by Editor Michel Romaggi in collaboration with the author Koiki 
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 3rd of April 2024

'Ran Himeniy'

Dear Koiki, please tell us the story behind this intriguing and beautiful scenery?

This is what is known as "noyaki," in which fire is set in the vast Watarase Yusui area for the purpose of preserving the precious wetland environment and exterminating pests and diseases in the area, which is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its registration as a Ramsar Convention wetland and is called The "reed burning,". It began around 1950 and was organized in the 1960s for the purpose of preserving the environment in which reeds, the raw material for making yoshizu, are cultivated.  It has become a springtime tradition, and the sight of the vast reed beds ablaze is a very moving event that allows visitors to feel the power of the fire.　

The "Yoshi Yaki" burns down in half a day an area of 1,500 hectares of reed fields, which is equivalent to about 320 Tokyo Domes. Pillars of fire rise one after another from the reeds spreading all over the field, and black smoke covers the sky, dimming the city.

Burning reeds that have withered and died exterminate pests and prevent them from becoming overgrown. It also encourages the growth of spring buds and helps to maintain the ecosystem of plants and animals that inhabit the area. After the burning of the reeds, the blackened earth of the floodplain sprouts green, reminding us of the love of life, and allowing us to experience first-hand the arrival of spring.

How did you come on this idea and when did you take this picture?

Before the shoot, I thought I was going to take a photo of a witch using magic. However, due to the direction of the wind and the rain the day before, the burning was poor and there was a lot of smoke. After a few shots, in this dramatic, story-like world, the model deviated from her original setting as a witch using magic, and in my eyes, she appeared to be playing a melody. And it seemed to be changing movements according to the winds of grief, craving, and smoke.

From there, the words COVID-19 pandemic and the severe damage to the entire world caused by the conflict came to my mind.
The serious damage to the entire world caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and conflict is expressed in the photographic background.

Ran Himemiya" was asked to express the image of a man in the midst of a war in a critical situation, lamenting the entire reality in front of him and crying out for world peace.

What gear did you use to achieve it?

SONY ILCE-7RM2
Voigtlander HELIAR-HYPER WIDE 10mm F5.6 Aspherical
Focal length : 10 mm, f/22,Exposure time : 1/250,ISO 640
No lighting, natural light only.

I used the Voigtlander HELIAR-HYPER WIDE 10mm F5.6 Aspherical lens, a special wide-angle lens that is not suitable for photographing people, and was able to capture the expanse of the land and the rising smoke in a wide angle. The f/22 lens was chosen because I wanted to capture the entire scene.
Due to the nature of the lens, everything except the centre of the image is distorted, so the model was placed in the centre of the image and the camera was held up with both hands while looking at the rear monitor.

What were the different steps to edit the image?

This is a Photoshop edit of a Lightroom development. The blue sky was not necessary, and the saturation was reduced. I wanted the flames to look more like luminous flames than realistic flames, so I used the glow effect to make them glow more brightly. The smoke was originally a dark gray colour, but to add depth, I partially bleach bypassed the smoke and edited it to create a faulty black colour. The entire lower half of the photo was manually processed with High Scross to create a vast three-dimensional effect of the earth.

There will come a time in the near future when I will have to give up my camera in order to make a living. This photo shoot was a reminder for me to cherish each and every shot I take now. And I am still taking photographs with this in mind.

In my 1x.com gallery, the title of the photo is the name of the model. More than half of the photos are with "Ran Himemiya". I hope you will enjoy seeing "Ran Himemiya's" world of expression in the gallery. I myself am just a spice to enhance her expression.