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Motonosumi Shrine

Photography / Editing

OVERVIEW

Motonosumi Shrine is an extremely beautiful spot in Japan, but usually out of reach from the typical tourists because of how far it is from the main tourist destinations (Tokyo, Osaka & Kyoto) & the fact that it is practically inaccessible via public transport.

CHALLENGE

Landscape photography usually requires a wide-angle lens shot at higher apertures. I only carried an iPhone 6S to take the shot.

Popular spots usually have a massive crowd. You need to be creative to find the right angle to avoid them.

Motonosumi has a vast area, with multiple points of interest, making it difficult to find a great composition due to too many options.

ROLE

Photographer

Editor

SCOPE

Create an Instagram-worthy post

SELECTING SHOTS

Of course it is okay to submit multiple photos to express the beauty of the location from various points of view, but it was very challenging to encapsulate everything into one.

The train of red gates were such a beautiful feature, but I couldn't find a shot where the composition nailed everything together, so I thought I had to come up with a compromise.

ORIGINAL PHOTO
IMG_6346.JPG

In the end I chose this photo because it has these elements:

 

A foreground (the detailed green plants),

a middle-ground (the gates & the cliff) &

a background (the sea).

The gates create a leading line towards the cliff & the sea.

EDITING PROCESS
IMG_6346 Dissect.jpg

The goal was to isolate the gates to become a prominent object.

I darkened the surrounding greeneries & lightened the surrounding grounds.

As our eyes are drawn towards lighter areas, I also added more clarity & brightened the area at the end of the cliff.

The idea was to use the gate as the starting point, leading the eyes towards the cliff into the vast seas.

IMG_6346-Edit-1 Comp.jpg

Here are the reasons why the composition works for this photo.

FINAL PHOTO
IMG_6346-Edit-1-1.jpg
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