japan Archives - Pierre Pichot

Asakusa at dusk

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

2016-09-09/0 Comments/by Pierre Pichot

Photography

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

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

2016-09-02/0 Comments/by Pierre Pichot

Photography

Rainy Gion

Gion, the Geisha neighborhood, under the rain. Kyoto, Japan.

Another stop during our trip in Japan, Kyoto and all its temples… More than 1600! But Kyoto is also Gion, the Geisha neighbourhood. Those who have seen Memoirs of a Geisha may remember it. It’s a typical, old neighbourhood with woody homes, small restaurants, and a particular atmosphere. It seems empty, but it feels like there is a lot happening behind those closed doors…

Shot with a Canon 6D then process in black and white with Adobe Lightroom.

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/3.2
Focale: 38mm
Shutter speed: 1/200s
ISO: 400
Copyright: Pierre Pichot 2015, all rights reserved

2016-01-22/0 Comments/by Pierre Pichot

Photography

Shibuya Crossing

Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo, Japan. License it.

While in Tokyo, Shibuya and its well known crosswalk was a mandatory stop for me. As everyone travelling in Japan I think 🙂 It’s is such an incredible atmosphere: while everything and everyone is very, VERY quiet, you find yourself in a place where tens of ads broadcasted on tens of huge screens shout at you at an incredibly high volume. It’s pretty dazzling at first! Then you get used to it and enjoy an incredible place with a moving crowd and, in my case, a sunset like I’ve rarely seen before.

I had to use my tripod for this kind of longer exposure shot, so that I can get the people’s movement. Thanks to everyone that managed to avoid me, this damn gaijin blocking the way! It really reflects the respect oriented mentality of Japanese people, I’m pretty sure I would have not been able to do the same shot here in Europe.

I used Macphun Tonality CK for turning this photo in Black and White. That’s an amazing software that I will write more about further on.

Do you like this photo? Click here and get an original, signed print in limited edition!

EXIFs:

Camera: Canon 6D
Lens: Samyang 14mm ƒ/2.8
Aperture: ƒ/8
Focale: 14mm
Shutter speed: 1,6s
ISO: 50

2016-01-20/0 Comments/by Pierre Pichot

Travel

A few weeks in Japan

Going to Japan has been a dream of mine for more than 15 years. It’s a dream I’ve been able to fulfil in 2015, spending almost 3 weeks over there.

Japan is such an incredible country. So much to see, so much to visit, so much to taste. And so many friendly people. It was a blast for me, and I’m already planning the round 2 as soon as possible 😉