Why did I take this picture? As mentioned before, when I was in Kyoto, Geisha were one of the photo subjects that captivated me from the first moments. Basically, in Kyoto “Geisha” can be photographed anywhere. But

Image of a neck of geisha through the backside of a traditional chariot in Kyoto,Japan.

not everything that is dressed in a kimono, has a painted face and neck, a specific hairstyle and wears slippers with thick wooden soles are actually Geisha. Most of these appearances are the so-called “one day Geisha”. This is one of the main attractions of Kyoto. Tourists, both Japanese and Western, rent costumes, makeup, wigs, and become Geisha for a day. Then, dressed like this, they walk everywhere in Kyoto, mostly in Maruyama Park, around Kyomizudera, or on the Philosopher’s Path, and of course, in Gion. Everywhere you see them you can photograph them and, in general, they are extremely receptive to it. They also are given a ride in traditional carriages on streets full of the Japanese “spirit”. These carriages are pulled by young people, dressed in traditional attire.

In addition to these “one-day Geisha”, of course, there are also the real ones, which can be found especially in Gion. There are not so many. Some of them are more senior, while others are young, in the “apprenticeship” period. The young ones are called Maiko. The characteristic of real Geisha, when you meet them on the street by chance, is the speed of their movement. They are always in a hurry and run between the gates of the tea houses, like mice between the holes in the walls. Sometimes, however, they go out on the street to be photographed. This takes place after a very well-known schedule. The moment when they come out is expected by hordes of photographers of all types, ready to capture them. Under these conditions, those images are not necessarily “authentic”, having a high degree of scenography in them and also, due to the crowding, everything can become almost unpleasant. There are, of course, private sessions.

It seems that I wasn’t at all attracted by this style of photography then and, as it turned out, not even later. A few years later, I encountered the exact same thing in Venice or in other places of the famous European spring festivals. But we’ll talk about those on another occasion.

I was trying to capture moments, only on the street, unchoreographed, and in principle, unique and unusual. Trying this a lot, in conditions of huge crowds, I came to the details. In order to get rid of the “noise” and the agitation around me, I had to keep eliminating all sorts of elements and so, almost naturally, I “photographically approached” the magic of details. This image was taken in the early days, at one of my first encounters with these carriages. The discovery of the “window” behind the carriage was an extraordinary element that helped me a lot in telling a story about Geisha. Back then, I still didn’t know how many kinds of Geisha were there.

The technique, both for capturing images (camera) and editing (programs), was extremely precarious, far inferior to today’s most common phones. So, such a scene with a rather high contrast between black and white, between light and shadow, was difficult to reproduce with great precision. But I solved the problem by moving a lot around the carriage, and by looking for playful angles, in an attempt to “collaborate with the light” around me, so that, black would not drown the details into the dark and white would mask them by shinning.

Thus, this picture is made of a lot of enthusiasm, movement and squats, in order to tame the light. Carried out by enthusiasm I forgot to mention about…the camera. And that makes me think of the definition I gave to photography at that time: a good image is made with the eye, mind and soul of the photographer using a “simple” tool, the camera. The camera is the same as the writer’s pencil. Only marketing turns it into something else ….

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