An impressive entrance to an even more impressive 'dwelling' of a Shogun from the 8th century. Since no interior photography was allowed, we only have photos of exterior elements. Sad, as there were quite amazing antique wall paintings and interesting architectural features throughout. Japan's architecture is so much fun to photograph!
Image used 3 photos, combined in Photomatix, then processed in Color Efex to bring out the sky.
Thank you for your wonderful response to the Kimono Walkway shot!! I appreciated your taking the time to look, comment, and to fav, despite my lack of commenting! 365 is such a supportive and understanding community! No internet for the next two days...but hoping for a little downtime to download and process.
For a closeup of the details, see Michael's at http://365project.org/vankrey/365/2014-06-09
Wow this is such a wonderful gateway Taffy - You can almost imagine what it was like way back when this was built - so sumptuous for the rich!! What a shame you couldn't take shots inside. One question - Is it possible to straighten the shot or is this the result of the wide angle lens? Your trip sounds fabulous!!
@pamknowler Thanks Pam! The trip has been wonderful! Re the angle, I purposely used the wide angle to distort. I have several that are straight on, but my preference was to try to do something that felt interpretive, rather than something that might be on a post card. It's so imposing an entrance that it feels like it's looming over you, and I was trying to convey that with the sort of ominous angle. Not sure it worked! My super-wide angle at 14 will always distort so I either have to embrace it, or take in in such a way that I can straighten it in post processing (requires a very large border that can be eliminated).
Oh, Taffy! This really underscores your presence in Japan! How magnificent! Every time I see your photos, you fill me with the desire to return and "try again"! It's all a feast for the eyes, isn't it?!
Oh Taffy this is just gorgeous!!! How exciting. Your POV and lighting is wonderful! Super FAV I was in Japan in 1986 and fell in love with it! My son is leaving for Vietnam tomorrow and so wish I was going with him.
What a fabulous shot and amazing detail. Your photos make one feel like they are standing right there. I am so envious but so happy to see your photos. Where else could I say that I have seen so mud of our world and fabulous photos of it. FAV
Very good composition, I think, using a POV which allowed you to capture not only the entrance, but also some of the "forbidden" inside, and just managing to get the inside roofs within the frame of the entrance. What looks a bit unnatural (but perhaps that is what it actually looked like, and then it is fine), is the darkness of the clouds above the entrance, compared to the very light clouds deeper into the picture...any idea why that has happened?
@ericdibosco Thanks Eric -- I always appreciate your feedback! I think the difference in the clouds was that a storm was coming in, and what I have is what was basically overhead, while in the distance the sky was lighter. I did darken the sky a bit, but even before it was darkened, there was a pretty big difference in sky above and below that entry. I decided to just go with it and exaggerate it a bit more since I liked the ominousness of it. It may not have been the right way to go...
@emiko Thanks Emiko! And I had a little laugh. It is VERY muggy and my hair is quite curly and frizzy here. But I'm enjoying all I'm seeing and learning so much that I am not letting it bother me. But I"d hate to run into an old boyfriend!!
@eyesmile Thanks so much Gena!! Vietnam is really high on our bucket list. That's so cool your son is going (and it has such different meaning today than it would have when we were young!). It's supposed to be such a beautiful country -- I've loved the photos I've seen from friends' visits there.
FAV! I love how your image is dramatic in a way that makes me say, "Wow!" and then my eyes rest peacefully on the more traditional image beyond the gate.
Amazing photo and fav!