As is the case in many countries in Asia, Japan has lots of beautiful bamboo groves. The most famous one is almost certainly the aptly named “bamboo forest” in Arashiyama, Kyoto, but there are others throughout the country that offer their own unique version. In fact, there are others in Kyoto as well, and today’s photo comes from one of them. You have to wander off the beaten path a little bit to find it, but it’s worth it if for no other reason than the lack of crowds. If you want to take a nice photograph of the bamboo forest, you had better be there before the sun comes up! And even then it’s not a guarantee. But in this nice little grove, I was able to try several different perspectives and only had to stop for other tourists maybe 2 or 3 times. I’ll let you find out where it is for yourself – in my experience, that’s one of the great joys of getting to places like this. Just remember to wander around sometimes, and maybe ask locals for tips if you can. In so doing you’ll find photos (and experiences) that others never will!
In terms of post processing, this is a multiple exposure image that was blended together in Adobe Photoshop. Due to the large contrast in lighting between the path, bamboo, and the sky, a single exposure just isn’t going to show things like it appears to the eyes. As you can see in the before/after comparison (use the slider below the image to go back and forth), the middle exposure from the bracketed images is still too dark to be usable. But when mixed together with the under and over exposed images, you can get something very please. You can learn how to do all of this and much more in my Bamboo Forest Post Processing Digital Workshop. Check it out here.
Camera: Nikon D610
Lens: Nikon 16-35mm f/4
Shot Info: f/11 | Multiple Exposures (Blended) | ISO 100 | 16mm
