The day before making this image, I had brought my girls to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, to scout locations, and to enjoy wandering around the forest and nearby streets. The Bamboo Grove was so busy that it was hard to move through the crowds without elbowing other visitors. A stark contrast to the images I had seen of this place and the image I wanted to capture.

After a little research, I discovered that if I arrived by 7 am the next day, I should have the place to myself apart from the occasional jogger and fellow photographer. To give myself the best opportunity for the image I wanted to create I arrived an hour earlier at 6 am… only to discover that there was a film crew set up in the most popular section of the grove filming what I think was a commercial for a new Smart Car.

These things happen. And while disappointing, I decided that if I set up and framed my shot, at some point the crew would have to move and I’d have an opportunity to capture the image. During my time waiting, a few other photographers came and went. One in particular came, fired off a few shots using flash, in what seemed to be an act of trying to destroy what the film crew was doing (which would just make them have to stay longer) and then after a few minutes, he stormed off through the film crew yelling obscenities, that the locals possibly wouldn’t even understand.

Time ticked on. Still, I waited.

And then the moment came. The crew moved out and they drove the car out of the shot so they could turn it around and move it back in. I had maybe three minutes to do what I needed to do, but the crew members were very respectful and although we had to communicate in hand gestures, we both made sure we each were able to do what we came for. Professional respect… and I got the shot.