{"id":1642,"date":"2010-10-25T22:21:57","date_gmt":"2010-10-25T13:21:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2010-10-25\/1642"},"modified":"2010-11-27T22:02:42","modified_gmt":"2010-11-27T13:02:42","slug":"flower-arranging-exhibition-revisited-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2010-10-25\/1642","title":{"rendered":"Flower Arranging Exhibition, Revisited (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\nNOTE<\/b>: 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.\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 560 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nIkebana<\/i> Show<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Two weeks ago I visited an ikebana<\/i> (flower arranging) exhibition\nand posted some pictures of arrangements done by\nkids<\/a> (aged about three to eight). Today I'll follow up with shots of a\nfew<\/span> of the many (100+?) other arrangements.<\/p>\n\n

I wrote in that post two weeks ago the problems with photography at the\nevent.... the backgrounds, the lighting, the positioning... all were\nelements that I couldn't<\/span> control, and all were horrible from a photography<\/span>\npoint of view.<\/p>\n\n

I'm about as uncultured a clod as you'll find, but even I could<\/span> tell\nthat the whole concept of an ikebana exhibition seems to go against\neverything that ikebana seems to be about. Here's a great<\/span> example:<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nOut of Place<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

The light-hearted bicycle thing is not part of your average ikebana\ndisplay, but the “out of place” here is that this arrangement would be at\nhome in the small garden off a quaint<\/span> little country cafe, not here naked\non a cloth<\/span>-covered card table bathed in a mixture<\/span> of fluorescent and\nincandescent lights, sandwiched between two other arrangements as different\nfrom it as can be, yet equally out of place themselves.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Trying to enjoy these arrangements the way ikebana are meant to be\nexperienced is like trying to listen to a fine<\/span> string quartet in a seedy<\/span>\ngrunge bar.... while 10 other bands blare 10 other kinds of music at the\nsame time.<\/p>\n\n

I didn't notice this at all when I came<\/span> to the same exhibition three\nyears ago<\/a>, so I felt<\/span> slightly more cultured having noticed the discord\nthis time. I ran into<\/span> an acquaintance who is rather high up in the ikebana\nworld and mentioned my feelings, and she looked at me as if she had no clue\nwhat I was<\/span> saying. This is likely because she had no clue what I was<\/span> saying\n(my Japanese is not always the best), or it might be because I was<\/span> way off\nbase.<\/p>\n\n

Thinking about it now, it could be that anyone with sense knows that\nthese are meant to be viewed while the mind is in the proper spot\nappropriate for each piece, or that they're here not to be “enjoyed” at\nall, but rather, they're gathered all together in one place to demonstrate\ntechniques and trends among the practitioners.<\/p>\n\n

I dunno.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 360 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Anyway, I tried<\/span> to capture what I could,<\/span> and tended to find the best balance\nby getting in sort of close...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMedium Close<\/span>\nseems about right for the conditions\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 2200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nA Bit<\/span> Too Close<\/span>\njust seems cluttered, though less so when viewed at full size and you can see where the focus is\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nA Bit<\/span> Too Far<\/span>\ndocuments the entire thing, but is snooooozeville\n<\/div>\n\n

Here's another pair:<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 1400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 1600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

There was an area with a strong Jakartian theme, bringing in some feathers....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 1100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 4500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

My Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm\nf\/2.5 macro<\/a> couldn't resist the feathers, but with the plane of focus\nthinner than the thickness of the feather and my inability to use a tripod<\/span>\nor brace against anything, it was really difficult to hit focus while just\nhovering. (Most of my concentration was directed at not touching anything!)\nThe only thing really in focus in the next shot are the stripes toward the\nleft of the frame...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 4000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Some arrangements were huge floor displays, difficult to find clear among the teeming crowd...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 220 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nIt's Back There Somewhere<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

I particularly liked this one arrangement...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 1100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSoft and Subtle<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 5000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nToo Close<\/span>\nthough disembodied flowers are still pretty\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 2500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStepping Too Far Back<\/span>\nloses everything, but is not back far enough even to document the whole thing\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 640 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nDocumentation Shot<\/span>\nin the corner, at the end of the table\n<\/div>\n\n

There was a similar piece further down the table...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 560 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

... but I preferred the first one because it matched the environment I\nimagined<\/span> for it better than the second matched the environment I imagined<\/span> for\nit<\/i>. (This, of course, is more of a statement<\/span> about my imagination\nthan about the relative merits of the two pieces.)<\/p>\n\n

The second piece certainly did have a nice<\/span> flower, though...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 4500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSumptuous<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Here's a piece by someone way high up that I liked<\/span> a lot,<\/span> but looks like nothing in this wide shot....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 450 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

But my lens liked the detail... here are two views of the same little area:<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 1800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 2200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

It's difficult to tell without context, but the mushrooms were huge for\nbeing matsutake, comparable to those I mention<\/span> in “Feasting Like\nIndulgent Royalty on Matsutake Mushrooms<\/a>”. They would have cost\nhundreds of dollars.<\/p>\n\n

There was another table of “junior” entries, by older kids than those that appeared in the\nprevious post...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 220 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1250 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

The rest of this post is a collection of random one-off shots illustrating some of the other arrangements...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 450 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 720 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n
Portrait-Mode Vertical Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\n1050×<\/span>1680<\/a>  ·  1200×<\/span>1920<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>2560<\/a><\/small>     <\/span>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 360 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 1000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 3600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\n1050×<\/span>1680<\/a>  ·  1200×<\/span>1920<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>2560<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two weeks ago I visited an ikebana (flower arranging) exhibition and posted some pictures of arrangements done by kids (aged about three to eight). Today I'll follow up with shots of a few of the many (100+?) other arrangements.<\/p>

I wrote in that post two weeks ago the problems with photography at the event.... the backgrounds, the lighting, the positioning... all were elements that I couldn't control, and all were horrible from a photography point of view.<\/p>

I'm about as uncultured a clod as you'll find, but even I could tell that the whole concept of an ikebana exhibition seems [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2,6,25],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1642"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1642\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}