One of the great things about Kyoto’s World Heritage sites is that some of them are open (or at least partially open) 24 hours a day. A very special area to visit at night is the road leading up to Kiyomizu-dera. I’ve spent hours in this very spot shooting the main tower gate and pagoda of the temple.

Today’s Mainichi Photo was taken by Luke Zeme. This stunning HDR photo was taken on the deserted Matsubara-dori, a narrow street lined with shops selling traditional Japanese wares, which leads to the entrance of Kiyomizu-dera.

A narrow and steep street, lined with traditional shops, on the way to Kiyomizu-dera Temple
A narrow and steep street, lined with traditional shops, on the way to Kiyomizu-dera Temple

View the original photo, along with a description of the shoot and processing techniques at Luke Zeme Photography’s Kyoto by Moonlight article.

I’m a huge fan of HDR photography and Luke’s photo is an example of perfect execution of this technique. Far too often photographers will oversaturate the colours in their photo. I’m a firm believer that HDR photography should be used to replicate what you actually see with your eye (something a single photo can’t do on its own). When you’re standing on this street at night, the lights create a vibrant gold scene… I feel like I’m back there already…

Want your photo featured here?

Every Friday as part of the Mainichi Photo series, I feature the best photos from fellow travellers of Japan. If you have some great shots, why not submit them for publishing?

Contact me through JapanTravelMate.com, or get in touch via social media (links below).