The Goodman’s Blog: Lifelong Learning and Sharing

Nothing special about this photo, although viewers have told me they feel very relaxed looking at the scenery. I captured these trees at the Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto in early autumn.

However, in case you haven’t noticed, I created two digital frames. Basically I took the colour of the frame from one of the tree trunks. I used an inexpensive photo-editor, Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0. One good thing about digital framing is that you no longer need a physical frame.  Usually, photo frames are even more expensive than the cost of printing the photo.

I am not a professional photographer but I have taken enough shots over the years to be street-smart. At the Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto I spotted a group of ladies dressed up like make-believe maikos (apprentice geishas). I stopped walking to observe the way they walked and then, chucking to myself, I pressed the shutter of my Sony F707.

Although I shot them from head to foot, I knew even then that what I wanted to show was the lower half of their body in motion. By deliberately cropping out the upper half, I wanted to draw attention to the design of their kimono and the way they walked with their platform shoes. Had I shown their full bodies, then your eyes would have been focused instead on their faces, turning the image into just another souvenir shot for the album. So for those of you who are photo-amateurs, look out for the more interesting images when doing street-shooting.

Another observation was that these Japanese ladies wanted to experience the life vicariously, even for a day, of the fabled maikos and geishas. There were many Japanese tourists taking their pictures as well, knowing that these ladies were not the real McCoy.

It doesn’t matter. Everybody had fun. When these ladies get back to their hometowns and change into their normal wear, they will have pleasant memories captured with their digital cameras.

My wife and I visited Kyoto for a week in the autumn of 2004.  I had missed so many opportunities to photograph genuine maikos (apprentice geishas). On the eve of our departure, we accidentally walked into a tea promotion event just outside the main train station.  There were two maikos and for the next 30 minutes, I had a field day shooting them although I could hardly move from my space because of the crowd numbering around 200.

Inspite of the large crowd, the maiko on the left projects the classic image of one who is able to disregard her physical surroundings. What was she thinking of, I wondered. Her companion, on the right, was busy preparing the tea.

These are actually close-up shots of their faces, to draw attention to the unique makeup of maikos.