Stairway to… Bucharest, Romania, 2016.
My regular readers have now understood that I’m a very big fan of lines and graphical elements in my photos. It’s even something I really try to include in my photography, as my eyes are so attracted by geometrical shapes. During a recent trip to Bucharest I’ve found one of my new heavens… in a shape of a stairway.
It’s funny how in urban and street photography some great things happen when you don’t expect it. I don’t refer to the others’ behaviour, which is unexpected anyhow. I’m thinking about this kind of 6th sense that photographers tend to develop, like sniffing in the air that something is happening, that some place may be an interesting spot. It’s what happened when I was looking to buy a bottle of water close to Piata Unirii (Union Square). From all the shops around me, I’ve instinctively chosen the only one which was underground, with the entrance on one side, and the exit on the other side. And when reaching the exit… voilà.
I’ve found this metal stairway with walls made of undulated metal, such a great amount of lines! The sun was shining just in front of the exit, making the old man just a silhouette and the undulated metal shine in such an incredible way. I’ve just waited for the woman to reach the top of the stairs, and the photo was done. I wished I’ve shot more at this very spot, but the security guard was not in a good mood and asked me to leave. No problem, I know the place now, I’ll be back!
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EXIFs:
- Camera:Fujifilm X100T
- Aperture: ƒ/5.6
- Focale: 23mm
- Shutter speed: 1/125s
- ISO: 400
- Copyright: Pierre Pichot 2016, all rights reserved
Asakusa district at dusk, Taito ward, Tokyo, Japan, 2015.
I don’t define myself as a pure street photographer, but rather as an urban photographer. The motive is simple: I enjoy capturing the city above all, not necessarily the city’s people. Combined with my passion for travels, mixed together, it results to a lot of cityscapes that not only shows the city, but also the interaction with the people there. I don’t want to just see the buildings, I want to see the traffic, the way people behave in the city.
This shot was taken very close the the Senso-Ji buddhist temple in the Asakusa district in Tokyo’s Taito ward. There is a tourist information spot at the ground floor opened until late in the evening. There, a lift can take you to the 8th floor and let you enjoy the view over one of Tokyo’s most famous temples, as well as on the Sky Tree. Unfortunately, it was quite a cloudy day and the Sky Tree, here in the middle of the photo, was hidden by this very dense sea of clouds. That’s also why we never reached the top of the Sky Tree during our trip… Nevermind, it’s now on the list for the next visit!
I like this photo because it represents quite well what Tokyo looks like. Big, small buildings, one over the other, with almost no space to breath. It is one of the very first prints I’ve ever done for myself… and it now stands in my living room!
Do you like this photo? Click here and get an original, signed print in limited edition! A color edition exists too, don’t hesitate to contact me for more information and a quotation.
EXIFs:
- Camera: Canon 6D
- Lens: Canon EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
- Aperture: ƒ/9.0
- Focale: 24mm
- Shutter speed: 1s
- ISO: 50
- Copyright: Pierre Pichot 2015, all rights reserved
Arashiyama bamboo forest, Kyoto, Japan, 2015.
During our trip to Japan one of the “must see” location was the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in Kyoto. It’s definitely one of Japan’s iconic places we see in each and every travel documentation about the country, and as we were going to spend a few days in Kyoto, a few hours were dedicated to the bamboos.
However what you usually don’t see on the pictures is that… you’re not the only one there. Saying that this place is pretty crowded is very optimistic. It’s almost impossible to take a clean shot, even with longer exposures. While the place is beautiful, I was a bit disappointed not to be able to come back home with my photo of the bamboo forest. At least, Japanese people are calm and silent, they respect the calm of the place.
But, there is a trick.
Go north up to the Sagatoriimoto Sennocho district, and look for the Adashino Nenbutsu-ji buddhist temple. This temple has more than 8000 buddhist statues that represent the souls of the dead, it’s very impressive. But, there is this stair, between the bamboos, that leads to the temple’s cemetery… the one up there in photo! In order to do not be the typical gaijin that will disturb the zen of the temple I’ve just taken a few shots in those stairs and continued my way, but the result is in my humble opinion quite stunning.
And, by the way, 200 m down the road to the temple, there is a nice coffee shop with a permanent exposition of photos of the neighborhood of the first part of the 20th century, as well as a few old cameras. The perfect stop for travellers!
Do you like this photo? Click here and get an original, signed print in limited edition!
EXIFs:
- Camera: Canon 6D
- Lens: Canon EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
- Aperture: ƒ/8.0
- Focale: 41mm
- Shutter speed: 1/30s
- ISO: 800
- Copyright: Pierre Pichot 2015, all rights reserved