The story behind a few of my favourite Tokyo photographs

Hello again from Tokyo. In this edition I’ll do something a bit different, and, as the title suggests, talk about how a few of my favourite photographs came into being.

Autumn, at long last

First though, after a long and brutally hot summer, autumn has finally arrived in the Japanese capital, so here are a few somewhat unconventional photos from past seasons. Locations that span the city’s eastern areas to its mountainous far west.

A chance encounter on a regular walk

Going back to the main subject, I recently re-posted the full set of photos from the encounter below, as the building is being renovated and I got one last shot of the now empty interior. The images are here if you are interested. There’s a write-up too, as it turned out to be memorable for way more than just the portraits.

Taken back in 2014, the former business and home is in one of my most visited old areas, meaning I’d walked by, or at least very near, more times than I’d care to remember. Never before though had I seen the shutters open. And on that day, nearing the corner just before it, I debated whether to go left or right. The former won out, and upon turning I saw two hands under the shutters.

Those hands seemed like a potentially interesting shot, so I lifted the camera and, just as I was about to press the shutter, the lady’s face appeared. A scene that I immediately knew would most definitely make for an interesting image.

I still think back to that split-second moment each and every time I’m in the neighbourhood. If I’d turned right instead of left, I’d have been utterly oblivious to it. Similarly, the timing was perfect. Even just seconds before or after, and likewise, I would have missed it. The true randomness of street photography in all its uncontrollable glory.

Of course, not meeting the lady could have resulted in some other encounter. Maybe something even more memorable. That will never be known. But what I do know is that I’m very glad I did see her.

Miles of walking made worthwhile in one brief moment

The way this photo came about was similar.

I’d walked miles, but nothing had really worked, and it felt like just one of those days. That isn’t unusual, and I’d been out and exercised, so it was hardly the end of the world.

Arriving in Shinjuku, and fairly near the station that’d take me home, I did think of calling it quits and getting the train back. It was still fairly early though, so I decided to drop by a little exhibition I’d seen online, and then take it from there.

The exhibition, it turned out, really wasn’t my thing, so that extra disappointment made up my mind. It was the train back. But then, on my way to the station, I saw the old lady waiting to cross the road.

The trouble was, it was Shinjuku, on a Saturday afternoon, so the streets were busy to say the least. Plus, when the traffic lights changed, there were too many people to get a clear view of her. There were also waiting cars which I found way too distracting. However, on the other side of the road, a gap opened up and I got the briefest of chances for one shot. The shot as it turned out.

All those hours of walking, along with a day’s decisions and detours, had somehow, in some way, led me to that location at that exact time. And after all that, the moment was done and dusted in a fraction of a second. One seven-hundred-and-fiftieth of a second to be precise.

The benefit of repeat visits

Those chance encounters which result in a single photo that works incredibly well, or better still hints at so much, are wonderful, but despite always hoping for one, they are few and far between.

Also, while a picture is worth a thousand words and all that, for a good few years now, I’ve preferred to put sets of images together, as I feel a carefully selected series can tell more of a story. Certainly a more well rounded one anyway. An approach that is particularly useful when dealing with the passage of time. Like this before and after set, which is part of an ongoing project of mine

Regularly revisiting areas is one way of trying to tell such stories, and this lovely old garage is a place I often pass. It’s always a treat to see, and for a while it was even better as there was an old mini being worked on. Scenes I could never resist photographing, and on the whole I was fairly happy with the resultant images.

The details were nice and the retro vibe was great. None were super special though. Until one day the car was out front and the mechanic was working underneath it, with the colours, signage and overall balance an absolute joy. A photographic gift that I was very happy to receive, but one I like to feel was also well earned with all those visits.

And that pretty much wraps up this last newsletter of the year. Well, apart from a couple of business plugs. Something I’m still rubbish at.

I’ll put the red mini print on sale (20% off) for the whole of December. It’s here if you’d like to buy it. And if you are planning a trip to Japan, this is my photowalks page. It’d be great to show you round some of my favourite old areas. Either in Tokyo or Osaka.

Right then. Poor promotional efforts over. Enjoy the holidays, and speak to you in the next one. Next year.

Cheers

Lee