SB23 #5

The fifth in a series of photo editions minted in 2023. This is the most recent photo in this monthly series so far, having been taken just last month during a weeklong visit to Tokyo. I rarely use a flash but always find myself drawn to photos taken with one, and despite my fumbling frustration with getting it to work the way I wanted it to I committed to shooting with a flash for the entire trip. One evening walking back to my hotel it started raining and I caught this moment as these two people were simultaneously putting up their umbrellas. Vancouver is all about raincoats, Japan loves it's umbrellas and I've always loved shooting them. When I shot this I noticed the sticker on the first girl's phone and that's what I was hoping to catch, thinking perhaps it would have an interesting similarity to her own hair style and caught the woman behind here completely by accident. Sometimes the accidental background activity ruins a shot, in this one I think it made it. I also really love how the flash played with the raindrops on the clear umbrellas, making them look like metal flake sparkles.