Carp and Reflections

Sometimes all of the elements of a great photo line up, but you have to wait, shoot a lot and edit carefully. 

I was with a photo tour group I was leading. We had walked into a small temple in Ohara, Kyoto which had a lovely pond outside of the entrance. 

We were in the shade, but the late afternoon light was shining the autumn foliage above and reflecting on the water's surface. The pond was filled with brightly colored koi (Japanese carp). The fish were swimming back and forth. I lined up the shot and waited for the fish to swim into the frame. I shot as many frames as possible, sometimes focusing on the surface of the water and sometimes on the fish. 

Back at home, I sorted through all of my frames and came up with 5 shots I liked. I then loaded them onto my phone (I LOVE Airdrop) and showed them to my wife, who helped me choose this one. I helps to get a second opinion when editing. It is too easy to get attached to a certain shot of silly reasons. My wife has a great knack for correcting me of that. (Photo by Paul Crouse / KyotoPhotoTours.com)