The Secret Garden Photo

Photographer’s Note

This is the last of a series of images I have posted on the theme that in Kyoto, temple grounds are a place where people seek respite from the crowded hustle and bustle of the city.

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Critiques | Translate

vinicio (22428) 2006-01-19 2:58

Nice and poetic image Ken, the sun lacks, but it is beautiful, I like also the leaves that frame the scene, my compliments.
Ciao
Vinicio

Aazragi (1916) 2006-01-19 3:15

Nice shot of lovely place and a great point of view. well done.
Latif

ktanska (16695) 2006-01-19 3:29

The blurred top matches perfectly with the tile idea. Nice little bridge. And red leaves give good contrast to this green image.

rjacobson (0) 2006-01-19 3:47

Nice shot and image.

Cormac (26455) 2006-01-19 10:42

I love Japanese gardens, but I've never figured out how to photograph them successfully. This is a good try because you have the crossing path and waterway, which move in perpendicular directions, giving this some structure. I like the soft colours too. Well done!

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fireflyz (2079) 2006-01-19 18:28

Hi Ken,
secret garden, secret shot.. eh? :) The blurred branches and the guys hat make this photo very mysterious and interesting. Nice framing as well.
Cheers,
Skye

RandomCameraGuy (3063) 2006-01-20 12:41

Good image Ken, well framed, and nice scene. Only I wish I could see the people's faces. I also think the space by the stairs would be the better place to have the people (more open space).

I've always wanted to go to Kyoto, so thanks for the glimpse!

dsidwell (9745) 2006-01-23 11:44

I love the depth of field here, Ken. The very blurry foreground leaves frame the secret garden nicely, and do add a feeling of peeking or secretiveness to the image.

MLINES (10948) 2006-01-24 16:42

Excellent composition with the stone bride as focal point. The water colour and climbers all come together so well in this photo. Well done.

banyanman (7737) 2006-01-25 8:47

Hi Ken. I was about to describe this as a 'nice' photograph, but then realised that 7 out of the 9 critiques above had already used the word 'nice', so I shall instead describe it as 'peaceful'. Japanese gardens have that ability to make you feel at peace, and your composition demonstrates that well. It is a pity you couldn't have waited for two geisha girls to cross the bridge, but then I suppose you could have waited all day! Cheers . . . David

Clairedelune (4885) 2006-01-25 16:59

Hello Ken,
Another play with focus/out of focus in your Japanese serie. And a very good one at that. Yes, this one is a very good representation of Japanese gardens. At least, if the books on that that I have are true! ;) I like the mix of colors red/pink and green. The different shades of green actually. I think I would have prefered it without the people since we see their backs only. It is a pleasing to see picture. Thanks Ken!
Claire

bbcan (86) 2006-01-26 6:58

Hi Ken,
The POV for this picture is excelent, managing to get the stairs, bridge and water in the same frame, but in a balanced way.
The colors could be a bit more vivid, but even in this light conditions the color contrast is very good..
The leaves in the top of the frame where a good idea, but in my opinion are taking up too much space in the picture. It would probably be more balanced if you took in with vertical orientation.
congrats,
Bruno

bregolath (24) 2006-01-28 17:30

Hello Ken.

Nice picture, I like the colors, the river..... everything, congratulations.

Regards

mbasil (2117) 2006-02-04 12:03

Really well done. Like bbcam, I think the leaves in the foreground are just a bit heavy handed. I would have scooted down an inch or two so the leaves would have moved up a little and served as more of a frame than intruding so much on the subject.
Best,
Mike

ebruardil (461) 2006-03-14 15:18

Excellent composition&colors, well done

macondo (13271) 2006-04-22 5:20

I agree with your own comments about this one in your forum entry about overrated photos, Ken. Too much blurred foliage in a photo where the figures are pretty small and not even well defined themselves. I can't imagine why this one has got so many points.
Regards, Andrew

ryuchan1 (0) 2006-07-29 17:19

I do like the framing and the blurred leaves in the foreground, gives that 'secret garden' effect... however, I can't help but wonder about the trees above the peoples heads... it feels a little cut-off to me.
Still love the idea and colours