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Taken while strolling around Asakusa, Japan, under light rain in 2017
Taken while strolling around Asakusa, Japan, under light rain in 2017
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Sep, 2019Views
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Awards
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken when I was visiting Japan in 2017. I was strolling around Asakusa in the middle of light rain due to incoming typhoon at that time, a little bit lost (which happens lots of time), and come across this beautiful old front house (or shrine) gate.Time
I remember this was taken during the day, a bit closer to lunchtime, so I guess its around 10 or 11 AM. As I stated before, this was taken when I visit Asakusa. At that time, the weather is simply not good. Tokyo has been showered by both light showers of rain to heavy rain for a few days during my visit, including when I came to Asakusa. It was raining hard in the morning, and it started to lighten up later in the day.Lighting
Due to the rain, the lighting is dull and greyish. But, that condition is the best condition for some of the best images from master photographers that I've seen in the pasts. The very soft shadow and general pastel or soft color tone are very pleasant to the eyes and create a soothing mood, which I think, I did well capturing them in this image. Although I have to admit, the original file has a flat shadow and bit low contrast color, so I have to do something in the post-processing to boost them a little.Equipment
As you can see in the metadata of that photo, I used Olympus OM-D E-M10 mk.ii with a small but very good M Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 lens. I absolutely love those combinations. The small and compact set up gives me about 50mm field of view equivalent in 35mm camera (full-frame sensor). And since the Olympus OM-D looks like a vintage camera, it didn't really stand out, which I really like. Other than that, I only use a small camera bag which can only fit a camera and a lens attached as I decided to go as light as possible at that time. Also, a foldable umbrella and a ziplock bag is vital for this kind of weather. I did shoot this while holding an umbrella on one hand, and my camera on the other hand. Thanks to Olympus IBIS, it is possible to capture a sharp image in this rather low light situation.Inspiration
Asakusa is a wonderful area. There are a lot of shrines, old buildings, and old shops that makes one wonder whether they got time-slipped into the past. At some place, time seems doesn't move a lot and the atmosphere of old Japan (feodal Japan) was very strong. Combined with a lot of tourists and local people that wear traditional clothes, it makes me feels like I was in a street of feodal Japan (around Meiji era, perhaps) under light rain. It just feels calm. And then, I walk past this old and beautiful gate. I can't remember whether it was a house or a shrine or government building, but it looks incredible. Then, I saw the women in Kimono, walking calmly while holding a white umbrella. At that time, I know I definitely have to snap a shot AND voila~! This image was born.Editing
Yes. I did. But this time, I didn't go wild during post-processing. I wanted to keep the serene and calm atmosphere, but need to boost the color and contrast due to the nature of low contrast and flat shadow of the original RAW files. A bit magic in Adobe Lightroom, and I was done with the image. Also, I have my own preset made for my images, so I tried to match the color and tone style of my preset, while keep everyting in moderation so there will be no deep dark shadows or overly saturated colors.In my camera bag
I love to go minimalist when shooting on the street, so my mantra is "one lens, one camera, one day". So usually I only pack a camera body, a lens (preferably a prime or fixed focal length lens), couple of spare batteries, water bottle, umbrella and plastic bag (in rainy season), and other necessary pieces of stuff like power bank for my smartphones and lens clear pen to clean the camera and lens. When necessary, I will also bring a pancake zoom lens, the M Zuiko 14-42 mm EZ ED, in case I wanted to capture a landscape or cityscape, or for group photo.Feedback
In the street, everything can happen. A moment like this could pop at any time, will only last for few seconds (often, split seconds) and it is vital for a photographer, to be able to see the moment before it happens and capture it as it happens. When I was on the street, I always look for interesting people, gestures, light, patterns, or the general atmosphere of the area. Sometimes I spontaneously take a shoot, or like this one, I wait until all elements are aligned as I wanted, then take a shot. Be patient and keep both eyes open for sudden and unexpected moments that might unfold from mundane daily events in front of you.
