The End of Autumn

As December rolls on, Autumn has finally come to an end here in Tokyo.

I usually try to get out at least 2 or 3 times a year to photograph the changing leaves, but due to a busy schedule, I only got out once, this year, with my wife and daughter. I didn't get any absolute showstoppers, but I got more than I had expected.

At the start of our day, the wind was unbelievably strong, which made it impossible to photograph any of the leaves. After about 45 minutes of blurry out of focus trash, I was about ready to pack it in. Had I been there alone, I might have left right then and there, however, since I was there with my wife and daughter, I still had a reason to stay and walk around the rest of the park.

Things only got worse as we continued deeper into the park, as the wind picked up, the temperature dropped, and the clouds rolled in. We made our way to the Japanese style garden, and once we arrived, I was able to find two images I quite liked (the first two images). Simply getting these two images made it feel like a victory, in terms of photography. So I stopped stressing out about getting a decent autumn picture, and continued to enjoy the day with my family. As the clouds continued to roll in, the cold became a little too much for us to handle, so I packed up my camera and we made our way back the way we came.

However, as we walked back to the exit, the clouds broke just as I passed a lake inside the park, allowing the sun to hit one of the trees on the other side. I promptly whipped out my camera and apologized to my wife as I ran towards to lake to catching the fleeting moment of light. I didn't have a tripod, so I had to take it handheld. I took a few shots, but I finally got one (the third image) that was sharp enough, just as the light faded away.

I again packed up my camera, and we continued towards to exit. Just as we were about to reach the path of ginkgo trees, I decided I'd take a snapshot of the trees with all of the tourists and nature lovers under them (fourth image). It's not a jaw dropping image by any means, but it turned out better than I thought it would, given the low light, and my lack of street photography experience. I did take a wider shot, but I like this more intimate view a little better. [if you're wondering why the bottom is so blurry, some people here tend to be a little fussy about sharing images with faces in them - when in Rome, and all that]

Anyway, I only got out once, this year, but went from disaster to salvageable, which is better than nothing. I guess, if I had to attach some kind of learning moment to this, it would be to stay positive and don't pack it in, because you never know.

As always, let me know what you think, and feel free to share some of your stories or images.