Early Morning Bamboo Road
The Arishiyama Bamboo Grove is a mystical place that transports you to another world. Looking into the forest the bamboo appear to go on forever, the soft ligh...
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The Arishiyama Bamboo Grove is a mystical place that transports you to another world. Looking into the forest the bamboo appear to go on forever, the soft light and endless shades of green envelop your senses with an overwhelming calm and appreciation for simplicity.
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May, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto Japan. This was my first visit to the grove as well one of my first "let's take this seriously" photo shoots. I was with a group of fellow photographers working our way through the amazing country of Japan.Time
This shot required an early start to the day. I got up around 4:45am in order to get to the location as the sun rose, but more importantly before any other visitors arrived. Once tourists start walking through the grove, it is impossible to get a shot without someone walking through it.Lighting
Although I was hoping for some sun light to poke through the bamboo and help out with highlights and shadows, it was an overcast morning. In the end the soft box effect the clouds produced gave a very nice soft light across the grove and through the tree tops.Equipment
I shots this with a Nikon D750, 16-35mm F4 lens. I was taking 5 bracketed exposures throughout the shoot with a very low ISO of 75, F8 and A priority.Inspiration
While taking this photo my main concern were the lines and symmetry of the road as well as properly framing the height of the fence. I wanted to give the bamboo height, but I didn't want them to feel as if they were looming over you. They are a simple and beautiful tree and I wanted to retain that peaceful, non-threatening sense, so the vertical angle and height of the camera was important to nail down.Editing
The post processing of this photo was centered around establishing 3 textures and feelings within the photo. The first would be the trees, their simplistic nature, yet individual uniqueness and their crisp freshness from the mornings rain. I spent most of my time making sure the greens and levels of green looked just right. Next I focused on the grass along the road. I wanted it to appear soft, as if it were a painters brush. I focused on the separation of color from the top to where it leaned over and was shadowed. Lastly the road, the element that holds them all together. The shine of the light at the end as well as the right amount of sheen were important to convey the dampness from the rain.In my camera bag
I tend to travel light as I do a lot of walking and do not typically carry extra stuff I probably won't need. I have the essentials to maintain my gear, a few extra batteries, and typically when shooting landscape I travel with a wide(16-35mm) and a Telephoto (28-300). This is usually more than enough to get the job done.Feedback
Get there early! You want time to scout the location and find the shots you want to get. Then shoot! Don't over think it once you've decided, use your instinct. Once I get the shots i came for I make sure I have time to walk around and grab some a little less typical than what I am used to shooting. Once in a while one of these turns out to be a winner.
