Fumiyoshi, Maiko, in Miyagawa-Cho, Kyoto-815709
Fumiyoshi san, Maiko, walking down an alley in Miyagawa-Cho, Kyoto
Fumiyoshi san, Maiko, walking down an alley in Miyagawa-Cho, Kyoto
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Jul, 2015Views
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Awards
Winner in Dressed in a Colourful Kimono Photo Challenge
Winner in Every Face Tells A Story Part 3 Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Miyagawa-Cho, one of the five Hanamachi (Geisha district) of Kyoto, Japan.Time
I'm used to go to this "Flower Town" (Geisha District) quite often, always between 5 and 6 pm. This is the time the Maiko (apprentice Geisha) and the Geiko (Kyoto's Geisha) walk through the streets in beautiful kimono to go to their appointment to meet their patrons for the evening. The photo was taken at 5:30 pm.Lighting
The picture is taken in a small covered dark alley and I was lucky because first, the Maiko is positioned not too far from the entrance of the alley from where a lot of natural light was coming in, and then second, even thought it was not yet night time, the couple of small lanterns on her left were already lit and were adding a little extra light.Equipment
I used my Nikon D810 with a 70-200 mm F/2.8 zoom (set at 122 mm) and nothing else.Inspiration
I am fascinated by the beauty and the tradition of the world of Geisha of Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan. As mentioned, I often go to this area to try to catch a photo of Maiko or Geisha walking down the street on their way to work. This small alley is particular and it is quite rare for one of them to walk through. I saw Fumiyoshi (the Maiko in the photo) entering the alley with two other Maiko, and I followed them, taking a couple of shots of them from behind. The two other Maiko left in a cab and Fumiyoshi came back through the alley by herself. I waited for her to be in the proper spot and this is when I took this photo.Editing
While I usually do very little post-processing, I did quite a bit (by my standard) for this picture. I only used LR for this photo. It was cropped (from vertical to horizontal). I darken the lower left wall as it was distracting, and I blacken the lower right part of the photo, eliminating a bicycle. I also reduced the noise level (the photo is taken at ISO 1000).In my camera bag
It really depends on where and what I'm going to take pictures of. I usually just take my D810 and either the 70-200 mm F2.8 or the 24-70 F2.8 zoom, or both. Then, I also have a Nikon Df body (usually for night pictures) and different lenses I put in the bag whenever I think they may help me make the shot. I specially like a couple of my prime lenses, the 85 mm F1.4 (incredible sharpness and beautiful bokeh), and an old 35 mm F2.0, and a 20 mm F2.8 for street photography.Feedback
Just be around one of the five Kyoto's Hanamachi at the time the Maiko and Geiko walk around going to their work. So, be there, be patient, be prepared, be lucky.
