A fall in Japan

The art of stone in a Japanese garden is that of placement. Its ideal does not deviate from that of nature.

Every blade of grass, every branch of a tree, every stone lantern, and every curve of the pond, planned and placed ever so carefully to create a beautiful harmony of light, color and nature. After having experienced it extensively in Japan, I was delighted by the nostalgic memories a visit to Seattle's Japanese garden brought me.

And to witness the fall color diorama was a special treat.

Seattle Japanese Garden
WA USA

The Change of Seasons

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If spring is the season of love and new beginnings, then fall is the season for mad lust. The fresh burst of the colorful flowers and pleasing greenery is replaced by the vibrant yellows and burning orange, a final attempt at living before the long, cold, and dreary winter.

And yet, like clockwork, every new year heralds such a cycle of change in the flora across the planet. And as a photographer, I am grateful both for the beautiful blooms in the spring, and the colorful hues of autumn. This was is of a beautiful maple tree in the Japanese Garden in Portland.

Portland

OR USA

The Red Dragon

I remember this very special tree, with its gnarled trunk twisting and turning like veins on a human body and ending onto thousands of tiny leaves, donning its beautiful fall coat, appearing very many times on my photo-stream. Every time I came across it, I remember making a pledge to visit the place the following year; but those grand plans never came to fruition.

Until now.

The tree was a Japanese maple tree growing with the confines of the Japanese garden in Portland. And like any other maple tree, its takes on a different form in each of the seasons. But its fall coat is undoubtedly its most prettiest form - its leaves turn a deep red, contrasting beautifully with the moss on its trunk and the surrounding vegetation, a vibrant red dragon dancing in a lush green forest. I decided to squeeze in a day trip from Seattle just to capture this dancing beauty.

Naturally, a tree this popular comes with its own paparazzi (myself included). As the sun slowly crested the trees in the horizon on that late morning, I had to squeeze amidst the swarm of photographers, cameras and tripods to line my camera just right to capture the light filtering through the reddish brown fronds that were slightly past its prime, resulting in this image. I shot this at F18 (for the starburst effect), 1/2s and at ISO 200

Portland
OR USA

Finding Zen

I was seeking a place of silence, a moment of zen. But I was certainly at the wrong place and the wrong time for it.

I had landed in Japan the night earlier, right in the peak of its Golden week, when so many Japanese travel locally that even Shinkansens speed along with standing room only. I had made it to Kanazawa, on the western side of Honshu, and just like the capital city of Tokyo, Kanazawa was crowded as well. And to be able to find that solace in the thronging city of half a million would be a challenge by itself.

I was naturally drawn to the beautiful Kenroku-en gardens, hoping that a spot of greenery would provide respite in the concrete jungle. And after wandering around its narrow pathways with lush vegetation, mossy rocks and beautiful spring blossoms, I chanced upon a tiny pond, an archetype of a classical Japanese garden, replete with manicured vegetation, elegant cypress trees, a rustic stone lantern, and the gentle gurgle of a quaint waterfall. And I knew that at that moment, I had found my zen, and I just sat there, soaking in this lush scene hoping that it would never end.

But it eventually did, and before leaving, I captured this scene at F9, ISO 800, 1/125s

Kanazawa
Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan