May 21st this year saw the return of Düsseldorf's annual Japan Day. If you're ever needing to see some wierd and wonderful people - then this is the place!
Thousands of people descended on the banks of the Rhein to enjoy a day of cultural performances, cultural cuisine, and as far as I could make out - dressing as wildly as possible!
Now, I'm not too aux fait with these things - but there are two words I heard a lot - Anime, which I think I know what that is, and Cosplay, which apparently means Costume-Play, or, dressing as wildly as possible!
I don't like the way this fella was looking at me!
Another thing I saw loads of, was Tea. Loads of it! There were pop-up stalls everywhere selling all kinds of tea, including something called 'Jelly Tea'. Now this stuff produced massive queues everywhere it was being sold - and I still haven't got the first idea what it is! It was popular anyway!
The queue for the food stand was the worst.
One of the most interesting aspects of the day for me was seeing other photograpers in action. There were lots of them!
With people photography not being an area I get too busy with (buildings and aircraft are my thing, but I hope to get in to live music), it was really interesting to see these other guys in action; how they interacted with people when asking for photos, taking photos and after they've shot them.
One of the biggest tips I took from this experience was business cards. Now this is probably a great tip for everyone shooting in these type of scenarios.
Each time a pro stopped someone and took there picture, they gave them a business card. What a cool idea! That person can now check out your site, twitter, flickr or whatever and find their picture! Maybe even buy a print - or even hire you! Top tip right there!
Until nextime!
Apeman