Sakura Bokeh in Kyoto

Here is a photo from my recent trip to Kyoto, Nikko and Ohara- all in the three days I allotted to it. Great weather and a happy atmosphere with the cherry blossoms was a great thing to be around.

For some reason this appeals to a lot of people, though the subject, with all the complex branches, is a hard one to get right. I think at least part of what they like is the excellent bokeh of the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 DI, which is some of the best of any lens I own. I only used it that day on my trip, though perhaps I'll be breaking it out more in future again. It's certainly light enough to carry with my other stuff- unlike my super-heavy 80-200mm, which takes great photos (including candids), but weights a tonne!

Also, did you know that in Japan, 'bokeh' is generally used for an out of focus photo (not just an intended area) and if used as a negative, as in 'I messed that, it's bokeh'. Interesting how it became adapted as a good thing.