A Dance of Light at the Pagoda
Here we have the iconic Yasaka Pagoda (also known as Hokan-ji Temple) in Kyoto, Japan taken from the same location at sunrise and twilight. This five-story pagoda is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Kyoto located in the historic Higashiyama ward of the Gion District, a neighborhood known for its preserved traditional wooden buildings and narrow streets.
The foreground of the images features the tiled rooftops of the aforementioned wooden houses with their dark, muted colors, providing contrast to the illuminated pagoda. Kyoto Tower in the background adds a subtle juxtaposition of new and old elements demonstrating how far the city has evolved since its days as Japan's original capital.
This is not the traditional view of the pagoda that you might encounter on Instagram or Pinterest, and at first, I was disappointed at failing to capture it since I dreamed of getting my own version of that iconic perspective we're all familiar with. I couldn't for two reasons:
portions of the area were undergoing renovations requiring scaffolding to block the scene. It was not "the vibe" as the kids say.
Even at 5:00 am, the location where one would set up to get that traditional shot was already full of other tourists and photographers fighting to camp for the limited space in the ward's narrow streets, and I was not about to fight them just to get the same shot as everyone else.
A brief walk away from the madness, and I was back to wandering the empty streets of the district in the eerie morning hours: circumstances much more to my preference as I could soak in the centuries of history echoing on these streets. I found an elevated part of the old city with this unique perspective of the pagoda and had it ALL to myself in the morning and in the evening. It was as if it was invisible to everyone else. Looking down the road I could see the endless crows of tourists, but none save for a small handful of them thought to climb up the same slope I was on, and for that, I am grateful and happy to return with a frame a little less like everyone else's.
Here we have the iconic Yasaka Pagoda (also known as Hokan-ji Temple) in Kyoto, Japan taken from the same location at sunrise and twilight. This five-story pagoda is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Kyoto located in the historic Higashiyama ward of the Gion District, a neighborhood known for its preserved traditional wooden buildings and narrow streets.
The foreground of the images features the tiled rooftops of the aforementioned wooden houses with their dark, muted colors, providing contrast to the illuminated pagoda. Kyoto Tower in the background adds a subtle juxtaposition of new and old elements demonstrating how far the city has evolved since its days as Japan's original capital.
This is not the traditional view of the pagoda that you might encounter on Instagram or Pinterest, and at first, I was disappointed at failing to capture it since I dreamed of getting my own version of that iconic perspective we're all familiar with. I couldn't for two reasons:
portions of the area were undergoing renovations requiring scaffolding to block the scene. It was not "the vibe" as the kids say.
Even at 5:00 am, the location where one would set up to get that traditional shot was already full of other tourists and photographers fighting to camp for the limited space in the ward's narrow streets, and I was not about to fight them just to get the same shot as everyone else.
A brief walk away from the madness, and I was back to wandering the empty streets of the district in the eerie morning hours: circumstances much more to my preference as I could soak in the centuries of history echoing on these streets. I found an elevated part of the old city with this unique perspective of the pagoda and had it ALL to myself in the morning and in the evening. It was as if it was invisible to everyone else. Looking down the road I could see the endless crows of tourists, but none save for a small handful of them thought to climb up the same slope I was on, and for that, I am grateful and happy to return with a frame a little less like everyone else's.
Here we have the iconic Yasaka Pagoda (also known as Hokan-ji Temple) in Kyoto, Japan taken from the same location at sunrise and twilight. This five-story pagoda is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Kyoto located in the historic Higashiyama ward of the Gion District, a neighborhood known for its preserved traditional wooden buildings and narrow streets.
The foreground of the images features the tiled rooftops of the aforementioned wooden houses with their dark, muted colors, providing contrast to the illuminated pagoda. Kyoto Tower in the background adds a subtle juxtaposition of new and old elements demonstrating how far the city has evolved since its days as Japan's original capital.
This is not the traditional view of the pagoda that you might encounter on Instagram or Pinterest, and at first, I was disappointed at failing to capture it since I dreamed of getting my own version of that iconic perspective we're all familiar with. I couldn't for two reasons:
portions of the area were undergoing renovations requiring scaffolding to block the scene. It was not "the vibe" as the kids say.
Even at 5:00 am, the location where one would set up to get that traditional shot was already full of other tourists and photographers fighting to camp for the limited space in the ward's narrow streets, and I was not about to fight them just to get the same shot as everyone else.
A brief walk away from the madness, and I was back to wandering the empty streets of the district in the eerie morning hours: circumstances much more to my preference as I could soak in the centuries of history echoing on these streets. I found an elevated part of the old city with this unique perspective of the pagoda and had it ALL to myself in the morning and in the evening. It was as if it was invisible to everyone else. Looking down the road I could see the endless crows of tourists, but none save for a small handful of them thought to climb up the same slope I was on, and for that, I am grateful and happy to return with a frame a little less like everyone else's.