This photo comes from the big snowfall Tokyo received on the 8th of February. I made my way around Tokyo that day, taking pictures at various places trying to capture the feel around the city. For all the snow, the shrine was quite popular this day. In fact, I think there was even a wedding held here that day. Quite a day for a wedding! I really liked the way the snow and Japanese architecture contrasted, which is one of the reasons I enjoy this photo so much.
As it happens, I was having a hard time getting people out of the frame. Although they were of course blurred, I still felt they distracted. But the girl in the background taking the picture actually ended up working really well. Sometimes you have to work with what you have, and especially in crowded tourist locations like this shrine in the heart of Tokyo, that can be a key to getting a good photo. Incidentally, this photo is also a good example of working with mistakes. I had somehow made the mistake of leaving my ISO at 1250, all the way from Yurakucho to this point. It was right around this moment when I realized I had been doing that! Especially in a bright situation like this, I had no reason to shoot beyond 500 for much of the day, but thankfully it didn’t really mess up anything. Sometimes you make mistakes, and if you can roll with them, that will make life much easier on you!
Camera: Nikon D7000
Lens: 85mm f/1.8G
Shot Info: f/1.8 | 1/8000sec | ISO1250 | 85mm
