{"id":2041,"date":"2012-07-04T09:46:04","date_gmt":"2012-07-04T00:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2012-07-04\/2041"},"modified":"2012-07-04T09:46:04","modified_gmt":"2012-07-04T00:46:04","slug":"discovery-on-the-way-to-the-waterfall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2012-07-04\/2041","title":{"rendered":"Discovery On The Way to The Waterfall"},"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

The other day I posted my first attempt at a waterfall<\/span> shot, in “A Snapshot<\/span> From\nToday's Hike: Kuuya-taki Waterfall in Western Kyoto<\/a>”. I'd made an<\/span>\nunplaned visit with Nicolas Joannin after the visit to the Gioji\nTemple<\/a> that I've been posting about lately.<\/p>\n\n

We discovered the waterfall in the same way that I discover<\/span> a lot<\/span> of\nthing, by following a small<\/span> mountain road that I'd seen on a map<\/span> and\nwondered why it was there. After a while<\/span> of narrow deep-mountain winding\nsometimes-rough roads not\nunlike these I wrote<\/span> about last year<\/a>, we came to a small<\/span> turnoff at a\nriver,<\/span> with a couple<\/span> of footpaths leading away. It seemed<\/span> as good a point<\/span>\nas any to stop and investigate.<\/p>\n\n

One path seemed to head up the mountain, while the other one looked to\nparallel the picturesque river. We took that<\/span> one first.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 4000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFirst Shot Needs Salt<\/span>\njust doesn't work at all: needs a tripod<\/span> and a polarizer<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

My first reaction to a beautiful scene when I'm out with the camera is\nto take a picture,<\/span> even when I know<\/span> it won't come out, and indeed I often<\/span>\nhave my intuition confirmed. With flowing water you need a longer<\/span> exposure\nto capture that sense of movement, but that requires a tripod,<\/span> which I\ndidn't<\/span> bring. (Remember, I had no<\/span> idea what, if anything, I would<\/span> find when\nI picked<\/span> the road in the first place.)<\/p>\n\n

The first snapshot also came out really flat, telling me that I'd likely\nbenefit from a polarizing<\/span> filter, as I did<\/span> earlier with the moss\nat the temple<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Upon hearing my whining about the lack of a tripod,<\/span> Nicolas reaches into\nhis small backpack and magically produces a Joby\nGorillapod<\/a> that he bought at\nYodobashi Camera<\/a>. I'd never<\/span> really seen one of these, and thought it\nwas a great<\/span> chance to give it a try.<\/span>..<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nE-P2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>25 sec, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBad Hair Day<\/span>\ncourtesy of the summer heat, a motorcycle helmet, and me being me\n( but hey, at least I had a clean shave, unlike the other day's portraiture<\/a> )\nphoto by Nicolas Joannin<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

As you can see in the photo above (at least if you can avert your eyes from the trainwreck that is my hair), the Gorillapod is pretty convenient.<\/p>\n\n

Here's the first result with it, an 0.8 second exposure...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 0.8 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBetter<\/span>\nbut still needs that polarizer\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nE-P2 + LUMIX G VARIO 14-45\/F3.5-5.6 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>8 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNew Setup<\/span>\nphoto by Nicolas Joannin<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 2 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThis is More Like It<\/span>\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

I finally got around to using the polarizer, and used a longer<\/span>\ntwo-second exposure to get more creamy blur, and the result finally enters\nthe “at least it's not crap” range. Composition still leaves something to\nbe desired, as does sharpness. The Gorillapod<\/span> is nice, but was taxed by the heavy D700 +\nVoigtl\u00e4nder 125mm\nf\/2.5<\/a> combination, and the camera undulated like crazy\nin the wind.<\/p>\n\n

Still, though not perfect, I was all<\/span> for testing, since it was my first time with the tripod and with flowing water...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nE-P2 + LUMIX G VARIO 14-45\/F3.5-5.6 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>8 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPrecarious<\/span>\nphoto by Nicolas Joannin<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

(You can see above that I'm “wearing” the\nrepurposed lens bag<\/a> that I wrote<\/span> about earlier this year.)<\/p>\n\n

Here's the shot I got with the setup seen above...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 2.5 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMeh<\/span>\nwas worth a try\n<\/div>\n\n

(The stairs of the path along the river is slightly visible in the far upper right of the photo.)<\/p>\n\n

Nicolas, a genetic biologist by trade, tends to like bugs, a subject<\/span>\ncovered in this blog\npost<\/a>. He found<\/span> a fuzzy<\/span> caterpillar he wanted to photograph up close, so\nemployed my Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm with an adapter on his Olympus E-P2...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nChallenging Setup<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 5600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nIn Action<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nE-P2 — 4 sec, ISO 200 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nNicolas's Bug<\/span>\nphoto by Nicolas Joannin<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

We slowly made our way up the mountain on the well-paved path along the river, stopping every few moments for more wonders to photograph.<\/p>\n\n

At one point a small stream joined the river, running by some kind of monument with what at first glance seemed to be a bunch<\/span> of old rusty pistons...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 5600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMonument To The White-Snake King?<\/span>\nperhaps related to the legends I've heard of about white snakes that guard the area's water supply?\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBuckets<\/span>\n( not pistons )\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

At random intervals one finds remnants of walls that indicate that things were going on in previous generations (centuries? millennia?)...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 2200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nRemnants<\/span>\nand, in the background, the modern garbage that is ubiquitous in Japanese nature\n<\/div>\n\n

Tons of gorgeous ferns everywhere, but I never<\/span> get a picture<\/span> that I feel<\/span> does them justice, though I try.<\/span>..<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 2000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n“Protect the Forest From Fire”<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

We eventually came across a cluster of modern (but tightly buttoned up) buildings that seemed to be part of a shrine<\/span> of some sort.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nShrine<\/span>\napparently to this “Dragon King”<\/a>, whatever that is\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 4000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNicolas With His Gorillapod<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

The main path seemed to run through the cluster of buildings, though as\nwe took it I wasn't<\/span> 100% sure it was necessarily open to the public because\nthe area was unmarked and had more of a feeling<\/span> of someone's unkempt\nbackyard strewn with “stuff” than a public<\/span> hiking trail. Since the path did\nlead directly there, one would expect “no entry” signs if not open to the\npublic, so lacking those, with a sense<\/span> of adventure and discover, we\npressed forward.<\/p>\n\n

We did notice, however, off to the side the ruins of an old stone\nstaircase launching up the side of the mountain in a manner<\/span> that screamed\n“deathtrap”, and I half<\/span> expected Indiana Jones to come flying down with a\nlook<\/span> of terror (and a slight<\/span> mischievous smile) on his face....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 3600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStaircase Ruins<\/span>\nprecariously steep and highly dilapidated, leading..... where?\n<\/div>\n\n

Continued here...<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The other day I posted my first attempt at a waterfall shot, in \"A Snapshot From Today's Hike: Kuuya-taki Waterfall in Western Kyoto\". I'd made an unplaned visit with Nicolas Joannin after the visit to the Gioji Temple that I've been posting about lately.<\/p>

We discovered the waterfall in the same way that I discover a lot of thing, by following a small mountain road that I'd seen on a map and wondered why it was there. After a while of narrow deep-mountain winding sometimes-rough roads not unlike these I wrote about last year, we came to a small turnoff [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,1,2,6,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2041"}],"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=2041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2041\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}