luvtotravel

This is from a photography point of view. When is the light best in early May? Is morning the best time for photos? Evening? I will not have a tripod.
Thanks.
Diane

Adastra2200

There are 2 main issues - one is light, and the other is the people. Fushimi Inari is open 24/7, so you can go any time, but from mid-morning until evening it is increasingly stuffed with big crowds and more people. Trying to get any good shot is impossible with a hundred people in front of you taking selfies. So that leaves 2 times - early morning or evening. But you'll be walking eastwards, and trying to get some good shots with the sun in your eyes and camera lens is not ideal (though some may like it for some more artistic shots). I would suggest you shoot when the sun is behind you, and that would be in the late afternoon or evening. Sunset for the first part of May will be from 6:41 to 6:49 PM. Anything after 7:30 and you should have a tripod, or some kind of gorilla pod or clamp.

kja

Isn't the "golden rule" of photography that your best times are 2 hours on the day side of the day and 1 hour on the night side? (So an hour before and 2 hours after sunrise and 2 hours before and 1 hour after sunset.) I always check timeanddate.com for sunrise/sunset times and google maps for orientation so I'm not shooting toward the sun, unless my purpose is to capture sunrise or sunset.

luvtotravel

Thank you both for your responses. I think I will go late afternoon.
Diane