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Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lily of the Nile
In Kyoto's own Shirakawa River Nile
Lately, I've really been enjoying the Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5's ultra-thin depth of field in a macro setting to “creamify” flowers and such, leaving only very specific areas in sharp focus, with the rest melting away into a creamy mix of softness. The Voiglander's bokeh is spectacular. I posted something along these lines the other day in “On The Road to Imabari”, and have several more examples from the last week that I'd like to post, but I'm afraid of overdoing it, so I'll parcel them out from time to time.
The king of this style of photography is Daniel Sroka who does it right with good equipment in a controlled studio environment, good technique, a good eye, and lots of patience. His stuff is amazing.
As for me, as I mentioned the other day in “An Amazing Day of Photography at Some Eastern-Kyoto Temples”, I snap a few pictures when I come across something that seems interesting, often using the carpet-bombing approach to shutter actuations to try to catch the right focus amidst the cacophony of movement due to wind and my own shaky posture.
It was all the more crazy the other day when trying to get these lilys, because they're at the edge of a river. I was lying on the road trying to lean far enough over to get the angle I wanted, always just at the verge of falling (knowing that I was fully at the mercy of a light shove from anyone in the passing crowd).
These lilys (zantedeschia aethiopica) are apparently perennial, because the same pair shows up each year... they've appeared on my blog before (here, here, and here), but the shot above is by far my favorite.
This time, I came across them while one was still unfolding, and it captivated my lens...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
Unfurl
But yes, you can take things too far...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/2.5, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Huh?
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/11, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Parting Shot
I like to have a wide shot that establishes the scene, but I didn't get quite wide enough this time
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Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Probably Not What You Think
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/160 sec, f/9, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Imposing and Stately
what could this building be?
Where would you go to find towel haiku and see these riveting presentations like “Magical Towels of the Pharaohs”? I know you're tempted to answer “The Towel Museum” in Imabari Japan, but alas, you'd be wrong. This post is a look at what you would find upon a visit to this oddly-specific destination, which we visited on the last day of our recent short trip to the city of Imabari, in Ehime Prefecture, Japan.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/8000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
“Towel Museum”
with Anthony playing coy
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
At The Bus Stop
Anthony being less coy
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
Just Inside the Entrance
According to the sign, the giraffe's name is apparently “Don't Climb On”
On the way to the museum proper, you are funneled through three floors of towel stores of various types...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Store #7 of 28
( I'm making up the numbers, but you get the drift )
You'd expect stores inside a “Museum” to be full of kitsch, but they were all really quite nice, with photogenic displays abounding...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Towels Shaped Like Baby Clothes
wall of color
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/4, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tasty-Looking Towels
Finally, just before entering the museum proper, you get to a room full of fun displays all made of towel-related “stuff” (cotton, etc.)...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Big Fun Stuff
made of towels
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
The Most Fun Since Sliced Bread
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Yup, I Like Popcorn
Upon entering the museum proper, you find yourself in a ridiculously long room that shows the towel-making process from start to finish...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
Early Stages with Raw Cotton
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Newly-Minted Thread
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Towel Programmer?
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/4, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Automatic Loom
The orange thread guides (essentially long thin tubes in which the thread travels without worry of getting tangled, I guess) are, of course, the answer to the More Challenging Imabari “What am I?” Quiz from the other day. When viewing the large size of the quiz photo, you can see smudges of dirt on the tubes that makes it apparent that they're not actually thread, so officially no one got the quiz correct, though guesses of “threads in a loom” were impressively close.
The image metadata includes a map location marked (in Japanese) as “Towel Museum” and “Ichihiro Ltd. Towel Factory”, so that might have provided a clue.
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Multi-Colored Thread Guides
You then double back through a room of equally impressive length, including a 40-meter long towel on one side...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/60 sec, f/5.6, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Towel Museum 40-Meter-Long Towel
“woo-hoo!”
On the other side were various kid-friendly displays whose connection to towels was dubiously tangential, but fun is fun and we enjoyed it...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/60 sec, f/13, ISO 1250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Relaxing With Towel Moomins
Moomin is a Scandinavian children's character dating from the 1940s and still mildly popular in Japan, though likely nowhere else more than the Towel Museum, which could well be confused for a Moomin Museum due to the immersive, saturated Moomin presences.
Then it was into a room with a wall of 1,800 large spools of thread...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/60 sec, f/1.4, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wall of Thread
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/60 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Somehow Begging To Be Touched
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Then it was off to a series of room with towel-related art (art rendered in towels, art made from towels, and other such excitements)...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/125 sec, f/1.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/80 sec, f/1.6, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/80 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/80 sec, f/4.5, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Back out at the third-floor shop just outside the Museum-proper entrance, Anthony was drawn to a big stuffed Moomin placed near the isle just for that effect, I'm sure...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/125 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Snuggly Moomin
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/125 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
I asked about the connection between Moomin and towels, since Moomin was everywhere in the stores and the museum. I thought that maybe the author had been from the area or something, but it turns out that Moomin is from Scandinavia, and that the Towel Museum is simply a Moomin licensee to the apparent exclusion of other characters that would seem well suited to the task (Snoopy, Hello Kitty, Miffy, Relax Kuma, etc).
Anyway, it was fun, but the story is not over yet....
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Lunch Under the Cherry Blossoms
Shirakawa River, Kyoto Japan
Traffic on the way home from Mass became jammed packed once we got near the Okazaki area (of Kyoto), by the throngs coming to enjoy the cherry blossoms. I expected it to be crowded, but was surprised by the number of people milling around the Shirakawa river, with many sitting for lunch. It was nice.
But not everyone enjoyed the Cherry-Blossom Joie de Vivre of the area...
Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 240 mm — 1/1000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 220 — full exif
Ultra-Packed Bus
sitting in ultra-packed traffic
It's a common problem each season.
Anthony took the opportunity to snap some shots as well...
... and as a bonus garnered a wave from some ladies...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Path To the Imakumano Kannonji Temple
(今熊野観音寺)
Kyoto Japan, Spring 2011
What a week it's been. I took more photos today than in the first three months of the year combined, and this is after a ramp-up in activity at the start of the month due to the cherry blossoms and then a highly photogenic three day family trip followed by a fun photographically-friendly play date for Anthony. Suffice to say I've built up a new backlog on top of my old one, but it's sure a nice problem to have.
So today I went to the preschool/kindergarten entrance ceremony for my friend Britto's boy, to snap some photos..... he's an accomplished photographer, but wanted to actually participate. When checking the map to see how I'd get to the school, I noticed that it was in an area littered with temples, some very big, but all of which I'd never visited, so after the school event I went wandering with the camera, and four hours and as many hundred photos later, I made my exhausted but satisfied way home, only to find myself inexorably drawn to the cherry blossoms by the river outside, so despite wanting to actually get some work done, I spent another half an hour in the fading light with the camera, leaving only when it became clear that this sentence's length was approaching the theoretical physical limit. 🙂
I have only just begun to scan today's take, but wanted to post something today, so here are a few low-hanging fruit, so to speak.
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/1000 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
After the Rain
As has been my habit of late, I worked only with primes (24mm, 50mm, and 125mm, changing lenses at least 65 times throughout the day), but 75% of my shots were with the Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5. I'm really digging this lens. It doesn't have internal focusing, so I wouldn't use it in the rain, so I'm glad the all-night rain stopped just in time for today's outing.
It's not so good for “establishing shots”, so for the tree with those blossoms, I switched to the 24mm...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/2000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
.. but since that first shot wasn't at full 1:1 macro, I felt drawn to give it a try at full zoom...
If I'm going to try these kind of shots I really should use a tripod and something to hold the branch still, but as it is (freestanding while the wind knocks the branch all over) it's hit or miss whether I get what I'm going for. I fired off a bunch of shots, so when I have more time I'll have to see whether I got something better than this one.
Like I say, I really should use a tripod, but I'm more of a seat-of-the-pants photographer, and tripods are rarely allowed on temple grounds anyway.
It's not just the cherry blossoms that are pretty now. The momiji maple is spring-green fresh...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Spring Maple
Momiji always feel crisp and fresh in the spring. I like it.
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Crisp and Fresh
I like it.
At one point I came across a large blossom that looked more like a flower... the most perfect, unique flower....
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
Perfect. Unique. One of a Kind.
The best thing about this perfect, unique, one-of-a-kind flower is that there was a whole tree of them!
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 450 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tree of Unique
Okay, so I'm joking about “unique”, but they were sure pretty. If anyone knows what they are (Peter? Mom?), I'd appreciate to hear. [Update:: as noted in the comments, it's a Japanese camellia (otometsubaki · 乙女椿)]
They're a bit difficult to see in the photo above (they're all in the upper half of the photo), and they were a bit difficult to photograph as well: there's the problems I mentioned before about lack of a tripod and an excess of wind, compounded in this case by having to stand on my tippytoes to reach them.
Anyway, these are just a few photos from one early area of my walk, so I'm sure today's outings will yield a dozen posts, if I ever find time to chip away at my photo backlog....
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/400 sec, f/14, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tepee Maintenance
Anthony started third grade this morning, which means that we had one free day yesterday after our recent short trip to Imabari, so we paid a visit to his kindergarten friend, Monet, who also starts third grade, but at a different school. Monet's sister, May, starts first grade tomorrow.
We all then took a walk through the woods to the next village down the mountain, to visit one of Monet's current school friends.
The first stop along the way was a check to see whether a tepee that Arthur had started to make with Monet and May last fall had survived the winter. It had.
Then we passed through a small park filled with cherry trees, but no blossoms yet in the cooler altitudes of the mountain...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/1000 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Unbloomed
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/800 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Trail Through the Woods
We were all here two years ago for a fun walk and kid play, but I seem to have not posted about it except tangentially in “Fir Cones (Whatever Those Are)”.
The trail is sometimes a bit exciting...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/400 sec, f/14, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ridge Walk
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/400 sec, f/14, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Trail Cut Into the Slope
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 360 — map & image data — nearby photos
Kid Play
all must stop while decaying log gets poked
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/400 sec, f/14, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Final Descent
one takes the last part of the trail by the seat of the pants
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Here We Go
We were now in the small village of Yamanakacho (lit “Village in the Mountains”), part of Otsu City on the very edge of Shiga prefecture. We met Monet's classmate Amber and her older sister, Hana. Anthony was a bit shy with all the girls at first, but soon everyone was playing nicely together.
We made a visit to an old shrine in the village, the Juge Shrine (樹下神社)...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/2500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Entering the Shrine
under a budding cherry tree
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/2500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
No Blossoms Yet
in the cool mountains
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Starting a Rock-Paper-Scissors Game
The kids played some game that involved rounds of rock paper scissors (performed at high speed, as described in “My Visit to a Japanese High School”) with participants advancing or retreating some variable number of steps based upon the results in ways I couldn't discern...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/800 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Anthony and May Seem to be Falling Behind
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
The long set of steps makes a 90° elbow turn, and at one point kids on the lower section couldn't see kids on the upper section, so at each round they were yelling out who had what (rock, paper, or scissors) so they could determine the winner of each round. It was very fast, and funny/interesting to experience.
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
Reaching the Top
Eventually they decided that the top of the one flight of steps was not the end of the game, so they moved to a higher flight to start over...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1/640 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Starting Again
Hana, May, Amber, Monet, Anthony
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Final Round
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fast Break
starting a game of tag
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Anthony Escapes from Amber
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hiding
( sort of )
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/640 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Group Discussion
they discussed some kind of safe-area rule for the longest time
The kids spent so much time playing that we ran out of time to walk back, so Arthur's wife came to pick us all up in the car. The kids were bummed when she arrived, but scattered in glee upon granting of “five more minutes”...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/1600 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Final Round of Tag
Great fun.
So that was yesterday and this morning Anthony is at school finding out what class he's in and such, but tomorrow is the weekend and more cherry blossoms, so I don't think I'll make much progress on looking at my photos from the recent trip, or making a dent in the pile of email accumulated during the last week, or get my US taxes done. I need more hours in the day....