Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 17mm — 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Old Wood-Veneer Siding in Kyoto
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In my post the other day about my randomly photographed stroll in Kyoto, I included a photo of a mud-packed wall with badly-damaged wood-veneer siding. The picture above is the wall of the house next door, which is in much better shape.
I thought some might find it appealing as a desktop background, so under the picture I've included links to various sizes, in both standard and widescreen aspect ratios.
A wider view of the house shows a much less compelling view.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 17mm — 1/1500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Part of the art of photography is knowing what to hide. 
For more desktop backgrounds, see the “Desktop Backgrounds” category in the “Post Categories” of the main page.
More pretty views from Biei, Hokkaido, Japan from our trip a month ago. Unlike those posted before, these are from our first day there, when it was much more hazy, overcast, and gloomy. Still, a few nice shots came out, I think, with common themes throughout.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 35mm — 1/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Dirt, Utility Poles, and Mountains
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 135mm — 1/320 sec, f/7.1, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Farmhouse, Utility Pole, and Mountain
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/250 sec, f/7.1, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Farmhouse, Field, and Mountains
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 55mm — 1/1250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, — map & image data — nearby photos
Dirt and Mountains
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 125mm — 1/350 sec, f/8, ISO 200, — map & image data — nearby photos
Clouds, Fields, and Mountains
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 17mm — 1/2000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
“Oyako no Ki”
親子の木
Literally: Parents-and-child Trees
The trees in the last shot (which is better viewed with the larger version — as with most photos I post, click on the image to view) are somewhat famous, even being marked and labeled on area maps. There were at least a dozen people along the road taking pictures of these trees when we came by. How silly, taking pictures of trees. I'm glad I have enough self respect to not lower myself like that. 🙂
Anyway, hmmm, I wonder whether it would make a nice desktop background....?
Yoko-chan's Daddy Unplugged
Last month we attended a small get-together at the house of one of Anthony's classmates, Yoko-chan. Yoko-chan's daddy really appreciates music ... jazz, classical, classic rock.... all kinds, and we were treated to a wonderful selection from his CD and LP collection throughout the evening.
He also plays the guitar quite well, and at one point he and another daddy had a little jam session. I snapped a few wholly unremarkable pictures, but I thought I'd see whether I could turn them into something more interesting. I know that he saw Eric Clapton two nights in a row when he came to the area last year, so I thought I'd try to create a Clapton-esque image album-cover type image.
The result is what you see above, and I'm really happy with it. This is one of those cases where the “happy with it” is more because it's better than I thought I'd be able to do, and not because an impartial observer would think it's great.
It required much more artistic skill than Photoshop skill, which is why I worried that I'd not be able to make what I envisioned. I futzed around with many approaches in Photoshop, finally happening onto this result that encompasses a number of layers: a gray background, the spotlight, the squiggled in shadow, a rough outline of Yoko-chan's daddy with a Darken blend mode, a full-opacity filled in version of Yoko-chan's daddy, and finally, treatments with the “Water Paper” and “Craquelure” filters.
In the end, I'm quite pleased.
On the other hand, others tend to laugh when they see it. Still, Yoko-chan's daddy liked it (or, at least, said he did), which was the intention all along. He even said that he didn't mind my posting it, so here we are.
An Actual Cherry on a Cherry Tree
For some reason I thought that the cherry trees in Japan generally bore no fruit, so it was with some surprise that a cherry almost hit me in the head while I was standing under a tree today. Sure enough, there were a few very small cherries (the size of large peas) here and there on the branches. It was windy and hard to get a picture of anything, but I did taste one and it was bitter-sweet, which reminded me much of what the normal wild cherries I had as a kid.
I was under a cherry tree by the river outside my place, trying to replicate the style of this 30-second night exposure from last year:
I was trying to replicate it during the day, using a Kenko ND400 filter, which cuts the light by a factor of 400 (about 8 2/3rd stops). This lets you have long exposures, which smooths out the river, hides random people and cars that pass by, and perhaps (I wondered) lended an interesting feel to the results. I was wrong.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 34mm — 41 sec, f/10, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bland
The river was indeed smoothed in the 41-second exposure, and the few people and many cars that went by are all but invisible, but ugh, it's a totally bland results.
I'd also tried one aimed at the nearby bridge, which is also bland, although the traffic light showing both red and green at the same time is a bit freaky.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 55mm — 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Having a Stroll in Kyoto
I had to drop the car off for a checkup this morning, and decided to walk the mile or so back to my place. There's nothing particularly special between the car shop and home, but then again, it's fairly typical Kyoto, so I brought the camera along. My route was predetermined, but what I took pictures of was random....
The elderly lady above was just crossing the street (Higashioji, at Nijo), perhaps on her way to the bus stop nearby.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 55mm — 1/320 sec, f/10, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Flower Bed in front of Hotel Fujita
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 17mm — 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Kamo River, North from Nijo St.
We'd had a fairly rainy day on Friday, and you can see where the river had risen a bit and flattened some of the grass on the “island.” It's an amazing sight when the river rises high enough to completely hide all islands and waterfalls. After really heavy rains, the river floods to fill the entire breadth between (and sometimes over) the banks, rising several meters until it almost touches the bridge I was standing on.
It's hard to see in the wide-angle shot above, but on the far right bank there was a group of preschoolers that the teacher had just let loose, running as fast as their happy little feet could carry them. There's just something about seeing little kids run that can't help but bring a smile.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 55mm — 1/320 sec, f/10, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Riverside Play for Preschoolers
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 44mm — 1/200 sec, f/8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Big and Colorful Flower
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 34mm — 1/350 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Building in Need of a Facial
A hundred years ago or so (?), common house construction consisted of timber frames with the walls of mud packed over lightly-woven bamboo lattices, all of which was covered with a veneer of wood planking. Sometimes it lasts a long time, and sometimes it doesn't. I'm not certain which category the house above belongs to, but the wall is clearly on its last legs (or, at least, the veneer is).
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 38mm — 1/1000 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Reincarnation
I thought the non-sign on the building above was interesting, as you can see at least two layers of former lettering. The more recent one literally translates to “Cars of Every Country...” before it's lost in the repair. The one underneath is shorter and harder to see, but I think it begins with “vehicle inspection...” It's also vaguely interesting to see that they replaced the windows, but didn't bother repainting the rest of the front so the remodel work would blend in. I guess exterior appearances are not high on their list.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 45mm — 1/350 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — full exif & map — nearby photos
Roof of a Temple Gate
There are temples all over the place here, but getting a picture of one without utility poles, telephone wires, street signs, cars, or other modern optical junk is more of a challenge. The photo above is just the roof of a small gate, but it's a start.
Not long after taking it I came across the following map by the sidewalk, showing the location of select temples and businesses, with temples being marked with a Swastika The faded red sticker in the upper right shows the location of the sign. A bit to the left and down from there is 佛光寺 (Bukkouji), where I photographed the gate. It's not the Bukkoji Temple, which is a mile or so away, but seems to be for some related sect. I dunno.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 30mm — 1/640 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lots-a' Temples
By the way, the swastika symbol has been used in Japan for thousands of years, long before it was appropriated for evil, so the negative connotations it has in the west are not present here. (Apparently, the earliest recorded use of a swastika dates back about 7,000 years.)
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 55mm — 1/1000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Severed
I go by this intersection pretty much every day, and have always found it interesting how the facade of the building on the right just ends mid stream, so to speak. Did someone sell half their building, with the new owners redoing their half of the facade, leaving the old one cut in half? Who knows....
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 17mm — 1/1600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Thin Margin of Safety
These extra-thin ambulances were getting washed in front of the local fire station. The thinness is, of course, so they can navigate the thin and crowded streets more easily.
Still, I hope my life never depends on one of these, because Japanese ambulances travel about as fast as someone on a bicycle. This slowness is usually due to the crowded streets and the population's apparent general reluctance to care enough for the life of another to bother making room. But even when they have a wide open street, I've never seen them go particularly fast. Perhaps the posted speed limit applies to them, and (unlike everyone else) they actually respect it.
Notice how the taxi is stopped in the “keep clear for ambulances” zone? I hate taxis.
The big tree at the right was featured in the bunches-of-blossoms post.
Finally, I stopped by the convenience store close to my place, and took the following picture of an area near the sidewalk: short shrubs with a sea of recently-bloomed pink.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 55mm — 1/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 100 — full exif & map — nearby photos
Sea of Pink
These colorful blossoms are making themselves seen all around these days. In fact, the first photo of the stroll an hour earlier was of the same subject at a separate location. I've had a lot of flowers on my blog lately, and too many pictures vying for inclusion in this post, so only one location's sea of pink made the cut today.