Kimono Photoshoot: The Majesty of Traditional Japanese Clothing

Hello Steemians!

I'm pleased to share with you my Kimono photo shoot! Usually we just get dressed in regular clothes and take photos but this was our last day in Tokyo, the hotel was holding on to our luggage, and we had a midnight flight back to KL, so we decided to make the most of it. :)

The Kimono (きもの) is a type of traditional Japanese clothing. Kimono basically translates to a “thing to wear” or a “wearing thing”. Before Japan modernised the Kimono and other types of traditional clothing were standard. You can still enjoy wearing the Yukata (a type of dressing gown) when staying in certain hotels (especially the traditional Ryokan). As I'm tall (195cm or 6'4"), I was not able to wear one from the shop.

We rented ours for the day from Kimono Tokyo for about 7500yen (about 90AUD). Their website lists their range and the various plans. Included with the price is the Kimono itself (you choose from a selection of colours and patterns), the belt (Obi), the belt scarf (Obiage), the belt’s decorative sash (Obijime), the collar attachment (Haneri), the underwear (Juban), traditional Japanese footwear (Zori), and traditional Japanese socks (Tabi).

Kimono Tokyo’s site (right next to Harajuku station): http://www.kimonotokyo.jp/en/ Their staff speak some English but it is limited. Nevertheless they're extremely helpful (pretty much everyone in Japan is helpful) and make choosing your clothing a breeze. :)

We went with a Kimono special plan with a special hair set. Makeup can be done by the studio and photography can be arranged. Since I’m the photographer and Tammy preferred to do her own makeup out of "fear" they would transform her into a white-faced Geisha, the plan turned out to be quite cheap.

In comparison, we were going to rent a Kimono in Kyoto and use the famous red gates (Fushimi Inari-taisha) as the location. It rained that day so we postponed the shoot until the last day of the trip. Lucky the weather saved us from making a terrible mistake: there were so many people there at the Red Gates and the lighting was awful. In addition, the price was at least double in Kyoto. If you want to make the most out of your traditional clothing day, I suggest you visit the shoot location in advance or choose a large park with loads of natural light.

Summer time in Japan is wonderful for photography despite the constant white skies above. Kanazawa’s gardens had the best light I’ve even seen: a wonderful cloud turned the sky into a giant soft-box with loads of reflected light and refracted light bouncing from the water. Soft light is best for portraits and intense soft light brings out the subtle colours of the eyes.

(Taken in Kanazawa gardens - posted for light comparison)

In my mind isolating the subject when taking a portrait respects the subject for who they are and what their subtle beauty can offer the photo. Knowing your subject helps you to emphasise whatever individual quality the subject possesses.

The location we selected was based on convenience: Yoyogi park and the Meiji shrine are directly opposite the Kimono shop. Yoyogi park is apparently host to some of the subcultures of Japanese fashion like the Rockabillies and their awesome hairdos. Unfortunately, they’re only there on the weekend and we took these pictures on a weekday.

The lighting of the Meiji shrine is dull owing to the tall trees. If you didn’t expect to see a forest growing right in the middle of Tokyo you’re going to be in for a surprise. Compared with the portraits I took in Kanazawa gardens I was disappointed; but since you always make the best of your location we persevered through.

If you’ve been reading my blog my main focus area is to talk about the quality of light. While this might seem beside the point if you’re just starting out on your photographic adventures, trust me equipment and vision only gets you part of the way – good light will get you to the end . : )

If you've dressed up recently in some sort of fantastic costume or unique clothing, I want to see - please leave your pictures, links, and comments below. Polite criticism, critiques, and feedback are also most welcome! I'm still learning every time I take an image and avoiding patterns in my photos is something I would like to do; however, portraits seem to be a true love for me.