Walking down the street
It was raining, so I knew there'll be very few people, and it will be an opportunity to see traditional paper umbrella. A Maiko walked down the street wit...
Read more
It was raining, so I knew there'll be very few people, and it will be an opportunity to see traditional paper umbrella. A Maiko walked down the street with an overcoat of the same red color as her umbrella.
Read less
Read less
Aug, 2015Views
2716
Likes
Awards
Featured
Contest Finalist in Take A Stroll Photo Contest
Staff Favorite
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank week 1
Top 30 rank week 2Top 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Top 20 rank
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken in Mayagawa-Cho, one of the five "Hana Machi" or Geisha Districts of Kyoto, JapanTime
Maiko (apprentice Geisha) usually walk the streets of this area between 5 and 6 pm, on their way to meet their patrons. I spend quite some time around this area between these hours, waiting for a chance to take a photo. 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. This particular photo was taken at 5:30 pm.Lighting
Nothing special about lighting. Only natural light (respecting the local etiquette about taking photos of Geisha walking around the streets, one should not use a flash). It had been raining earlier in the day and with a cloudy sky, the late afternoon light of this end of July day was simple and quiet. I liked the reflection of the light on the wet pavement.Equipment
The photo was shot with a handheld Nikon D810 and a 70-200 mm f/2.8 zoom. 200 mm at f2.8 for minimum depth of field is a setting I particularly like.Inspiration
I am passionated by Kyoto's world of Geisha. Whenever I have time, I go around this street between 5 and 6 pm for a chance to take a photo. I particularly like special conditions as it means something different. A rainy day means first of all a different type of light, some beautiful reflection from the wet pavement, but mainly it means that the Geisha will wear some protective coat and an umbrella. The umbrella is usually the traditional type, often red in color, made of waxed paper. I was lucky as her overcoat was also red.Editing
Minimum post-processing was applied to this photo. A slight cropping to eliminate a disturbing element on the lower right and better center the subject. Basic tone adjustments, and a small boost in the luminance and saturation of the red was applied. I also added a subtle vignette before taking care of normal final sharpening.In my camera bag
Well, I often do not have a bag with me. I set out with an idea or a purpose in mind, and only take my trusted D810 body and one lens. Quite often, I select this 70-200 f2.8 zoom, cursing it for its weight, but loving its quality.Feedback
I think a lot of patience and some luck are key elements for such photo. Of course, some knowledge of the area and of the tradition of the Geisha world of Kyoto is also very important. Everything else is simply the same old story of being there at the right time.
