Photo Partner West, 6th Maiko Photo Shoot
Special Prize
Following my first experience with a photo shoot, I attended the March 2016 6th session of Maiko Photo Shoot organized by PPW (Photo Partner West), an umbrella organization of photographers in the West of Japan. The shoot took place at a private garden of the Heian Jingu Shrine. Five Maiko and Geiko were present in this beautiful location, but the large number of photographers (almost 500) in such a limited space, made the sessions a bit difficult.
The weather was great, but the hard light of mid-day and early afternoon was difficult to handle. Despite these problems, it was a fun experience that I enjoyed very much. I found many of the Japanese photographers, amateur and pro alike, somehow blocked by their own tradition. The Maiko and Geiko were always asked to reproduce standard traditional poses, and this is where you realize that Maiko really do behave like kids. Again, I had a great time and enjoyed the sessions. I came home with a lot of photos and it was quite difficult to select them for the contest.
I was in Canada when I learned that my photo of Maiko Fukuno of Miyagawa-Cho had won a Special Prize (特 選).
