So I was at the ballet a couple of nights back, here in Tokyo, Japan, on assignment to photograph at the Royal Ballet’s ‘Romeo And Juliet’. Great stuff, great access (thanks R.N.), great help from the company and dancers. There’s nothing beats being in a changing room with 30 female dancers, or backstage as Prokofiev’s [...]
Japanese whaling. How many times can I mention it in one week….? Well, hopefully today is the third and last time this week. There is more to life, and more to being a photographer in Japan than photographing whaling. For instance you could photograph Mujirushi Ryohin, or as it is known the world over- MUJI.
Yep, [...]
A couple of weeks back I had an assignment here in Tokyo, Japan, to photograph ramen noodle culture. Oodles of noodles in the pictures, and oodles of noodles consumed on expenses. It was a good little job, one where I got to eat, shoot and leave. (And greatly assisted by GoRamen, rameniac and Ramenate). Now [...]
So, there I was 8.30am this morning, in downtown Azabu Juban, a sunny cosmopolitan corner of Tokyo, Japan. I knew it was cosmopolitan as the local coffee shop had outdoor seats and tables. Out in the mean city at a mean time to shoot a friendly editorial portrait assignment, sort of a business portrait without [...]
And then of course, when you do have photo assignment pics or films in the lab getting done, you need somewhere to hang out. Not all photo labs have a ‘coffee corner’. Here in Tokyo best thing to do would be to go on a two week holiday whilst you await your films being dev’d. [...]
So, few nights back. Standing on the terrace, chatting with my mate from next door. He’s telling me about his experience of running the Tokyo marathon the day before. Shoes this, rain that, 10 kilometres here, and then, he said to me “was the best bit, I ran past Jesus”. And he describes it..he runs [...]
It’s a funny ol’ job sometimes, funny ol’ life.
So it was, funny that is, earlier this year. I’d been on assignment up to Yoichi in Hokkaido, northern Japan, to visit and photograph the Yoichi distillery of the award winning Nikka single malt whisky distillers. Whilst there I’d toured their very interesting museum and read the [...]
Marie Claire USA have run a 5 page spread of my images, which accompany a story by Abigail Haworth, on an Australian woman, Fiona Graham, who has become the first qualified Westerner to work as a geisha here in Tokyo, Japan. The spread as it appears in the magazine is below, and the Marie Claire [...]
