The first 2009 Sakura forecast for Japan is out, and auuugh! They’re early this year! And the front is expected to move fast!
Current forecast (first flowering date – full bloom date)
Okayama: March 24-April 1
Himeji: March 24-April 2
Kyoto: March 24-March 31
Tokyo: March 21-29, March 26-April 4 (different parts of the city)
My plan, such as it is, for my Japan trip next month.
There’s still no update to the Cherry Blossom forecast for Japan…
However, the Sakura here in Northern California are in full bloom.
This morning I got a much better shot… Click for fullsize.
Everything’s a learning experience. Last night, I learnt a pillow is not an accurate distance reference. This morning, I learnt that a light stand is also not an accurate distance reference, but it’s a whole lot more accurate than a pillow ;)
This is the full setup…
Click on this self portrait for larger view via Flickr. Click on “Original Size” for 10 megapixel file and look deeeepppply into my eyeeeessss….
The story of the picture:
This was the best of the approximately 50 times I tried. It is hard to keep your head perfectly still. And my eyeball is still out of focus – the photo appears focussed about 4-5 millimeters in front of my eyeball.
Of course, what’s really creepy is how much the human pupil resembles a sea anemone…
