Plum Blossom Season

Today I met with Kotani-san, an ink-drawing artist who wants pictures of her art for her portfolio. She was introduced to me by Celio from Soho Gallery (thanks, brother) and the meeting went well. She showed me the room where we are going to take the pictures, an actual studio for the people who get wed at the shrine where she lives.

Did you say shrine? Yes.

It's actually a relatively famous one, as Kouzu shrine [here or here (all in Japanese, but there are pictures)] used to be inside the grounds of Osaka castle a good number of years ago. I've been through it a few times, and I was quite surprised when Celio brought me there. It felt a little strange at first to go indoors, but Kotani-san is a very kind person who easily adjusts to other people. The set up will require a bit of DIY (yeah!), but that's fine.

An ego-stroking thing happened when she asked me what the post-production fees on the estimate were: I answered things like color adjustments for white balance and cropping to match her artwork. She replied: Wow! Sounds so professional.

Yes, thank you.

After, on my way to other work, I passed through Osaka Castle Park to check out the plum blossom grove. Of course there were quite a few people, and I could spend too much time there, but here are some shots I took, handheld. I encourage you to click on the larger picture to explore it a bit, you might find a tasty surprise! Enjoy!