the brightest red your monitor can display. At times like this the technical limitations of digital photography makes me sad.
I darkened things further to retain a bit of detail in the leaves...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 3600 — map & image data — nearby photos
With a brighter background I could keep more of the image in the sweet spot for the digital sensor, but to get it I had to move my position, and so the red leaves reverted to a less-glowing view...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
When I suggested to a group of folks that they'd get a more spectacular view by moving to the back of the clearing, they were happy enough to try but it was clear from their exuberant ooohs and aaaahs that they hadn't really expected much change. They were suitably impressed.
I posted before about the benefits of a polarizing filter for fall-foliage photography, and I know that in some cases the human eye can also notice a difference due to light polarization, but I don't think that's involved in this burning-red-leaf situation (because blocking polarized light would make it appear darker in real life, allowing it to appear more vibrant in photos due to the resulting change in camera exposure).
It'll be interesting to visit again next year to see whether it was something intrinsic to the leaves or the area, or some kind of passing effect that just happened to occur that day.