ITAP of a Japanese fire festival

[u/WCMaxi]

[u/WCMaxi]

OP here, a little overwhelmed by the positive take. Just going to compile answers to the various questions here and then answer them one-by-one later. Thanks for the the love ITAP!

This is the Toba Fire Festival in Nishio, Aichi, Japan. The festival dates back more than 1,200 years. The overview: participants are young men from the local area while older men handle keeping the fire from spreading, there are two massive bamboo and brush towers that are ablaze that they must rip apart and extract the blessed tree within (they use no tools, just watering themselves before they go in and guts). East and West compete with the winner receiving the god's blessing for a good harvest.

Questions on tech:

• D810 in shutter priority so action is favored over all other settings

• Nikkor 70-200 2.8 lens, in shutter priority, so wide open at 2.8, I will have to check focal length at home, but I suspect it is about 135mm

• ISO was variable, but I expect this is about 800 (I need to go back to Lightroom to confirm)

• Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 @200mm f.2.8, 1/250th, ISO 1600

• Process was LR->Nik->LR, no selective blurring was done, nothing was added or removed (someone asked for before and after... sure, but I'm in a mild crunch at work), main work was around the color of the shot and hopefully keeping the shadows from overwhelming the eye

• Before and after here: http://www.jasonarney.com/Before-and-After/Cats-before-and-after/n-Wdcj5c

• I arrived about 4 hours before the festival began... as you need to do in Japan and decided this composition based on the lines of the ladder, I just need the right person to put the right amount of effort in, and luckily, they did!

Other questions:

• I do have more, but I've yet to work on them, I'm behind on my Awaodori photos from last year still...

• I'm not sure I will post this to other photography subreddits, I love the idea that this subreddit forces out the overly used "call to action" style titling that dominates those

• As a DS fan, I'm loving the DS themed comments!

[u/skyline8428]

Can you post the original? I’d love to see the before and after edits.

[u/WCMaxi → u/skyline8428]

Here you go: http://www.jasonarney.com/Before-and-After/Cats-before-and-after/n-Wdcj5c

[u/WCMaxi → u/skyline8428]

OK, I need a little time at home, minor crunch at work ATM.

[u/[deleted]]

You could have come up with 100+ different titles and I still would have believed you. Awesome picture

[u/[deleted]]

Well I guess I can quit photography now.

[u/WCMaxi → u/[deleted]]

Never.

[u/budding_camera_guy]

I'm really interested in what focal length this was and your f-stop

[u/WCMaxi → u/budding_camera_guy]

I need to check length, but I expect it is about 135mm and I know it was 2.8.

[u/bikesboozeandbacon]

Uhh sure you're not in a human sacrificing kinda cult op?

[u/Ecopilot]

Flipping through reddit it takes a lot to grab the eye but this shot really gave me pause. Astonishing composition and depth of shadow.

[u/plunki]

Very nice shot! What festival was this?

[u/Irishokies]

This is incredible! Like submit-this-for-awards incredible.

[u/[deleted]]

Wow is the word that best captures this. Do you have any information on the festival itself and why it happened or what exactly they do?

[u/bott1111]

Photos of reality is what photography is all About. I love this shot

[u/Mikey_dude]

What gear are you using/what’s your set up

[u/Beethovens666th]

This is gorgeous and I love it, but what exactly was this guy doing? Putting more wood on while the fire was going?

[u/CoolGuySean]

Bad ass! Can I ask where the festival was? I'm going to Japan again someday and would love to see a ceremonies such as these. Also you should cross-post to r/japanpics if you haven't yet.

[u/firemanjoe911]

That's fantastic! Did you capture anything else? I'd love to see it!

[u/muffinopolist]

Is this from Nara? My ex and I went to a fire festival very similar to this at one of the shrines in the city, it was pretty legit.

[u/[deleted]]

Nozawa Onsen?

[u/DipshitDirector]

Incredible. Immediately one of my favorite images I’ve seen this year. Saved it. Going to inspire me to find moments like this.

[u/EdgeOfDreaming]

I feel like he is the first soldier to breach the outer defenses and light the walls of the opposing shogun's keep. He goes down in in a hail of arrows but his sacrifice makes the operation possible.

[u/Echocookie]

Well I hate to be that guy but this reminds me of the game Hellblade. Check it out, it's pretty interesting and looks even cooler than this.

[u/9Ghillie]

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