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posted: August 31st, 2013 |
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This page begins with August 3rd when Kazuya and I went out and climbed Mt. Takao (599 m = 1,965 ft) for the 94th time and Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro yama (670 m = 2,199 ft) for the 43rd time. After that I went out to Mt. Mitake to photograph the False Anemone (Rengeshouma in Japanese) (Anemonopsis macrophylla) on August 11th. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin August 3rd |
In this row are 2 shots of Hydrangea involucrata - (Tama-Ajisai in Japanese). In Japanese egg = tama-go. Kazuya told me that this plant is called this because the buds look rather like eggs, and additionally, when they start to open, the outer layer falls off and drops to the ground. Under the bushes it looks like somebody dropped some egg shells! In the first shot you can see a flower and also several unopened buds and in the 2nd shot you can see how the outer bud is breaking apart.
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 Aug3rd_02_Takao_Hikage_ HydrangeaInvolucrataRC |
 Aug03_01_Takao_ Hydrangea_involucrataRC |
Here are 2 final shots of Hydrangea involucrata - (Tama-Ajisai in Japanese). We should have taken a photo of the "egg shells" lying on the ground under the bush, but didn't think to do that - maybe next time.
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 Aug03_05_Takao_ Hydrangea_involucrataRC |
 Aug03_06_Takao_ Hydrangea_involucrataRC |
Here are 2 shots of Cardiocrinum cordatum - (Uba-Yuri in Japanese = Old-Lady Lily). Last month we showed you a single photo of the buds of this lily plant and you can see it HERE (new window or tab).
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 Aug03_09_Takao_ Cardiocrinum_cordatumRC |
 Aug03_12_Takao_ Cardiocrinum_cordatumRC |
Here are 2 more shots of Cardiocrinum cordatum - (Uba-Yuri in Japanese = Old-Lady Lily). Note the bee in the first photo, and all of the pollen stuck to its body! The 2nd shot was processed from a Digital Negative in Photoshop. Yes, the Canon SX40 HS that I own is capable of recording Digital Negatives if one installs the CHDK (Canon Hack Development Kit) software on an SDHC card and then installs it to the camera upon startup. Read more about it HERE (new window or tab) if you have lots of time and unlimited patience. I have not used it since December 2010, and if you would like to see those photos then visit THIS PAGE (new window or tab). There are 4 images on this page which were taken as Digital Negatives and then processed with Photoshop. Why would one want to do this? Because it allows you to shoot in extremely dark/overcast conditions and then end up with a decent photo by processing with software which allows it (Photoshop does). In the next row I will show you an example of what I am talking about.
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 Aug3rd_30_Takao_Hikage _CardiocrinumCordatumRC |
 Aug03_29_Takao_Takao _Cardiocrinum_cordatum_FromDNGRC |
Here is a single shot of an interesting small Thistle. The first image has been processed from a Digital Negative and the 2nd image shows both the processed image and the unprocessed image. You'll notice that it was very dark - due to heavy clouds - and that although the image probably would have been useable after a bit of brightening, the very light pink color would probably have been totally lost by doing that. Processing the Digital Negative, however, allowed the very slight pink color to be retained.
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 Aug03_21_Takao_ Thistle_FromDNGRC |
 Aug03_21_Takao_Thistle _FromDNG_UnprocDNGRC |
Here are 3 shots of Dicliptera japonica - (Hagurosou in Japanese). The 3rd photo would probably have benefited if shot as a Digital Negative and then processed, as it is the colors look kind of fake, but I assure you that nothing has been done to this photo beyond cropping and using Shadow Illuminator Pro to illuminate the shadows. I believe that I must have shot it using "Cloudy Mode".
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 Aug3rd_40_Takao_Hikage _DiclipteraJaponicaRC |
 Aug03_02_Takao_ Dicliptera_japonicaRC |
 Aug03_04_Takao_ Dicliptera_japonicaRC |
In this row are 2 shots of Conandron ramondioides - (Iwa-Tabako in Japanese). The center image is a cropped version of the 3rd photo. This is a flower which we seldom see and even more seldom get a decent photo of. It grows just about 100% only on rock walls and only in very shaded and damp locations, for example on the rock walls at waterfalls. These shots were taken about 100 meters from a waterfall, and in a very dark and damp valley. The flash was used for all of them.
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 Aug03_43_Takao_ Conandron_ramondioidesRC |
 Aug03_45Crop_Takao_ Conandron_ramondioidesRC |
 Aug03_45_Takao_ Conandron_ramondioidesRC |
Here are 2 additional shots of Conandron ramondioides - (Iwa-Tabako in Japanese).
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 Aug03_36_Takao_ Conandron_ramondioidesRC |
 Aug03_39_Takao_ Conandron_ramondioidesRC |
In this row are 3 shots of the very poisonous Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric) mushroom. These came out very nicely. The first image was processed from a Digital Negative.
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 Aug03_51_Takao_ Amanita_muscaria_FromDNGRC |
 Aug03_47_Takao_ Amanita_muscariaRC |
 Aug03_53_Takao_ Amanita_muscariaRC |
Here are 2 shots of a species of Arisaema (Jack-in-the-pulpit) with very red berries. The 3rd shot is a species of Tricyrtis, commonly referred to as Toad Lily.
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 Aug03_55_Takao _Arisaema_spRC |
 Aug03_56_Takao _Arisaema_spRC |
 Aug03_59_Takao _Tricyrtis_spRC |
Now we have arrived at Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro yama for the 43rd time. We ate the lunch which we brought with us and we had these HUGE Sno-Cones (Kakigori in Japanese). This place is rather famous for these HUGE Sno-Cones - and they are no more expensive than a regular size one at a "normal" place in the city. For a photo of a "normal size" kakigori please see the photo HERE (new window or tab). I had a Blue Hawaii flavor one and Kazuya had a Grape flavor one (but the stand made a mistake and put on one squirt of Strawberry flavoring, which explains the red streak on the purple one). After that we started to hike down via Kagenobu Pass, but it suddenly started getting very cloudy, and due to the recent prevalence of surprise thunderstorms in mid-afternoon, we decided to head back and go directly down the Hikage Creek Road. Along the way we found this Clerodendrum japonicum (Japanese glorybower) in bloom. It's quite pretty. The 3rd shot in this row was again, processed from a Digital Negative and through the processing I was able to make it look practically like a sunny day!
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 Aug3rd_51_Takao _HikageKakigoriRC |
 Aug03_61_Takao _UnknownSmallTreeRC |
 Aug03_65_Takao_Unknown SmallTree_FromDNGRC |
| End August 3rd, Begin August 11th |
On August 11th I went out to Mt. Mitake to see the False Anemone (Rengeshouma in Japanese) (Anemonopsis macrophylla) in bloom. Kazuya was busy for the weekend, so I was also going to hike to and climb Mt. Ohtake and camp there for the night. It had been so miserably hot in Tokyo of late that I thought it would be cool and refreshing to go to the mountains as Mt. Mitake is 929 m (= 3,048 ft and Mt. Ohtake is 1,267 m (= 4,155 ft). Well, when I arrived at Mt. Mitake at 8:30 AM, it was already 31° C (= 88° F). So, I took around 100 photos of the Anemonopsis macrophylla, started hiking for Mt. Ohtake and realized that the mountain temperature was not refreshing, it was stifling. Plus, it was so incredibly hazy that it was certain that I was not going to see any great scenery, despite the effort I was going to have to go to in the ascent of Mt. Ohtake. Hmmm, what to do? I decided to go back home, where at least there is air conditioning! And, it's rather fortunate that was the decision I made, as later in the day there was the most intense and vicious thunderstorm I have ever seen/experienced in my life, and I am 65 years old. A mountaintop would not have been a great place to be.In this row, the first image is a cropped version of the center photo of False Anemone (Rengeshouma in Japanese) (Anemonopsis macrophylla). This image highlights the flower and 2 unopened flower buds. The 3rd photo is an embossed version of the cropped image. |
 Aug11_01Crop_Mt Mitake_RengeshoumaRC |
 Aug11_01_MtMitake _RengeshoumaRC |
 Aug11_01Crop_Emboss _MtMitake_RengeshoumaRC |
In this row are 3 photos of Rengeshouma. You'll note that the flowers ALWAYS hang down, so to get under the flowers and photograph them, one is ALWAYS looking up at the tree tops. If one is not careful one will get portions of one's own head or hat in the photo!
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 Aug11_05_MtMitake _RengeshoumaRC |
 Aug11_07_MtMitake _RengeshoumaRC |
 Aug11_09_MtMitake _RengeshoumaRC |
Here are 3 more shots of the Rengeshouma. I am a bit curious as to what insect pollinates these flowers. The way they are shaped is very interesting.
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 Aug11_15_MtMitake _RengeshoumaRC |
 Aug11_32_MtMitake _RengeshoumaRC |
 Aug11_38_MtMitake _RengeshoumaRC |
These 2 images are both from the same photo, the first is the original photo while the 2nd image is a cropped out portion of the first photo highlighting the flower and 1 unopened bud.
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 Aug11_39_MtMitake _RengeshoumaRC |
 Aug11_39Crop_Mt Mitake_RengeshoumaRC |
The 3 images in this row are all from the same photo, merely increasingly cropped, so that the 3rd image shows just the very center of the Anemonopsis macrophylla flower.
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 Aug11_50_MtMitake _RengeshoumaRC |
 Aug11_50Crop_Mt Mitake_RengeshoumaRC |
 Aug11_50CroppedTight _MtMitake_Rengeshouma |
The 2 photos in this row are the final "real ones" of Anemonopsis macrophylla. The 2nd photo was zoomed in and taken from quite a distance away to show a group of flowers against a dark background.
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 Aug11_71_MtMitake _RengeshoumaRC |
 Aug11_72_MtMitake _RengeshoumaRC |
These 2 images have obviously had special effects added to them. The first image has been changed to a Negative Image of the 2nd image in Row #15, so the flower is dark and the center is white. The 2nd image is the center image from Row 16 and has had a Sheet Metal Effect added to it. And, that's all of the False Anemone (Rengeshouma in Japanese) (Anemonopsis macrophylla) photos you'll see until next year.
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 Aug11_39CropNegative _MtMitake_RengeshoumaRC |
 Aug11_50CropSheetMetal _MtMitake_RengeshoumaRC |
| End August 11th, End Page 1 |
| Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page. Now, please go on to Page 2 for the continuation of this month's adventures. |
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