{"id":1690,"date":"2011-01-04T11:51:50","date_gmt":"2011-01-04T02:51:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2011-01-04\/1690"},"modified":"2011-01-04T11:51:59","modified_gmt":"2011-01-04T02:51:59","slug":"when-you-tempt-fate-sometimes-you-lose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2011-01-04\/1690","title":{"rendered":"When You Tempt Fate, Sometimes You Lose"},"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

On January 1st, we made a visit to the Heian Shrine for\nhatsumode<\/i><\/a>, a\nritualistic<\/span> “first visit to a shrine<\/span> in the new year” that's a religious<\/span>\nexperience for some, but a cultural<\/span> event for all. The shrine<\/span> was open\nall night, but even at noon it was still crowded...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/16, ISO 720 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStreet Fair<\/span>\nstreets near the shrine were closed to traffic\n<\/div>\n\n

(The shot above was taken from under the big orange shrine gate that straddles the road... view the “nearby photos” link under the pic\nto see area views.)<\/p>\n\n

Inside the shrine courtyard there was a long<\/span> line waiting to get in...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/16, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nfrom the\nEnd of the Line<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

The line looks long, but it moved briskly and we were in and out in just five minutes.<\/p>\n\n

There was snow on the ground, but because of the crowds it wasn't\nparticularly pretty, unlike previous times I'd visited the shrine after a\nsnow<\/span> (such as this<\/a>, this<\/a>, and my personal\nfavorite, this<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n

But what I really noticed was the snow on the roof of the main building,\nin the left half of the photo above. Kyoto had a huge<\/span> (for it) snowfall\nthe previous two days, but today the sun was out and it was getting warmer,\nso I knew<\/span> that snow would be sliding down at some point soon, and anyone\nheading in or out of the main building would be a potential<\/span> target for a\nfew<\/span> seconds each way.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/16, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nReverse-Angle View<\/span>\nfrom the top of the steps, looking back at the main gate building from the opposite side as seen in the first photo\n<\/div>\n\n

As we were leaving, a bunch of slushy snow fell in a big<\/span> wet\nsploosh<\/i> to one side of the step, making quite a sound<\/span> and an\nimpressive splash. It had started<\/span>, and every so often some snow would give\nway and slide down the grooves of the roof, launch off the end, and sploosh\ndown on whatever was below.<\/p>\n\n

Fumie and Anthony eventually returned home, but I stuck<\/span> around to\nwitness the splooshing. (I had<\/span> only one medium-size zoom with me, so most of the photos below are heavily cropped from larger frames.)<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWide View<\/span>\nwith a line of wet slush starting to fall center frame\n<\/div>\n\n

Once it started, the pace picked up quickly, with hunks falling at\nrandom locations every 10 or 15 seconds. Judging from the amount of snow on\nthe roof in this photo compared with the second photo of this post, it\nseems that half the snow has already plopped down.<\/p>\n\n

In the two shots below, a shrine worker makes an ill-timed excursion to\nfetch a dropped<\/span> umbrella when a vertical<\/span> grove of snow from the tiled roof\nall slides down in unison, dropping a dozen<\/span> big wet hunks of slush in quick\nsuccession right next to him...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSplat<\/span>\ntwo small hunks of snow caught mid-air to the right of the worker\nfollowing a bunch that had already splatted moments before\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWell and Truly Splattered<\/span>\nat least he got that third umbrella\n<\/div>\n\n

Temporary guards hired for the\nseason soon set up shop on the three sets of steps with an umbrella in each\nhand, trying to protect the people as they filed in and out...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n3, 3, 6<\/span>\nthree sets of steps, three guards, six umbrellas\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNot Too Effective<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHere Comes One<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSnow: 1,   Guard: 0<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

The umbrellas weren't very effective because the snow was heavy enough\nfor the most part to collapse the umbrella, plowing right through it. Or, like\nan air-burst bomb, allowed the splat to happen high up, thereby covering a wider<\/span> area.<\/p>\n\n

But splats on the ground were pretty effective as well...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHaze of Splatter<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

I didn't feel too bad for the victims because by this point everyone\nhad had \n\na front<\/span>-row view of the splatterings while approaching the steps in line,\nso everyone knew the situation clearly. The smart<\/span>\nones took a glance<\/span> up before venturing through the kill zone, but not\neveryone is smart.<\/p>\n\n

Here's a guy that's either smart or lucky, as he held up his descent and saved himself from\nbeing a target.<\/span>..<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNear Miss<\/span>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The next pair of photos is of another near miss...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFirst Splat<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEscape!<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

I had my hand down on the eight-frames-per-second rapid fire frame\nrelease, so I got<\/span> a nice<\/span> sequence of the dad and his daughter. I gave him<\/span>\nmy card with an offer for the photos, as I sometimes<\/span> do (such as to the dad\nin this photo<\/a>),\nbut no one has ever taken me up on it. Sorta disappointing, 'cause they'd\nbe fun memories for the folks in the photos.<\/p>\n\n

Not all memories are necessarily “fun” (at least not for everyone ;-)).  Consider this photo...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nForeboding<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Notice the blobs of white snow mid-fall in the top of the frame, and the\nlady in the long white jacket heading down the steps....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThis Won't End Well<\/span>\nanother blob mid-fall just above her as she doesn't<\/i> pause her descent\n<\/div>\n\n

The lady continued her descent of the stairs, and the snow continued its descent toward its own destiny, splatting\nright in front of her...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWe Have a Winner!<\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

I would have liked to stick around, but was running late, so with that\nshot in pocket, headed home. A parting<\/span> shot shows that most of the snow was\ngone from the roof anyway...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nParting View<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On January 1st, we made a visit to the Heian Shrine for hatsumode, a ritualistic \"first visit to a shrine in the new year\" that's a religious experience for some, but a cultural event for all. The shrine was open all night, but even at noon it was still crowded...<\/p>

(The shot above was taken from under the big orange shrine gate that straddles the road... view the \"nearby photos\" link under the pic to see area views.)<\/p>

Inside the shrine courtyard there was a long line waiting to get in...<\/p>

The line looks long, but it moved briskly and [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1690"}],"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=1690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1690\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}