DirtyGlassEye
Imperial stroll
Shinjuku Gyoen is not a natural garden it would seem. It was part of an Edo residence when it was first created and belonged to a wealthy family, the Naitos. The pond you see in this shot, Tamano pond, was manmade. Around a decade later, in 1879, it was established as an Imperial botanical garden.
Today, this area of the grounds was erected as a small Taiwan pavilion. It was meant to be a show of peace to mark the beginning of the Showa era, and the Emperor's wedding (which is very ironic because it was 2 decades before World War 2). The building you see in the back is the Goryo-tei. A terrace on the water.
Gotta love the tighter security in this place, dumb people rarely get in, (a bit hypocritical for me to say, I mean dumb as in people who cannot assimilate or respect someone else's culture on their soil). My experience here was relatively peaceful of interference, and endless opportunities presented itself throughout the area. I saw the reflection of the villa across the water and it had a still reflection. But it was hard to find a suitable composition from across the water cause there was no sakura behind it. So after circling like a vulture, I eventually found this low hanging branch and switched strategies to a focus shot.
Since I approached most of my shots in Japan in an experimental way, I do have a separate focus shot in this spot with Goryo-tei in focus and the sakura blurred. (I'm gonnna be honest, I never use AF, I'd prefer having full control over my zoom at all times). Maybe I'll take that image down and process it, but for now, enjoy this little piece of Heaven. I'm very proud of how this one turned out.
Imperial stroll
Shinjuku Gyoen is not a natural garden it would seem. It was part of an Edo residence when it was first created and belonged to a wealthy family, the Naitos. The pond you see in this shot, Tamano pond, was manmade. Around a decade later, in 1879, it was established as an Imperial botanical garden.
Today, this area of the grounds was erected as a small Taiwan pavilion. It was meant to be a show of peace to mark the beginning of the Showa era, and the Emperor's wedding (which is very ironic because it was 2 decades before World War 2). The building you see in the back is the Goryo-tei. A terrace on the water.
Gotta love the tighter security in this place, dumb people rarely get in, (a bit hypocritical for me to say, I mean dumb as in people who cannot assimilate or respect someone else's culture on their soil). My experience here was relatively peaceful of interference, and endless opportunities presented itself throughout the area. I saw the reflection of the villa across the water and it had a still reflection. But it was hard to find a suitable composition from across the water cause there was no sakura behind it. So after circling like a vulture, I eventually found this low hanging branch and switched strategies to a focus shot.
Since I approached most of my shots in Japan in an experimental way, I do have a separate focus shot in this spot with Goryo-tei in focus and the sakura blurred. (I'm gonnna be honest, I never use AF, I'd prefer having full control over my zoom at all times). Maybe I'll take that image down and process it, but for now, enjoy this little piece of Heaven. I'm very proud of how this one turned out.