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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 120 mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Three Actors
Kyoto resident Nils Ferry is a popular guy... in fact, he's married about 2,700 women. Only one is actually his wife, with the rest marrying other guys in ceremonies that he's “officiated” as a “minister” over the years.
Most Japanese weddings are complex affairs, usually involving three steps: 1) a visit to a temple or shrine, with only the most immediate family involved, followed by 2) a short ceremony in a fake wedding chapel, followed by 3) a big reception with lots of guests, speeches, and alcohol.
A large hotel usually handles steps #2 and #3, and offer the couple an endless array of packages and options. Besides the standard items familiar to westerners (e.g. how many guests, what kind of food), the couple picks a ceremony. Western or Japanese? American or European? Gospel or Bach? Trumpet or Violin? Couple enter together or bride given away by father? Etc., etc.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 102 mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
The “Western” option generally provides for a Christian-esque ceremony, and Nils' job is to play the part of the minister. Much taller than me (and I'm 6'4"), he cuts an imposing figure decked out in his robe, but adopts the gracious and warmhearted impression of a Man of the Cloth. (In real life he is gracious and warmhearted, so it's not a difficult task.) In his script he recites from the Bible in both Japanese and English, generally imploring and extolling the power of love to unite the couple through eternity. It's a mini version of a real Christian wedding, with all the touch points like a grand entrance to Here comes the Bride, an exchange of vows, rings, and a “you may kiss the bride”. Twenty minutes from start to finish.
I sometimes use the word “fake” to describe this ceremony, but that's unfair. Much of Japanese culture was originally rooted in religion, but over time has become simply culture for most, in the same way non-Christians in The West might still exchange presents on December 25th. This kind of “fake” Christian wedding ceremony is a modern invention in Japan, but cut from the same “religion as culture” cloth.
That being said, today's ceremony really was fake, because it was a demonstration for prospective couples considering having their wedding at the Westin Miyako, widely regarded as the premier hotel in Kyoto. The bride and groom were hotel staff wrangled to play the part, while others (Nils as the minister, an organist, a singer, and a trumpet player) were from an agency that has a contract with the hotel.
Today was the last day of a long five-day weekend, and Nils was busy every day saying weddings (sometimes 10 a day!). Indeed, he had some this morning, but this afternoon was the demonstration, which are held periodically. Sometimes there are 30 couples in attendance, and sometimes only a few. Today was only a few...
Nikon D700 + 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 19 mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Business Is Slow
on the last day of a five-day weekend
I visit with Nils every so often, to let our kids play together or to go on a photo hunt in some corner of Kyoto or another (most recently a couple of weeks ago to Rengeji Temple), but today was the first I've been able to accept his invitation to see him at work.
Some more scenes of Nils at work...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 140 mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 80 mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/100 sec, f/3.2, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/250 sec, f/3.2, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 110 mm — 1/250 sec, f/4, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
The lady throwing the rose pedals is a singer belonging to the same agency as Nils. She sang Ave Maria and was simply stunning. It brought me back to my own wedding 11+ years ago (also in Kyoto, but at a real Catholic church) because we also had Ave Maria sung.
I was a real cheapskate back then, and deeply regret that I didn't spring for a photographer for my own wedding. What I'd give now to have a photo like the above from my own wedding. 🙁
As the happy couple left on their 1-minute honeymoon (presumably all the way to the employee entrance of the hotel), other hotel staff accompanied the engaged couples on the rest of the hotel tour, and Nils stayed behind, regal as always, until they were out of sight...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 90 mm — 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
When I first moved to Kyoto in 2004, Nils was the premier Kyoto photo-blogger. However, an eventual byproduct of the first woman he married (his wife) resulted in him becoming a daddy, and with that, his blogging output declined considerably. Greg will start first grade next year, and so perhaps Nils will have time to get back into photo-blogging Kyoto.
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/125 sec, f/1.4, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Throw-Away Test Shot
Photo by Stéphane Barbery
( I think this is almost the perfect photo, but Stéphane doesn't think it's very good )
French writer and photographer (and Kyoto resident and friend) Stéphane Barbery is an artistic guy, whose artistic sense differs from me in just about every way. Since I have almost no artistic sense away from the camera, this is probably a good thing, but our different ideas about art are clearly apparent in our photography.
Most photos I post on my blog are simply props to tell a story, but the photos I post for the sake of their beauty or interest tend to be full of rich colors and scenes. On the other hand, Stéphane's photo books and photo site are full of pictures that speak to the viewer in a completely different way, using subtle colors or an explicit lack of color.
As I mentioned in my previous post, Eclectic Photo Geeks at the Eclectic Music Concert, Stéphane took an opportunity before the concert to give my Nikon D700 a try, particularly enjoying a thin depth of field with my Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 that his current camera can't match.
His test shots were all on my memory card when I got home, and most were indeed throw-away test shots, but the shot shown above, of vase in front of a large paper lantern, stopped me in my tracks. It's not at all the kind of picture that I would take, and it seems to me that it is the kind of picture that Stéphane would take (and, of course, he did take it), so I was thrilled to find a “bridge” between his artistic sense and my own. I really like that shot.
Unfortunately, the bridge remains elusive, because Stéphane does not like it. He futzed with it a bit in Lightroom, posting the result on his Flickr page, but says that he is still not at all satisfied with it. It's just as well because I don't care for the revised version anyway, in that it destroyed whatever it was that I thought was special about the original.
Although our artistic senses don't match, I feel I can learn a lot from Stéphane. He understands his own sense, and can articulate well why he feels as he does. (He articulates it to me in English, which I appreciate, because I remember nothing from my one semester of French in college 20+ years ago.) So, conversations with him are always a learning experience for me... not learning “correct” or “incorrect”, but merely new ways to think artistically.
He has a new photo book coming out next month, Un an à Kyôto (One Year in Kyoto). On a different front, the English translation of a novel he wrote with his wife is currently #33 on Amazon's Best-Seller List. The original French came out in 2006, but seems that it's still #8 on Amazon France's best-seller list. (For reference, the most recent edition of my geeky technical book peaked at #31 when it came out in 2006, but it's now ranked at Amazon.com at #20,213.)
(Maybe some day I'll get a second shot at best-seller ranking with that photography book I've got in me somewhere...)
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Shou and Ricoh
Photo by Zak Braverman
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the participants in the eclectic musical ensemble are all acquaintances of one guy, who thought it'd be nice to get them together. Some of them belong to a camera club together, so advanced amateur photographers were plentiful in attendance, both on stage and in the audience.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 62 mm — 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nishimoto-san and his Canon 85mm f/1.2 Monster
The central acquaintance, Nishimoto-san, had a Canon 85mm f/1.2, a beautiful, robust lens, that we all ogled. Nikon has nothing comparable, though there is a Nikon 50mm f/1.2. Zak used to have one, which I've borrowed to good effect to get artsy-fartsy with the shallow depth of field, and with my D700 to explore the depths of low-light photography.
One of the photographers in attendance was Kyoto friend Stéphane Barbery, who prefers a small, quiet, unobtrusive camera. However, he's looking to branch out and add an advanced SLR for low-light photography, so he took the opportunity to check out the ergonomics and lenses of Nishimoto-san's Canon 5D, and my Nikon D700...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Test Shot With the 5D + 85mm f/1.2
It was during the pre-concert setup that Stéphane was playing with my D700 and 85mm f/1.4 that Zak noticed the interesting photo opportunity of Nakamura-san with his Ricoh compact while in full traditional dress, holding his priceless shou instrument, so he quickly borrowed the camera to snap the shot that leads this post.
Later, Nakamura-san explained the benefits of his Ricoh compact to Stéphane, who had a different model Ricoh...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/30 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nakamura-san — Ricoh Compact — Stéphane Barbery
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 40 mm — 1/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 40 mm — 1/100 sec, f/3.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Eclectic, Intimate Live Concert
Shou · Crystal Bowls · Soprano Voice · Shakuhachi
Zak invited me to a small musical gathering he was part of this evening, at an old Kyoto machiya house that's been turned into a French cafe, Les Trois Maisons. A common friend had recognized their individual talents, and thought it'd make for an interesting experience to put them together.
The intimate ambiance was supurb for live music....
It was less suited to photography, which is perhaps fine because I wanted to enjoy the music, but I did take a few shots, with the low light pushing the limits of the camera and its user.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 170 mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nagayuki Nakamura · Shou
Playing an antique shou, a reeded instrument somewhat akin to a harmonica
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 98 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Kumi Awaji · Crystal Bowls
The bowls sung a deeply penetrating, perfect tone
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/80 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Yuko Izuka · Soprano
over the course of the evening she sung in Japanese, English, German, and Italian
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/30 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Zak Braverman · Shakuhachi
Playing the same priceless shakuhachi flute featured in some macro photography on his blog
That shot of Zak (taken at ISO6400, 200mm, 1/30th second) is a great testament of the benefits of both the Nikon D700's low-light prowess, and of the vibration-reduction feature of my Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 zoom. And, perhaps, my steady hand.
The music selection was also eclectic, ranging from Amazing Grace to Japanese folk classics to Brahms' Lullaby to Italian and Irish pieces that I didn't know. It was all wonderful.
They ended with a singalong of a traditional folk song from 1914, furusato....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/100 sec, f/4.5, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lyric Sheet
Luckily for all involved, I refrained from participating in the singalong.
I had never seen a shou before, so took a few moments to check it out...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/100 sec, f/1.4, ISO 5000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Shou — Bamboo Reeded Instrument
The guy didn't know the full provenance of the instrument beyond about 160 years ago, but he suspects that it was quite old even then.
Each of the bamboo pipes has a small reed in the base...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/100 sec, f/1.4, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tiny Reed
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3600 — map & image data — nearby photos
What am I?
I took this shot with my “What am I?” quizzes in mind, but opted not to use it
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/100 sec, f/2, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Old Cover
The old protective pouch for the shou was in tatters, but priceless.
I've got to also say that the bacon eggplant quiche I had at the cafe was the best quiche I'd ever had... absolutely delicous. I'd gotten there early to eat and chat with friends, and after the concert was actually thinking to have some more for dinner, but the place was getting crowded for a second performance, and I felt bad taking a spot, so decided against it. All the more reason to head back again soon!
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/500 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Coming In for a Landing
Earlier in the month I posted about our trip to the Toganojaya Restaurant in the mountains of north-west Kyoto. After having lunch and a bit of play at the river below it, we continued on a drive deep into the mountains. We drove for hours, but never left Kyoto City proper.
At one point we saw a paraglider descending, so we cut off the main road, through a small settlement, and found the landing spot just as one was coming in. We could see a half dozen other paragliders in the air, so stuck around to watch for a while...
D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm, heavily cropped — 1/400 sec, f/4, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Smooth Ride
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/400 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
“X” Marks the Spot
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/640 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Partner in Flight?
At the edge of the mowed circle, above the paraglider, is a bird of prey coming in for a landing as well
It was a paraglider school/club landing zone, and while we watched, we chatted with one of the paragliders, a guy who had been doing it for 20 years. (Most of the dozen or so people we saw were well into their middle ages and retirement age; the guy seen landing above looked to be about 60 or so.)
They take off from the top of a nearby mountain (here) and flights run from anywhere between 15 minutes to six hours. I suppose that the limiting factor is wind to some extent, and one's bladder to a greater extent.
Anthony was inspired for some Curious George paraglider play, using my floppy I-hate-the-sun hat as George's chute. Anthony liked to try to catch George, while I lifted George up and down...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/1600 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Capture George!
Photo by Fumie M. Friedl
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/1000 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hey, There's One Taking Off
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/1000 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
George Paragliding Play is Fun!
I had the bright idea to throw George and my hat up, to see whether it would catch some air and come down a bit slower than a brick, and indeed, it caught a whole lot of air when a well-timed gust of wind picked it up and brought the pair into the thick, prickly weeds on a steep bank next to the road...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/1000 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
George Flys Out of Frame
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Daddy Feels Stupid, Attempts Retrieval
In the end, George was able to return safely.
The guy I'd talked to told us about a practice area nearby, inviting us to come and watch students learn. We stopped by later but found the hillside deserted, but did see a house that looked like it'd be more at home in Austria than Japan....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 98 mm — 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
pretty, but
Just a Bit out of Place
Behind it, peeking through some evergreens, was a much more Japanese style mountain building, with a thick thatched roof...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Slice of Authenticity
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ready for the Winter
I see that bolts were used in the heavy cross members used in the construction of the weight that holds the top set of thatching down, so it's not old or anything, but still pretty.