Photographer in Japan | 日本の写真家

Shibuya in the snow; lady waiting to cross

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:40 +0900

Oh boy.... you know, you make some decisions in life that turn out to be just gut instinct. I left the house tonight as soon as it started snowing, planning just to walk around the neighbourhood. But, I soon found myself on a train to Shibuya and am I glad I went? You f***ing bet I am!

Got some awesome shots tonight. All shot straight to black and white in-camera, and all shot with the 50mm f/1.2

Got soaked and freezing. The camera gear is all in dry boxes, my clothes all hanging up drying off. But, I am going to bed a warm and very happy man. :-)

Nikon D700
Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 Ai @ f/2
DR-3 right-angle viewfinder
1600 ISO shot straight to mon in-camera.

Tokyo in the snow; the wonderful backlight of Tsutaya, Shibuya

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:04 +0900

Snow always looks best when you catch it in the streetlights and near Tsutaya in Shibuya there was an awesome section of pavement that was being lit by powerful lights. Heaven-sent.....

I stayed there for a while. Got very wet. Couple of guys offered me an umbrella but it was a bit late for that. Great moments. What street photography is all about: 50mm, wonderful scenes, people getting into what I am up to. They thought I was nuts to be out in the snow shooting. The camera was soaked. I was soaked... but when I showed the guy this shot, the look on his face and the 'Waaaaahhh, sugoiii!' made the whole thing worth it. :-)

Nikon D700
Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 Ai @ f/2
DR-3 right-angle finder
1600 ISO shot straight to mono in-camera.

Following some old guy in the rain; Omori, Tokyo

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 10:32 +0900

On my way to the hospital today with my wife, walking and shooting with the 50mm. Bit of rain coming down. Was just behind this fella when I shot these.

Even without the Katzeye I had in my D300, the D700 is a dream to focus manually: that bigger viewfinder makes all the difference. Just like being back with my F4 again.

Nikon D700
Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 Ai @ f/2
Shot straight to black and white JPEG in-camera.

End of the week; Shibuya, Tokyo

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:05 +0900

Down at that crossing in Shibuya again. Never fails to deliver something nice.

Mamiya 645AFD II
Hasselblad 110mm f/2 @ f/2

Eri strikes a pose in the afternoon sunshine

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:07 +0900

More from today's test shoot down at Ogimachi. The pair of us had great fun. My son, Joe, came along to help out too; with a bit of tripod-carrying and model-entertaining. At one point he was balancing his Transformer toys on my head as I was shooting. Not my usual repertoire of tricks to keep the models happy... but it all seemed to work. :-)

Mamiya 645AFD II
Hasselblad 110mm f/2
ZD digital back

Quick pause before tackling the 4-chome crossing, Ginza, Tokyo

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:33 +0900

Watched this old fella for a bit, as he psyched himself up to get across the road. It was a manic lunchtime moment at the Ginza Crossing.

Mamiya 645AFD II & ZD Back
Hasselblad 110mm f/2

A day out at the Kabuki-za, Ginza, Tokyo

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:42 +0900

Well-dressed Japanese lady in kimono on her way into the Kabuki theatre in Ginza.

Mamiya 645AFD II & ZD Back
Hasselblad 110mm f/2

Railway lines, Ogimachi, Kanagawa

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:19 +0900

Shot this whilst out with a bunch of people on our workshop yesterday, down at Ogimachi near Kawasaki.

Irwin was soing some shots with our model, with one half of the group. I was in macro and monochrome world with the other half.

This is straight out of the camera and shot to black and white and JPEG in-camera.

Loving the dof and resolution of the D700. Very much like having a digital F4.

Nikon D700
Nikkor 300mm f/4 @ f/4

Tokyo Auto Salon 2010: 'What, you mean there were cars at the show too?"

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:18 +0900

Another one from the Auto Salon, of the massed-ranks of race-queen snappers.

Nikon D700
Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 Ai

So, how does it feel to have a camera pointed at YOU mate?

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:18 +0900

There's a little documentary coming soon with these shots, cos it's all I shot today apart from the iPhone shots I did for fun, with and for Joe. Very interesting watching these people.

This guy in the centre of the picture looking at me, and a few of the others, were decidedly pissed at me for taking photos of them taking photos of all the girls at the Tokyo Auto Salon today. Not that I give a shit. A lot of these guys are extremely creepy, very pushy and they are everywhere. I saw more cameras today than cars.

I was just walking around with Joe and ended up shooting pics of the crowds of amateur photographers at every opportunity. This guy was in almost every shot.

So, mate, how does it feel? Now you know how the poor girl feels.

Nikon D700
Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 @ f/2
Shot straight to mono, using a pic control I set up myself with a bit more contrast, red filter and a touch more sharpness.