tokyo - december

thanks for all your comments on my first set of images i shot in nov and posted last

month. i've been out again and up-loaded a december edition. the first 15 images were

all shot on a one night shoot. where the image entitled 'tunnel' starts was a day trip to

one of the big horse races held just outside tokyo every year, ending with the colour

ambulance pic. there onwards, just a mix of day and night shooting. as i keep getting in

trouble pointing my camera at people, most of the images were shot from the hip this

time round, except where i have obviously tired to compose them.

 

they are all pretty much in the order i shot them

 

it'll be great to hear your thoughts, comments and criticisms. thanks to everyone on this

forum as you've all inspired me.

 

<a href="http://homepage.mac.com/mecan/index.htm" >tokyo - december</a>

Very nice stuff there, Steve. You've captured a different side to this city, that I -- as a

fellow Tokyo resident -- have never seen. Much appreciated.

And oh, my favorites are "Contemplation," "Beauty," "Ureshisou," "Legs," and "Phone."

<P>

If I could offer one humble critique, I would strongly suggest rigorous editing. There are

46 pictures with a few strong ones and some weak ones. Force yourself to a quota of say,

20 -- pick out only the best ones. You have a wonderful piece of work there, and that

deserves some ruthless editing.

STeve,

 

Somehow the pictures do not give me the impression of the Japan

that I knew and loved. I see no beauty or vibrancy. Of course I

did not live in Tokyo, but in Kobe.

 

Your presentation of showing the pics in a "proof sheet" is excellent!

I wish all contributors could do that. Can they? How did you do it?

 

Jerry

alan, yeah you have to be able to read japanese to 'get' beauty.. cheers

Excellent work there, Steve. Great night shots and nice mix with the colours. Yes, I

suppose one could edit it down, but then you could always say that. I found very little

overlap overall.<p>

 

<i>Somehow the pictures do not give me the impression of the Japan that I knew and

loved. I see no beauty or vibrancy.</i><p>

 

A downright silly comment.

Love that shot, beauty. Really, I just jumped when I saw it. Lot of good shots, Steve. Keep going.

Interesting, Steve, interesting. The guy barfing is my favorite.

Says it all if you know what I mean.

Great shots, thanks for sharing and conveying ideas. I should definitely stand still somewhere in Shibuya and wait for things to happen. Train stations are also a must ;)

Great as usual Steve, esp. for me 'tunnel'. Johnny.

Lots of definite keepers here! Not quite as strong a set as your last one but you've clearly got THE EYE. Once again an inspiration to get out and shoot. It's not the Japan I know down here in small town Shikoku but it IS big city Japan. You're vision of Japan is a bit darker than mine (emotionally) but that's how I might feel in the big city too.

 

I think what I appreciate most about these is that you don't allow yourself to be bound by technical "correctness" -- and I mean that in the very best way! The shots that often grab me the most are often on the very edge and might be blurry, or dark, or both.

 

Please keep 'em coming.

<I>"...i keep getting in trouble pointing my camera at people."</I>

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Any big issues? I'm always curious to hear how people work through these situations.

<P>

By the way I like the images, thanks for sharing.

Nice assemblage capturing the modern urban environment, and its residents. In its

subject and forthright, unapologetic grittiness, it nominally resembles Araki (pardon

the stretched comparison) -- but a candid, platonic, outdoor version of same. The

snowy intersection shot also reminds me of some of Kertesz's work in Tokyo.

Good stuff.

 

Thanks for posting. Nice to seem some good photography around here.

 

I learn a lot from shots such as yours. I agree partially with the editing comment above, but around here, too much is always better than not enough. We can all make our own opinions and use the information as we see fit.

 

Nevertheless, that was pretty good advice just the same and something to think about perhaps.

 

Thanks again, good stuff...

Best

C

really nice work, and I'd agree with the comments on editing. These are good scans, how did you get them done?

Some good stuff there. It's refreshing to see Tokyo shots which aren't the typical ones

everyone takes who goes there (including me).

 

I'm surprised to hear people don't like being photoed but maybe the horse-racing is

regarded as a bit low-life. Is there a yakuza involvement?

thanks for the thoughts.

 

you read japanese too jamie J??

 

i agree about the editing - i got it down to about 5 pix that i think are OK stand-alones.

some others might be nice in a series. i'm not shy about posting weak shots - this isn't

my book, just a process i'm going through....

 

araki.... no, no! far from his style i hope, but understand your comments, nathaniel...

 

gerald, i'm glad you said what you said, - it's my objective.

 

neil, scans done on minolta 5400. sp + richard, uh...a fellow street shooter over here also

has had some trouble - i think it all stems from the hidden camera thing which is so

common here. you know, upskirts and toilet cams... so ppl are pretty edgy about all that.

the last time i was chased was because the guy thought i had been taking pictures of his

girlfriend. straight on at 1~3 metres, i don't use the viewfinder.

 

ta. steve.

The threatening mood of the city comes out to the fore in the first 15 images for me: defamiliarised, alien and groping around for meaning. I think Gerald has already said what I would have - the harshness of the city life is a little harrowing and conveyed well.

 

Perhaps the colour work felt like a separate day and separate project.

 

Hoping you find some peace in this city.

 

 

Regards,

 

RJ

Tokyo is more than a peaceful city... narrow, quiet, cosy and safe streets are at every corner, trendy cafes and virtually invisible restaurants with a warm atmosphere are scattered everywhere... you usually just need to walk a few meters to get out of big crowds. People are amazingly civilized and never bothersome. it does not exactly feel like what you can get on Steve's pictures. At least this is how i feel as i gaijin here.

Are you going to put these back up Steve? The website appears to be down. I had wanted

to look at them, but I was on dialup when you posted them...In any case, the thumbnails

looked good, but I would love to see the full pictures.

stuart,

 

sorry mate, pulled the site as i need the space on the server to show proofs for something

else. but i'll be posting the new stuff as and when relevant W/NW threads appear.

Fair enough. I will keep my eye out for them...