NOTE: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/8, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Messy Dandelion
one of the photos featured on my JPEG-Export-Quality writeup

I've just posted a two-part writeup that Lightroom users may find interesting:

It's joined my plugins and other Lightroom-related things on my Lightroom Goodies page.

NOTE: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — ¹/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400 — full exif
Plea to Papa

Anthony bought a Star Wars LEGO toy with his allowance, and wanted to make sure that I didn't throw away the box, so he wrote this on our fridge whiteboard:

We thought it was too cute... too cute to erase. (I took this picture a month ago, and it's still there.)

The drawing of the toy (warning: link with sound) in the box really adds to it.

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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Focus
lots of it on his side, little on mine
( the shot just before had perfect focus, but the composition wasn't as good )

Picking up the story of our most recent visit to the KidZania in Kobe, Japan, after some appliance repair and a bit of firefighting, it was time to make the doughnuts. Except it wasn't doughnuts on today's menu, it was melon bread (a very sweet bread that looks vaguely like a half of cantaloupe).

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
Too Many Cooks May Well Spoil The Broth
but melon bread is apparently safe

All the pictures inside were taken through the shop windows under less than ideal conditions, but what they lack from a technical point of view they make up for it in my totally unbiased mind in cuteness.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Dapper Chef

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
First Things First

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Basic Instruction

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 240 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/6, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Inspecting the Grains

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 140 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Milling Flour

I'm sort of fond of mills for some reason, such as the old coffee mill from a post a couple of years ago.

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 500 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Freshly-Milled Flour

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 50 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Squishing a Ball of Dough Flat
now this is work a kid can enjoy

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 240 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pleased With His Handy Work

Melon bread is made of a layer each of two different kinds of dough, so after smashing flat the second doughball, it was time to pancake them one on top of the other...

Nikon D700 + Sigma “Bigma” 50-500mm OS @ 170 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Almost Ready for the Oven

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 8000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Next Shift Prepares

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Adding the Crosshatch Decoration
from which melon bread derives its name

They don't have time to actually wait for the bread, so after putting it into the oven, they pull out a tray of just-finished bread that the kids can have.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Melon Bread

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
First Taste

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 3600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm..........
these results are acceptable

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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 720 — map & image data — nearby photos
Vigilant

After Anthony's stint in Appliance repair at our most recent visit to the most-excellent KidZania in Kobe, Japan, it was time to get busy putting out some fires.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
Helping Hand
the little girl next to Anthony is tooooooo cute with that big helmet, thick chinstrap, long coat, and little shoes

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ready to Roll

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Emergency Right-of-Way

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Equipment Check

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Working the Upper Story

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Working the Parents' Wallet
you could buy the staff photographer's picture for $10
( but I took her picture for free, bada-bam! )

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 3600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Waiting to Fall Back In

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Artsy Fartsy Aftermath

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Putting the Equipment in Order

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading Home
The two little kids in front took turns (trying to) making “clear the way” announcements

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — ¹/250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Payday
and a tepid high five

Unlike the joyful high-five at the previous job the one here was mechanical. The girl doing the job was just that, going through the motions to do a job. Too bad... if she had the right attitude, both she and the kids would get so much more out of it.

Still, Anthony enjoyed it almost as much as the job he did next...

Continued here...

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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Road Less Traveled

It's been months since I last wrote about our New Year trip to Toyama Prefecture, several hours' drive north from Kyoto. It was a pleasantly photogenic trip, yielding nice shots such as “Bridge Over Icy Water”, “Deceptively Clear: Snow-Covered Mountains in Exquisite Detail”, and “Snowy Mountains”, as well as visits to historic Shirakawago Village and Gokayama Village during a blizzard.

The story had ended with “Snowy New-Year Trip: Start of Day Three” and the start of a long walk that Anthony and I took, so that's where this post picks up....

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 60 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/10, ISO 900 — map & image data — nearby photos
Steep, Snowy, and Snowing More
but luckily no cars

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/10, ISO 360 — map & image data — nearby photos
Snowbanks
are meant to be destroyed by seven-year-olds

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/10, ISO 720 — map & image data — nearby photos
It's a Big Job
but someone's got to do it

You can see from the slope on either side of the road how steep the mountain is, with the road simply notched into it. Looking over the edge, I found a bamboo grove bending under the weight of the sticky snow

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/10, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Straining
not to buckle under

It was about this time that I took the photo labeled both “Boring” and “Powerful, Sort Of” on my “Stupid Tone-Curve Tricks: A Half Dozen Develop Presets for Lightroom” post in March. Here's the “Powerful, Sort Of” version:

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 35 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Powerful, Sort Of
Processed in Lightroom as described here

It looks all the more powerful when contrasted to most shots on this post because the others have an overall lack of contrast (they feel washed out / dull) due to the heavy snow that was falling.

Another look at the falloff....

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 27 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
There's a Guard Rail Under That Snow
I hope

I'm always impressed at how much snow a thin branch can hold when the snow is wet and sticky...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/3.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Laden

That's nothing compared to this, but like I said, I'm easily impressed.

About this time the first car went by, followed a couple of minutes later by a second....

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/3.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Rush Hour

And then we reached level to the top of the dam that our lodge faced...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 62 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Contrasty B&W
because the straight-up shot is so very dull
( Is this one not dull? )

There's lots more to share... hopefully I can do so before another three months passes...

(UPDATE: I did, with a week to spare: story continued here.)