Wedding in the Land of the Rising Sun

As I wrote in my last critic, I love anything that involves Japan. So, I decided to critic another picture that deals with Japan. This take the photo in question is from a book called, Gentle Ways in Japan: A Photographic Study of the Familiar. My pick is on page 77. This is of a wedding in Japan. Gerard P. Sheldon took this photo for the book. He is an author born in Switzerland. Sheldon sent most of his life in Europe and the navy. So far, he has written one back named, Gentle Ways in Japan: A Photographic Study of the Familiar. The book is filled with amazing photos of daily life in Japan.

Gentle Ways in Japan: A Photographic Study of the Familiar is Sheldon’s first book. Each page shows the daily lives of Japanese people. Everything looks candid and relaxed. Not a single person in the picture looks stiff and lifeless. They seem to want to come to life before the viewer’s eyes. Even in the more serious pictures, the subjects look so natural. The book almost feels like going on a tour in the country itself. Pg. 77 is in the customs section of the book. It depicts a young Japanese couple getting married. People are one of the most difficult subjects to photograph. Sheldon manages to pull it off in a handsome and natural way. The picture is set inside a temple of some sort. Sheldon seems to have chosen to depict the happy couple and their soon to-be-in-laws in a natural setting. He also chose to shoot the picture indoors. This wedding scene could have just as easily been taken outside. Also, there is the subject in question for this photograph are the bride and groom. They are in the middle of the ceremony. Sheldon could have just as easily had them pose for a wedding photo. However, that alone would take away the natural feel of the picture. As a result, the picture looks natural and breathes out a slice of Japanese life.

The picture itself looks nicely executed. Sheldon seems to a professional with his work in the whole book. The wedding picture does not have a single rookie blemish in it. That itself is rather impressive considering what year it was taken. The book came out around 1989. That means there was not many digital editing around that time. Even so, the picture still looks nice. Just by looking at it, Sheldon shot the wedding photo with an old-fashioned color camera on a tripod. There might have been some touch-ups to the picture to help it look better. The lighting of the picture looks just about right for the setting. Most indoor pictures have to use flash just to get the lighting right. As I said before, the atmosphere of the picture looks so natural. The subject and focus look in harmony for the quality. Because there was no digital editing software in 1989, I can only imagine Sheldon had to take many pictures to get the perfect one to publish in Gentle Ways in Japan: A Photographic Study of the Familiar. To me, that had to take some much patience between the photographer and the subjects. Usually when many pictures are taken, the subjects start to look rushed and irritated. That is beautifully absent in this wedding photo. The tone and techniques all add up to deliver some a nice picture.

As I said before, I love everything about the country of Japan. I have done so since the seventh grade. My last critic was on cherry blossoms, so I decided to critic another picture that dealt with Japan. I am also a bit of a romantic at heart. That is why I picked this wedding photo. It is a mix of two of my favorite things in one. Like I have stressed before, the photo looks rather natural. There is nothing fake or forced about it. It just is. The bride and groom immediately catch the viewer’s eye. They look so somber and serious. The same thing goes to the parents behind them. That itself demonstrates the culture of the picture. Americans are more loose and opinioned in public. The Japanese are more modest and proper. One thing I do like is the bride’s kimono. All of that white just draws you in deep into the picture. She looks like the shining example of the classic Japanese beauty. I also really do like the kimono the photograph. The bride, groom, and mother entice the viewer in deeper to the picture with their clothes alone. Even the subtle wallpaper adds onto the picture’s somber, oriental charm to such a beautiful picture.

Sheldon manages to take Japanese life and present it to the rest of the world in the most realistic and candid way. As a result, the picture still looks great even after twenty-one years.

Works Cited

Sheldon, Gerard P. Gentle Ways in Japan: A Photographic Study of the Familiar. Saville Photo Arts Publishing. 1640 Tiburon Blvd. Tiburon, California. 1989

Sheldon, Gerard P. Pressure Breathing in Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease.

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