Maiko Fumiyoshi walking down the street by night
Early evening in Miyagawa-Cho Geisha district, Fumiyoshi, a Maiko, walks down the main street on her way to the tea house. ...
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Early evening in Miyagawa-Cho Geisha district, Fumiyoshi, a Maiko, walks down the main street on her way to the tea house.
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Aug, 2015Views
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brianbaitystudio
May 15, 2017
Wonderful! I appreciate the title and information you provide. I feel this helps us understand your image and why you felt it worth documenting. Submissions like this inspire new adventures for many.
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken in Miyagawa-Cho, one of the five "Hana Machi" or Geisha districts of Kyoto, Japan.Time
The Maiko (apprentice Geisha) usually walk the streets of this area between 5 and 6 pm, on their way to meet their patrons in a tea house. The photo was taken in February, in early evening (just before 6 pm). One never knows if any Maiko or Geisha will show up or not. And if one does come along, it's always very brief as they usually walk quite fast, coming out of one door to quickly disappear into another one.Lighting
Well, there was no lighting. Its night. It's very cold. I know more or less from where the geisha will come from and where she'll be walking by. It was already night and dark, and the only light available was from the small lanterns each of the tea houses lining up the street has next to its door. I positioned myself near one of these light sources, waiting, after setting my canera's lens to hyperfocal distance. And I waited. I am lucky that today's technology allows us to take photos in the dark, simply boosting up the ISO.Equipment
I used my trusted Nikon D810 with the 24-70 f/2.8 Nikkor AF-S ED lens. Nothing else, no tripod and of course, no flash.Inspiration
I am passionated by Kyoto's world of Geisha, the world of floating flowers. I live half the time in Kyoto and whenever I have some time, I go around this street between 5 and 6 pm for a chance to capture a photo. I always try something different, and this time my idea was to use a motion effect to visually recreate the scene, the walking speed of the girl rushing to meet her patrons. I used a wide aperture and a slow shutter speed to capture the movement.Editing
Minimum post-processing. A slight crop, basic color balance and I added a subtle vignette. I also did some little work of burning and dodging. Mainly done using Photoshop Lightroom.In my camera bag
I usually do not have a bag with me. I only take my camera with the lens I selected for the idea or purpose I have in mind. So, only the D810 and the 24-70 mm zoom, or the 70-200 mm zoom. I also use a number of prime lenses, usually fast ones as I like the bokeh effect and shallow DoF.Feedback
Capturing such a photo or something similar is quite easy. You just have to be at the right time at the right place with the right equipment and the right idea in mind. Of course, some basic technic or experience may come in handy. And then a touch of luck - like the fact that the Maiko (apprentice Geisha) walking by is wearing a blue overcoat that fits well with the general orange tone of the scene. Some knowledge of the area and of the tradition of the Geisha world of Kyoto is also helpful.
