Triptychs to Capture a Location
With a challenge at the end.
I continue to organize and review my photos over the past 8 years and keep finding new themes, a better sense of my style, and connections between images that I had never explored before. One particular idea that has come from this is a sense of place created through a series of images. The idea came from three images that I took on two separate trips to this particular location.
Now, you might be thinking that these don’t really give off an idea of a particular place. I get that. Nio Guardian statues and red pagodas are pretty common Buddhist symbols across Japan but that’s a start. Even if Japan wasn’t your first thought it at least provides enough context to send your mind to a certain region of the world. For me though, these three images symbolize my experience at Yamaguchi Kannon. Walking between these two Nio Guardians trapped behind their white wooden lattice, up the stairs to the main temple. Just around the temple is a path leading to the small pond and several statues to explore. Ultimately leading to the never ending flights of stairs up with a dragons scaled body on either side. These three images hold the memories of summer hydrangeas. hungry mosquitoes. and burning calves after reaching the top of those stairs. They truly define the place for me.
Switching gears a little and I give you a set of images that anyone on social media over the past 5 years has likely seen a version of from every photographer or travel influencer out there.
The thousands of Torii gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine is one of those can’t miss things when visiting Kyoto. Everyone goes to see the shrines, tries to carve out a tiny space with no one else in the background to take a selfie, and then push through the waves of people to find a place to sit or eat. Regardless, the Torii Gates themselves let you know exactly where these images are from. The cat and the crate on the other hand is much less obvious. The shrine is filled with fox statues so seeing a cat (it’s fox like right?) along the path with a Torii gate colored crate behind it seemed like a perfect way to tie the other two images together.
Location number three is along the same lines as Fushimi Inari Shrine. Touristy and obvious, but maybe a little less well known. The Kimono Forest.
The Kimono Forest is a beautiful display of Japanese textiles and is made even more amazing when scene at night. The beautiful colors and patterns glowing along the paths are a well curated exhibit. The allure of the fountains waters being known to make your wishes come true only add to the magic of this place.
In the beginning I said that that the sense of place through a series of images. Well as I started making these triptychs other patterns began to emerge. Add the three sets of images and I started to notice a habit of putting a center composed subject between two images that are almost mirrors of each other in a way. Also looking at them all together you get a clear sense of Japan through its cultural symbols.
So now what’s really the point of me writing all this? Well mostly just to share something I’ve been reflecting on and a bit proud of. Even if the images might be a little instagramy I like them and love how they flow together. The other part is I think it would be fun to put out a challenge. I want to see you Triptychs that you feel capture a place in a way that not just one image can.
Challenge:
Build one or more triptychs that depicts a location.
Don’t give away the location
Share it with me
Thanks for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed my random thoughts and somewhat pointless write up. If you have any questions about the images just let me know. I really hope you accept the challenge and can’t wait to see your images.
