Our man in Tokyo: September 2007 Archives

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September 30, 2007

Were you listening to The Dude's story, Donny?

Oh my god, there ARE other people like me! People who put The Big Lebowski at the top of their list of favourite movies.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, go and rent the Coen Brothers' classic comedy, and watch it at least a couple of times.

That's not her toe, Dude.

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September 29, 2007

The Glass Between Us: Reflections on Urban Creatures

I'm not exactly known for my love of animals, which I've always put down to my parents never letting my brother or I keep a pet when we were kids. The couple of times I've shared a house with a cat or a dog, I've maintained a distinctly hands-off attitude. Who needs to waste time and money looking after an animal? Sure, animals are great for kids, but I've always felt somewhat suspicious of those adults who dote after cell phone images of puppies. Have children already!

More recently I've tried to adopt a slightly broader view, even going along to some zoos and trying my hand at animal photography, which I have to admit I really enjoyed. Note: if you want to get my attention, 100 pink flamingoes will always beat Snookums the house cat.

In another of those 'what-would-I-do-without-the-internet?' moments, this morning I came across Rebecca Norris Webb's photography on the Blue Earth Alliance's homepage. You have to see these images. Take your time and go through the ten pictures in the slideshow. Many of them are quite disturbing, which in this case is a very good thing.

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September 26, 2007

Now on tour

I've just been over at Tips from the Top Floor watching Chris and Rebecca's latest video from the US. It looks like they're having a blast in the States, and their jealousy-inducing exploits have me thinking that I will have to make the journey Stateside myself sometime soon.

They're in America holding a series of photography workshops similar to the one that I did when I visited Chris' studio in Germany earlier this year. If you are at all interested in photography, Chris' workshops are for you. They concentrate on the various composition elements that can make up a picture: the use of colour, texture, repeating patterns, leading lines and so on. Along the way, Chris also shares tips for various kinds of problems people encounter when they are taking photographs, from things as simple as how to hold a camera to how to use histograms and curves in digital post-processing.

Best of all, the workshops are a hell of a lot of fun! Not only did my photography improve while I was in Tubingen, but I met a great bunch of people who were as crazy as me about taking pictures. Through the contacts I made I've continued to exchange information and ideas long after I left Germany.

To find out more about Chris and his workshops, visit Tips From the Top Floor.

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The Wedding

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Flux

An old comrade here in Tokyo recently announced that he is considering going back to the States early next year. Over nomihodai beers and quesadillas, he explained how after six years the time had come to say goodbye to Japan and make a triumphant return to Philadelphia. I responded in my usual mature way:

“You f!$@ing what!?!”

How, I wondered, could a guy who seemed so at home with the worst excesses of the Tokyo lifestyle even consider trading it in for Philly steaks and a murder rate which would make Bogotá seem civilized?

“Well, I'm gonna go home and then move someplace big like New York”
“Oh... well... that's fine then”

The fact is that over the past year or so, most of my old friends in Tokyo have left the city. One by one, they've declared their intentions, hocked their TVs, illegally disposed of their futons and boarded flights home.

All these goodbyes have left me feeling like I've just been through a bad break-up. You know... that cut-down-with-a-steamroller feeling that makes one question what the hell you've been doing for the past couple of years of your life and why you bothered investing so much time and energy into a relationship that couldn't possibly have turned out any differently. “So you wanna leave Tokyo? Leave all this? Well do what you have to do, but I think you're making a big mistake... a BIG mistake mister!”

And like any breakup, after it happens, people start telling you what they really think. Sure, they might have said nice things about your job and your other friends when you were together, but once they announce they are leaving, its all “You should really leave that crummy company” and “What are you doing wasting your life with those guys?”

So I'm thinking how to pick myself up again. I talked to an older, seemingly wiser guy at work who has been in town forever. I was looking for a sympathetic ear, and knew he would be able to set me straight. His advice?

“Sounds like you need new friends.”
“But I liked the ones I already had!” I countered.
“Tough.”

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September 24, 2007

Band photography

A few weeks back I put an ad in the back of an English language magazine here offering to take photos of bands for free. As many of you know, I'm slowly putting together a folio of my photography. Photographing musicians seemed a good way to go and so far its been working out really well.

First I did a shoot at the Pink Cow for a female guitarist called Ami, and quickly followed this with a shoot at a much larger charity performance in Shibuya. More recently, I was asked by a young pianist to take photos of her while she played in a hotel bar in Ikebukuro, and then by band to do some portrait shots.

I've found that taking photos at a gig comes fairly naturally - the musicians are performing to an audience so all I really have to concentrate on is getting close enough and balancing the light on people's faces. Promo shots are a little more difficult. Here the musicians are only performing to me, and not always with their instruments. I have to keep talking to the musos-turned-models to get them to play up to the camera and to move into the right poses while at the same time pointing lights, changing lenses and (if its outdoors) making sure my gear doesn't wander off without me. Put simply, its hard work, especially if the weather or passersby aren't cooperating.

Of course, it's also a hell of a lot of fun. Part of that comes from sitting down with the musicians and talking to them about what kind of image they want to project, and throwing around all those fantasy album cover ideas.

Our man in Tokyo