For legendary photographer Jay Maisel, photography is about “Light, Gesture, & Color.” For me, it has always been Light, Color, & Geisha (or Maiko).
If you look at this portrait of the geiko Makiko, I hope you see what I mean.
I have been writing this blog for almost four years now, and I have chosen most of the almost 200 photos I’ve posted because of the stories behind them, not because I felt the photographs were representative examples of my work.
So, going forward, I hope to strike a better balance between photographs connected to anecdotes about the world of geiko and maiko and photographs that I believe best represent the kind of images I make, images that hopefully do not need many words to explain them.
Images of light, color, and geiko!
I know exactly what you mean John; It’s hard to win on the internet when it comes to keeping your items personal and in the proper context. However, this should not discourage you from creating your art, just as you have with this picture of Makiko-san. They may not be your “best” as you call them, but a picture that tells a story is always more interesting and more beautiful than one that does not 🙂
It’s been a long time, Justine! I hope you have been well! Thank you for your words of encouragement. I’ve updated the post to better express my thoughts since you first commented. I’m going to try to balance doing both kinds of photos, photos with stories and photos that speak for themselves. I hope you continue to enjoy them!
Your work is unbelievable. Whatever you choose to share, I am glad you have chosen to share it. If I had one percent of your talent, I’d post on the Internet every photo I have and wait for the applause.
Thanks, Steve. Believe it or not, I don’t really think of myself as talented in any special way. I think I respond to color more than most people, meaning that color can have a greater influence on my moods and I am more sensitive to color changes than most, but I can’t really say for certain. I’ve never asked anyone!
Other than that, it’s just studying and working hard and trial and error, repeating what looks good and avoiding what doesn’t. And really, really enjoying what you do!
I’m excited for this change, John! I have followed your blog for about a year now because I enjoy the HD photos of geiko & maiko. Here we can see every line in Makiko’s face and it’s beautiful but makes her, as a geiko, also perceptibly human. I’ve felt that the anecdotes are grasping at straws at this point, though. Will you be experimenting photographing the geiko and maiko in more natural Japanese settings and lighting? Less staging? I have met geiko and maiko only once many years ago at a business ozashiki, and I was struck by how almost anachronistic these ladies are and how gaudy and strange they can appear when taken out of the beautiful shadows of the teahouse. I look forward to your new work!
Welcome! First, I received 3 comments from the same i.p. address, so I’m only approving the last one since it was the same as the first but had more details. The second had only one word, so I wasn’t sure if it was sent by accident or not.
All of the things you mentioned are things I have already done. Every time I photograph a geiko or maiko I use different kinds of lighting, from strobes to sunlight to the “practical” lights of the ochaya to LED lights and more. I also alternate between using colored backpaper and the shoji, fusuma, and genkan of ochaya, plus street scenes.
I actually keep a “Lighting Bible” for each geiko and maiko I photograph, keeping track of the different backgrounds, lenses, and lighting I use, making sure I have a good balance of all kinds. It might not be apparent here on my blog since I rarely post 2 or more photographs of the same geiko or maiko in a row, but it is clear in my long term projects.
I hope you enjoy what I post next!