I heard rumors that the lotus flowers at Shinobazu Pond were in full bloom, so I went to Ueno on a weekend in early July.
I set out before dawn, hoping to capture the sound of lotus flowers blooming with the first light of day… If only I had a bit more stamina and energy, I would have loved to try such a poetic photo shoot.
In reality, I overslept and ended up rushing out of the house as the sun rose slowly, burning the sky. By the time I arrived at Shinobazu Pond, it was around 10 a.m.
At this time of year, the lotus flowers are in full of energy. They grow so densely that they cover the surface of the pond, and the view from the edge of the pond across to the opposite shore looks like this.
The flowers are mostly obscured by leaves that have grown almost to chest height, so there are only a few opportunities to capture them in full bloom. A telephoto lens is essential to frame them properly. That’s why the stars of the day were the LUMIX G9proII and the Leica DG50-200mm.
Although it was a hot day, fortunately some thin clouds appeared to block the sun, making it a little more bearable. Moreover, cloudy skies are ideal for photographing flowers.
When they bloom near the shore, the flowers themselves come out clearly in the photos, which is delightful.
Since it’s such a beautiful spot, let’s include the Benten-do Hall to capture the unique view of this area. Ideally, I’d want a clear blue sky as the background, but I won’t be too picky.
I don’t usually do this, but I wanted to make use of the foreground blur, so I went for a slightly high-key finish.
So, I’ve uploaded a few photos I took while chasing lotus flowers. I have a few more shots, so next time I’ll use them to fill up the summer blog with “photos I happened to take while chasing lotus flowers.”
