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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Cheers!
a 14mm wide-angle shot contorted mercilessly in Lightroom
Today, 10-10-10 (Oct 10, 2010) is Fumie's folks 36th wedding anniversary, so we took them for lunch to a pizza place a short stroll down the street, Pizzeria Napoletana Da Yuki. Their pizza oven and cook's experience were both brought over from Naples. There's not much to the interior design... it's all in the pizza and other dishes (of which we had way too much... Mmmmm....).
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/125 sec, f/1.4, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Oops
Anthony turned to look just as I was snapping a shot
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/125 sec, f/1.4, ISO 720 — map & image data — nearby photos
Perplexed
the coffee cups were downright difficult to hold because their handles were solid
But the food is first class all the way... it was a most-excellent meal. Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad.
As we were leaving, at the fire station next door we noticed a fireman in full gear practicing a particular action (jumping from the truck, fetching and donning an air tank) over and over while another timed him....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/2500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
....and...... Time!
he could consistently do it in about 10 seconds, but I guess that wasn't good enough
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1/3200 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fascinated
like all little boys, fascinated with fire trucks and the like
It was an opportunity to explain all kinds of things... air pressure and volume, inability to breath smoke, how fire equipment is paid for (taxes), self preservation (because part of the drill is ensuring the air tank is charged before rushing off to use it), and the importance of being able to do some things perfectly, even without thinking.
Of course, to Anthony it was just an opportunity to see a fire truck.
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 125 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
new couple with
Grandma of the Bride
Continuing with my series on my brother-in-law's wedding a week ago, the previous post, “Shogo and Namiko's Wedding: Reception, Part II”, many drinks and photo ops gave way to the cutting-of-the cake ceremony, after which the couple were to step out to prepare for the next phase of the event. Part of this “stepping out” involved the bride and groom each being individually escorted out.
Namiko's escort was her mother's mother, and above was when she had gone to collect her granddaughter.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/125 sec, f/3.2, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lesson Learned
“If the bride is in frame, she should be in focus.”
I did a good job with the photo above achieving what I was attempting at the time, which with this frame was specifically to focus on the grandmother, but I realize now that the photo is a disaster because a bride is the focus of any photo she's in, so she should be in focus. Lesson learned.
Grandma took Namiko out through a winding path among the guests, yet another photo op among many...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Mini Exit Procession
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 28 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Formal Exit
after a formal bow, which I apparently missed
Then it was time for Shogo's exit, accompanied by his sister (my wife) Fumie...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Siblings
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 45 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
of course
Occasion for Another Photo Op
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 75 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
It was a nice touch that the music Shogo chose for this part was a song by Kousuke Atari, who Fumie and I have seen in concert many times.
Then with the couple gone, it was time for some mingling...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/125 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Joining of Families
parents of the couple and friends
... and for some B-roll pictures from the now-vacant head table...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
| “ | Groom | Shogo” |
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/1000 sec, f/2.5, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
| “ | Bride | Namiko” |
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/125 sec, f/2.5, ISO 3600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fumie and Her Brother's Father-in-Law
( seems nicer in B&W )
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/200 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Introducing Anthony
to his uncle's in-laws.... is there a word for that relationship?
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/160 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
I couldn't decide which of the last two photos I liked better, so I'm just putting them both.
Somewhere about this time it suddenly dawned on me that as brother-in-law of the groom maybe I should be taking the opportunity to socialize as well, so I put away the camera and joined them....
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
17 Cameras
18, if you count one sitting, inexplicably unused, on a table
At the end of “Shogo and Namiko's Wedding: Reception, Part 1”, about my brother-in-law's wedding last weekend, guests were swarming the couple to pour them drinks, and this soon turned into a seemingly-unending turn of photo ops.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Namiko and Friend
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 75 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Parallel Photo Ops
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 120 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Let's Just Make It One Big Photo Op
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14 mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pro Photogs Get a Clean Shot
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pro Photog Enlisted To Use Guest's Camera
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14 mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Let the Scrum Begin
My hope as a photographer at this wedding was not to document the events (there were more than enough cameras there to handle that), but to get shots that somehow uniquely added to the memory, beyond just a straightforward documentation. I could do this, I hoped, by using my better-than-average equipment and skill to turn a bland shot into something special, and by getting myself into different positions from which I could get a new or unique perspective on things (such as the lead photo of the lead post). I was inspired to seek unique perspectives by how much I like this photo I took at a friend's wedding a couple of years ago.
Anyway, that's why after getting the “Scrum of Photographers” picture above, I was satisfied that I'd gotten something unique to remember that part of the day with, and returned to my seat to actually try to get a bite of the great food that had been provided.
But moment's later, Anthony calls out “Daddy! Daddy! Look!” and points to the couple, who have moved and are about to make the first ceremonial cut in the wedding cake. This event is an important part of the reception, so is not to be missed. Note to self: next time I'm at a wedding, get a schedule of events ahead of time.
So, I stand up and take a quick photograph of the now-enlarged scrum of friend-photographers...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 22 mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
About To Cut the Cake
There was a set of stairs nearby (seen a bit at the left of the photo above), and not being restrained by any kind of particular photographic duty, nor by as strong a sense of decorum as a native Japanese might have, I availed myself of the stairs to get a new perspective on the event, taking the first photo shown at the top of this post from half way up.
From all the way up, I got a nice shot to document the whole setting...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14 mm — 1/100 sec, f/6.3, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Reception Room
as the maître d' helps prepare for the ceremonial first cut
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/125 sec, f/3.2, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hold That Pose
I'm not sure why the first ceremonial cut of the wedding cake is such a big part of the day, but it is, and they held that pose for a full two minutes, until all memory cards were full and batteries depleted.
When I attended my first Japanese wedding 15 or so years ago (of a friend from work, Kazushi Inui), there was a long list of words you could never, every say at a wedding... anything along the lines of “cut”, “divide”, “tear”, “end”, “break”, etc., as that would be bad luck for the new union. This advice was as strong and important as “don't pick your nose while at the alter” might be at an American wedding, so I'm not sure how this cake-cutting business reconciles with that.
That being said, Fumie and I did this at our own wedding 11 years ago, and it was fun. But we actually made not just the first ceremonial cut, but cut all the pieces, and passed them out to the guests, personally.
Anyway, there was no advice about taboo words this time, so either I exuded enough culture that a reminder wasn't deemed necessary, or maybe the prohibition on those words has waned.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/125 sec, f/3.2, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Still Holding that Pose
“Wait, hold on, let me switch cameras and come down for another shot....”
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/125 sec, f/6.3, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Still Holding that Pose
“Okay, one more time, but let me get in close with this wide-angle zoom...”
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/125 sec, f/6.3, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Still Holding that Pose
( if I had a smile as nice as Namiko's, I'd hold it, too )
Of course I didn't really ask them to hold the pose, but merely took advantage of their doing so. Eventually the cake was taken away, and two small cakes brought in their place...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 22 mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Stagehands Working Between Acts
... and this led to some kind of parents-of-the-couple first-ceremonial-cut event...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/125 sec, f/3.2, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Like I said, I don't understand what the cake-cutting is all about, but everyone had a fun time, so it all seems good to me!
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Having my time at the computer limited by some nagging arm pain, I've been able to enjoy more of what has always been a guilty pleasure: reading for pleasure. And to my great surprise, reading on the iPad has really enhanced the experience.
Overall, I've found that eReaders like those on the iPad (and Kindle and Nook, I would assume) have some clear pluses and minuses:
- General eReader Cons
- Needs electricity
- Subject to eBook availability
- Difficulty to see screen in some situations
- Size: reader may be larger/heaver than the physical book
- Loanability: can't necessarily loan books to others
- Style factor: might feel geeky whipping out an electronic reader in the doctor's waiting room
- Non-physicalness: electronic “assets” can be lost more easily than physical ones
- General eReader Pros
- Has electricity: can read in darkness without additional light
- eBook availability: many very old books, which would otherwise be almost impossible to acquire, are now easily accessible
- Size: eReaders smaller than many hardcover books, and smaller than all bookshelves (but can contain a bookshelf full of material)
- Immediate dictionary access: just touch a word to look up its meaning. This is surprisingly beneficial
- Better reading posture: don't have to work to keep a physical book cracked open
- Intra-book searching
- Easy on the eyes: pick your own text size & font
- Non-destructive highlighting, marking, notes, etc.
- Immediate access to new material without regard to physical location
- Other electronic/online/socal tie-ins, such as character lists and other metadata via Shelfari
I've never used Amazon's Kindle or Barnes & Noble's Nook devices, but I've used their apps on my iPad, along with Apple's own iBooks app, and have decided that one — the Kindle app — stands out as best for my particular set of needs and preferences, so it's my preferred reader when the content I want is available for it.
Update: As I was composing this post, Amazon updated their Kindle iPad app
to version 2.3, and it includes a change in how the page is shown in landscape mode that makes the reader absolutely useless to me, as I'll describe below.
Update #2: To their credit, Amazon quickly pushed out version 2.3.1 which fixed the issue I was worried about, and again the app is top notch all around.
Of course, the first question that matters when speaking of an eReader is “is the book I want to read available for it?”; if not, the reader will be of no help. The next question is: “is reading enjoyable with the app?”, and the answer to that is very dependent on the person doing the reading.
This post details the features I've found important...
Easy on the Eyes: White Text on Black “Paper”
I tend to prefer reading in subdued lighting. Despite Amazon's advertising claims that the iPad is not usable in direct sunlight, I've found that I can read with it just fine in direct sunlight, except that I don't like reading anything (“e” or otherwise) in direct sunlight.
So at night, a white background is just too bright for me. I can dial down the brightness of the whole screen (and all readers make it very easy to do this), but then the text loses contrast. Apple's iBooks reader allows only white and sepia backgrounds, and I used the iBooks/sepia until I tried the Kindle app, and found its night mode:
Kindle on iPad — My Preferred Night Mode
This is a passage from Jimmy Carter's White House Diary (e-version at Amazon) where the non-italic portions are verbatim from his diary 30+ years ago, and the italic portions are his modern annotations that add context or clarification.
Barnes & Noble's Nook app has even more ways to customize the look and feel and style of the presentation....
Nook on iPad: Lots of Customization
but at what cost!?
At first I was really impressed with Nook's customizations, but eventually I realized that it comes at a huge cost. Consider the same passage from White House Diary (e-version at Barnes & Noble) on the Nook app.... the formatting (italic vs. non) is lost:
Nook on iPad — A Useless Night Mode
italic formatting has been lost!
I had started to read this book on the Nook, and was having a horrible time figuring out what text was from 30 years ago and what was modern, and was shocked to find the italic formatting when I eventually checked the same book in the Kindle app.
It turns out that if you “use publisher settings” in the Nook app, it'll revert to exactly the way the publisher specifies (which for this book is black text on a white background, of some specific font and specific size), and in this situation, the italic formatting is not lost.
This is an absolute deal-breaker for me. If you always like black text on a white background, of the size and font that the publisher picks, this would be a non-issue for you.
For reference, the Kindle app's customizations are fewer, but at least using them doesn't dork the formatting:
Kindle App's Formatting Options
Also for reference, Apple's iBooks customizations are down right paltry. White House Diary isn't available on iBooks, so here's a screenshot showing the options with a different book:
iBooks App's Formatting Options
Easy on the Eyes: One Wide Column
I've found, for whatever reason, that I very strongly prefer to read with the iPad in landscape mode (more wide than tall, like the screenshots above), with just one column of text across the page, as shown in all the screenshots above but the last. iBooks doesn't offer the option, and in Nook you can get it only by tricking the app (by setting the font size to be huge, then setting it back to a reasonable size).
In Kindel, as of version 2.3.1, you can choose between a one- and two-column display.
Dictionary
The black background and one-column landscape view are the big items that make reading a pleasure for me, but another important add-on is the built-in dictionary... just touch a word and get the definition. With iBooks or the Nook app, you touch the word, then select “view definition” to get the definition, but in Kindle the definition shows up immediately at the bottom of the screen, without requiring another click. The font is small and it goofs up if the definition has certain kinds of formatting, but in those cases you can click again for “full definition”, so it's certainly no worse than the others. The Kindle app includes a huge English dictionary as a separate item in your Kindle bookshelf, for free, that can be used as a stand-alone dictionary. This is a big plus not included with iBooks or Nook.
In any case, one click or two, having a dicationary handy is just amazing. I've been reading Clavel's Shogun (an amazing novel I first read 20 years ago) and find myself looking up on average one word per page. I don't need to look up any of the words... I understand enough to enjoy the book, but when it mentions “a brace of quail”, for example, I completely get the gist, but I also wonder what exactly “brace” means in this case (answer: exactly two). A built-in dictionary makes this kind of learning effortless and enjoyable.
The Nook reader's dictionary seems to be much less developed than the Kindle's.... it doesn't have entries for a lot of words.
Other Stuff
The Nook reader would be much better if they fixed the formatting issue, but it also has the annoying habit of phoning home when you launch it, resulting in a five-to-ten second delay before the book comes up. Annoying.
Also annoying with Nook is that, while you can download book samples immediately after creating a free account, you can't download free books without providing a credit card. (I'm not sure how it is with Amazon, since I've had a credit card associated with my Amazon account for years; iBooks needs nothing extra.)
All three apps have a lot of old free books, but it's a mixed bag about what's available where. Some books that are free elsewhere cost a dollar on Nook, for example.
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Banquet Reception Entrance
Shogo and Namiko
Continuing from my earlier posts about my brother-in-law's wedding on Saturday, after the hors d'oeuvre reception, there was the full-on banquet reception.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Oops
no idea what was going on here, but I somehow like the result
Nikon D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 135 mm cropped — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Shogo Standing at the Head Table
those flowers were my nemeses for the day
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Namiko Seated at the Head Table
with much better behaved flowers
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm cropped — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Father of the Bride
across the way
Update: the crop above was suggested by reader Parv, and indeed it's better of the FOB. I'd also wanted to share a sense of the room, but perhaps there's not much sense gained (so to speak) by avoiding the crop, so I'll use it. For reference, the original version I posted, sans crop, follows...
( Originally-Posted Uncropped Version )
I was seated at the back end of the front-left table, so again I was happy to be at the edge out of everyone's line of sight, so I could get up and move around in my area fairly freely, without bothering anyone.
There was a welcome speech by Shogo's uncle (Shogo's dad's sister's husband), who having been a large-company CEO, was quite good at giving speeches....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Welcome Speech
by Shogo's “Uncle from Yokohama”, which is how he's always called within the family
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 175 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pro At Work
even her hair scrunchie is formal black
( though her flash gel seems to be CTO )
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 28 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 1250 — map & image data — nearby photos
More Speeches
this one by an ikebana master who had taught Namiko since she was a little girl
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 116 mm — 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Preparation for the First Toast
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 105 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
His Turn
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Everyone Had 17 Glasses, Each
and 24 forks, but only 15 spoons
( or so it seemed )
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Table Nearest Us
Shogo's childhood friends
( the man at left ended up giving the first toast )
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 190 mm — 1/100 sec, f/4, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Something About This Smile
reminds me of Zach Braff
The girls at the table in the background saw my big Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 zoom lens pointing their way, and did a peace sign for the camera. (Pretty much all Japanese reflexively do a peace sign at the first sight of any camera pointed their way.)
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Peace at 200mm
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Toasting the Couple
Then the food started....
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/125 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
First Appetizer
the salmon-based pink stuff was out-of-this-world delicious
Shogo and Namiko also started to eat as well, which I thought was impressive, since couples tend to not get to eat anything at their own wedding. But it was short lived, as friends started streaming up to honor the couple by pouring them a drink...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
“Kanpai!”
( cheers! )
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/125 sec, f/2.5, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
And Another...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/125 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
... And Yet Another....
In theory each man in attendance could pour Shogo a drink, which would quickly lead to one comatose groom, so I was reminded of a story I heard in grad school from an American guy whose wife was Japanese. At his wedding in Japan, everyone had been pouring him drinks... it's a common social convention in Japan that pouring a drink for someone shows them honor... and he was quickly getting drunk. He didn't speak much Japanese at the time, but his new father-in-law sitting nearby, eventually realized that the groom had actually been drinking all the drinks, and motioned to the big potted plant next to the groom: take a ceremonial sip of the drink, then quietly ditch the rest into the plant. Aaaaaaaah, this made it much easier!
I didn't notice any plants near Shogo, except for those blasted flowers right in front of him (in a clear vase, no less), so I'm not sure how he handled it. As far as I know he doesn't even drink alcohol — at all — but perhaps that's just another example of how I didn't know him.