Geishas...or Not? Photo

Photographer’s Note

Geishas are rarely seen in public. In Kyoto, if you walk down the right back streets you may spot one through an open door or window in the rooms where attendants help prepare them for their work, styling hair and adjusting clothes. What are common, though, are establishments where a woman can be dressed up as a geisha just for fun, and be photographed. These establishments allow the customer to walk around the streets for a few minutes in costume, as part of the deal.

To the uninitiated (like me) they look completely real, and (without naming names) there are some geisha photos posted on TE in which the photographer seems to have been fooled!

tootsie, shayes, Cormac, MLINES, droonsta, macondo, Klapaucius, wrangell has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

tootsie (331) 2006-01-03 13:04

hi ken - thank you so much for explaining this! i had a similar experience in kyoto (with a photo i will post in the future..) i was not sure if they were real but my instincts told me, if they posed for the picture then they must not be. ah well, it is still a nice capture as i know it's difficult to take while they're moving and many tourists are around. cheers, tootsie

shayes (495) 2006-01-03 13:24

Great picture Ken,and excellent note. Thanks for sharing! :)

Shannon

FORJP001 (3819) 2006-01-03 13:32

When I see colorful picture I do count the unique color with PAINTSHOP PRO and this one has only 112847 unique colors. The record on TE is around 300,000 different colors.

I like this colorful picture.

Jean-Pierre

Cathy (331) 2006-01-03 14:45 [Comment]

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emilbo (9741) 2006-01-03 16:13

Bonjour Ken,
J'aime beaucoup cette photo avec des visages aux expressions différentes.
Les couleurs sont superbes, Bravo!......
Emilius

devimeuxbe (56532) 2006-01-03 16:42

Hi Ken
Very nice composition with beautifull colors and nice frame; Except Furachan, there not so many pictures from Japan on tE.
Thanks to share with us.
Bertrand

Cormac (26461) 2006-01-03 22:31

Great shot and great note Ken. The colours of the clothing are so vivid, this shot really jumps out of the frame. It's a fascinating culture, and I'm looking forward more from your series on Japan.

banyanman (7739) 2006-01-04 1:19

Glad to see they didn't fool you, Ken ;) The woman in the middle is definitely not walking like a geisha, so that would have been another give-away. Nice colourful capture anyhow, and the ramparts in the background have enabled you to avoid the clutter that so often distracts shots taken in urban streets. Happy New Year. David

MLINES (11064) 2006-01-06 14:52

Ken, Good shot here. The ladies look to be deep in their own thoughts here rather than chatting as they walk along to catch the looks of those around. The unusual wooden shoes and white socks stand out well in your photo. In some ways the other people around them are a bit of a distraction from the main subjects, but then again makes it look more real in a way. Well captured.

Dariap (0) 2006-03-01 3:48

I like the photo especially the warm colour of the light, but I must say that they are not real Maiko, 'cause real Maiko never uses wig, only Geiko uses wig for some ocasions. So it's quite easy to see the difference.

macondo (13345) 2006-04-22 5:18

As a result of your forum item, I'm doing this critique, Ken. I quite like this one, except for the humdrum background figures. I reckon you could just about clone them out. I like the different looks on their faces, and their clothes, and interesting footwear, but not the red in the frame. But I do think overall it's better than two b/w ones that you think are underrated! Strange thing, taste!
Regards, Andrew