Black & White Japan

My few months on Steemit have been great for my photography hobby. For some reason it’s made me more experimental than being on instagram or any other service I’ve used in the past. This means trying out everything from my normal landscape photos, to portraits….and also black and white photography.

Black and white isn’t usually something I consider – but there were some photos from my trip to Japan that just looked better that way.

Takin' care of business

A monk or priest - or I'm sure there's another name for the rank, but he looked important wandering through the buildings of the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Even though most people are there just to take picture of the orange tori gates - it's a good reminder that it's a working religious campus. If you keep your eyes peeled in places like this there's a ton of photographic opportunities that aren't exactly what everyone else is taking.

The side streets of Kyoto

There's no end to the great opportunities for pictures in the side streets of Kyoto. There's just so much going on in this picture that it felt better in black and white - allowed it to breathe and focus a bit. I shot these two women having a conversation and meandering through the side streets - trying to get clear shots wasn't easy since the streets are so busy. If you're ever in Kyoto -I'd spare at least a day, just to wander.

Kyoto station

The outside of Kyoto station is just as interesting as the inside. Each facade an engineering marvel and a photographic gem. I've shown in other photos other aspects of the station, but I loved these external staircases. I wish i could have found a side vantage point...but the up-shot will have to do. You can find them by going all the way through the station. Behind the spot where I took this photo are the tracks.

Also in Kyoto station is this piece of art. They're painted a pastel colour, but this area is almost always in shade so trying to capture why my eye was seeing was impossible. In black and white however they look almost like the old water towers used for steam trains (Steem train!). Come to think of it - that must be what the art is. What do you think?

Colour is a powerful vehicle for photography, but there's something about black and white that really allows you to focus on composition. It helps to highlight the key features without complication.

I hope you enjoyed my experiment.