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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
What am I?
Out for a walk in the countryside today, I came across something I'd never seen before. If you don't know what it is, can you guess?
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Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 190 mm — 1/125 sec, f/7.1, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Cherry-Blossom “Snow”
from last year
This year's cherry blossom season in Kyoto is turning out quite odd, or, at least it seem so to my limited experience. Last week, matching up how the blossoms were shaping up compared to how they were in the month-long cherry-blossom timelapse I posted last year, it seemed that this year was a couple of days ahead, and indeed, one of the trees outside my window is getting full of blossoms.
But I was out and about quite a bit today, and from what I could tell, most trees were nowhere near as far along. Some trees had no blossoms at all. One reason, perhaps, is that it's been quite cold for the last week, with evening temperatures dipping into the low forties, not getting much higher during some days (like today) than the low fifties.
Anyway, here are some pictures from last April 7th, from a fountain near the park where Anthony likes to ride his bike. That day was overcast, sort of gloomy day, but cherry blossoms can brighten anything up. I posted just a few photos that day (Just Like That, Kyoto's Cherry-Blossom Season Ends), but posted some others from the day later in the fall.
And now a few more today. In the shot below, you can see Anthony riding his bike next to a fountain. You can see all the cherry-blossom petals accumulating everywhere, including the edge of the grass next to him...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/80 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
The blossom petals that fell into the water were pushed by the brisk wind to the far end of the fountain....
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 23 mm — 1/180 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
The view when you got up close was pretty...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/125 sec, f/9, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Floating Cherry-Blossom Petals
I suspected that a straight-down shot might make for an interesting desktop-background image, so I took a few different types...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/160 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bed of Blossoms
Unfortunately, the blossoms turn brown as they start to go bad, and that sort of mars the composition. Or not, depending on your view. Personally, I'd like it much better with just pure, fluffy petals.
Here's a less close-up view..
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/180 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Middle-Close View
For the one above, I spent a few minutes clicking on the clone tool in Lightroom to hide the most egregious brown spots, but I don't know that it was worth it, because the result is just a different degree of “not pure”.
FWIW, here's a pulled-back view...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 34 mm — 1/180 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pulled-Back View
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/250 sec, f/4, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Cherry-Blossom Petal Inspection Service
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/1000 sec, f/3.2, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Somewhat Mesmerizing
for some reason
Here's a view with more water and fewer petals....
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/500 sec, f/7.1, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Less Dense
I don't know that any of these are particularly interesting as desktop backgrounds, but since I took them, I thought I'd share them.
Here's a shot from the same location, looking past the park through to the main gate of the Heian Shrine...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Those trees don't have any blossoms yet this year. Nor does the big tree in the middle of the park, which was at full bloom 51 weeks ago...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/80 sec, f/5.6, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
So, it seems like things will be a bit later this year, although everyone was saying that it would be early this year. We'll see. As it looks now, Easter weekend is shaping up to be the main event this year.
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For the last month or so I've been working on a new Lightroom plugin that allows one to edit metadata-viewer presets (that is, to adjust to their liking the list of photo-info items that Lightroom displays; an in-Lightroom version of the web-based preset editor that I built a couple of years ago).
What the plugin does is simple, but building the UI (user interaction) has proven to be the most difficult among all the plugins I've done, by far. It's been driving me batty.
So, I'm shoving it out as a beta before it drives me completely crazy. Here it is, long name and all: Jeffrey's Metadata-Viewer Preset Editor Lightroom Plugin
It's a beta, and it expires in a month because I don't want to leave beta versions lying around. I'll certainly push out new versions before then.
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/125 sec, f/3.5, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
I still have many pictures I want to share from our trip to the onsen at Kinosaki a couple of months ago. These pictures are from the evening (it was a one-night stay) after dressing in yukata to head out to an onsen for our evening bath.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/125 sec, f/3.5, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ready To Head Out
for a Bath
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| Being Silly With Mommy | ||
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ninja Play!
( this is one of my favorites )
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| Ninja Comedian? | ||
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 58 mm — 1/125 sec, f/3.5, ISO 2500 — map & image data — nearby photos
after all is said and done, he is
Still A Little Boy
and in this shot was pretending to be a baby holding onto his George
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 45 mm — 1/125 sec, f/3.5, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Waiting
for Mommy and Daddy
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 56 mm — 1/80 sec, f/3.5, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Photo Op
on the way out to the bath
Here's the onsen we went to, which was just a minute from our ryokan...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 45 mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Onsen
one of many in Kinosaki
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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 98 mm — 1/400 sec, f/3.5, ISO 6400 — full exif
Did you Hear That?
oh no, she might come in!
It was Fumie's birthday the other day, and Anthony had the idea to bake cookies for her. I thought it'd be a great project for them to do together, but he wanted to do it as a surprise for her, so it fell to me. This meant, as a start, that I had to investigate whether we had an oven.
It turns out that our microwave oven doubles as a heat convection oven, so that was set. Armed with a recipe in hand, we went to the store and got flour, yeast, sugar, etc., and came home to mix it all up.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 105 mm — 1/250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 4000 — full exif
Should be Tasty!
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 82 mm — 1/250 sec, f/5, ISO 6400 — full exif
Attention to Detail
He wanted to pair the cookies up with some fresh-squeezed orange juice (well, tangerine juice), so while the cookies cooked, he went next door to Fumie's folks to make it....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/25 sec, f/16, ISO 6400 — full exif
Fresh Squeezed, With Love
You can see in the lower-left of the picture above a pinkish box. While we were shopping for ingredients, he was excited to find this set of chocolate figurines... a bunny, one that says “happy birthday”, etc. To his delight, he found that it also included a chocolate pen. He wanted to write something on Mommy's cookie, but I suggested that he practice first on his cookie. Of course, he liked the idea. 🙂
You can sort of see a heart shape on his practice cookie...
Stupidly, I neglected to get a picture of Mommy's cookie presentation, but you can sort of see it in the background of this shot of Anthony passing out cookies to others...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 52 mm — 1/125 sec, f/8, ISO 3200 — full exif
handmade is
Satisfying
After he was done with his cookies, he was still hungry, so thought to eat his own hand. Of course, it had to be prepared appropriately....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/125 sec, f/5, ISO 1600 — full exif
変な Henna
( that's just a little linguistic pun there, 'cause I'm so witty )
