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Kinkaku-ji
Kinkaku-ji
hopelessoptimist


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Free Study 2009-11 (Advanced Editing VII)
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 12-24mm f/4.0G IF-ED
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Date: Nov 3, 2009
Aperture: F9-F14
ISO: 400
Shutter: 1/320-1/1250
Galleries: Architecture, High Dynamic Range (HDR)
Date Uploaded: Nov 24, 2009

 This is probably my favorite photo taken during my trip to Japan. My girlfriend and I spent 10 days split between Kyoto and Tokyo. What a clean country! Such a stark contrast coming back to Los Angeles.

This is Kinkaku-ji in northern Kyoto. The weather had been cloudy with off-and-on light rain for the last day and a half and this day we were fortunate to get the sky AND the clouds. I love it when my outdoor photographs can get some texture in the sky! We don't see many clouds in L.A. It is ridiculous. The photograph is another attempt at honing in on the art of High Dynamic Range photography. It is 5 exposures all at ISO 400 with the following F-stop, Shutter speed: F13, 1/640; F18, 1/1250; F14, 1/800; F10, 1/400; and F9, 1/320. It was a bit breezy and these are all handheld, then combined in PS. Hopefully the movement in the near tree isn't too evident. Next was tone mapping with the Photomatix plugin, curves layer for contrast, brightness/contrast layer to bring back the darker areas, and minor dodging/burning to fix smaller details in the roof and tree in the water.

Hope it doesn't look too over-processed and everyone likes it as much as I do!

Statistics
Place: 95 out of 366
Avg (all users): 6.0523
Avg (commenters): 7.0000
Avg (participants): 6.0180
Avg (non-participants): 6.1429
Views since voting: 1089
Views during voting: 58
Votes: 153
Comments: 6
Favorites: 1 (view)

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AuthorThread
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM
 12/06/2009 09:59:49 PM
Beautiful! Leaves were redder and it was raining when I went there in mid-November...
Nikon D800
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
 12/06/2009 08:58:14 PM
Brilliant, highly saturated scene. Nice reflections. Good cloud detail. I like it.
Nikon D750
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
 12/02/2009 12:22:30 PM
I would have bumped this up more if your little house had been in super sharp focus...this is very, very lovely
Canon EOS-50D
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
 12/01/2009 05:04:05 PM
Peaceful looking, colorful, clear shot. Nice one.
Leica SL
Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/1.7 Aspherical MF Wide Angle - Black
 12/01/2009 03:50:54 PM
Very well balanced and effective image.
Nikon D3s
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR
 12/01/2009 10:16:43 AM
This looks like a dream. Well done!
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