2017 Hakusan Shrine Hydrangea Festival in Photos
I photographed the Hakusan Shrine Hydrangea Festival in 2017 for the second time. I never used to like these flowers, but the more I saw them, the more they grew on me. This time, I didn’t get up early like I did the previous year, so I got there much later than planned. Furthermore, it was cloudy. Blue sky only poked its way through the clouds only once or twice. Well, I thought it was unfortunate, but my mind soon changed.
Prior to this article, there was a pattern in my flower photography. I took most photos on fine days OR fine days with few clouds. At that time, I thought it was the normal thing to do.
But that can be problematic because many flowers are reflective. Clear blue skies allow a lot of light through. Too much, and it’ll make your pictures too bright. You risk blowing out the details.
If the sky is overcast, clouds act like a diffuser making the light softer, which is a huge plus. I didn’t realize that fact for a long time. Focus on the flowers and nothing above. You don’t need that grey mushy stuff in your photos.
I had a great time with my camera, chatting with a couple of people, and enjoying the flowers. The Hakusan Shrine Hydrangea Festival is a beautiful event. I urge anyone who visits Tokyo in June to visit it.
Depending on what day and time you go it can get crowded. But that is okay as it is a local spot. The shrine and its garden aren’t that big, but about 3000 hydrangeas are there! That might explain why so many people go.
If you don’t know anything about hydrangeas, they can be blue, red, white, pink, or purple, and there are two types. One is ball-shaped. The other is somewhat flat, with a central core surrounded by an outer ring of flowers. I like them. They are great to look at and photograph.
Hakusan Shrine Hydrangea Festival photo gear:
- Camera body: Fujifilm X-T2
- Lens: Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR
Leave questions and comments below.
Rohan Gillett
Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.
Here are more hydrangea articles:
External related websites
- Hakusan Shrine (official website)