Agfa Vista Look

A new portrait.

Sore Feet

I've spent several days walking around Tokyo and Omiya recently, conducting what I jokingly refer to as my Spring Marketing Offensive. And now my feet hurt. One thing I've learnt, I need some cushioned insoles. On the bright side, I've met a lot of interesting and creative people. 

For the next three months or so, between now and the latter part of July, I have only a limited number of days clear, so if anyone is contemplating a booking for that time period, I would urge them to do so quickly. 

Here's a double exposed self portrait - kicking myself in the head with my hard shoes. 

Pricing Changes

Currently I'm in the process of changing the price for the basic non-commercial portrait session fee and also adding more information about commercial day rates, etc. Some of the 'terms and conditions' language in The Kitchen Sink is also being honed a little. It's all a little bit of a work in progress. 

I didn't really want to have to put my prices up for non-commercial portraiture, but 'reality' is what it is. 

Fear not though, all sessions organised before midnight today, Wednesday April 8th 2015 (just to be clear), stand at the old prices. That's not only for confirmed bookings, but includes all non-finalised bookings and even general enquiries that lead to bookings too!

Early Birds And All That - 6 am Shoot To Catch The Blossoms...

Just back from a 6am family portrait session. Cherry blossom season tends to last at the most a week here in Japan, and much less if the wind picks up. You have to get the photographs while you can. Nothing to show yet, other than this blossom strip.

While coming back, I saw that we had not only beaten the professional cherry blossom photographers time wise,  but also location wise. If they had only gone to the effort of going another 200 metres down the road and around the corner...

Chuck Kelton - Printer For Danny Lyon, Builder Levy and Mary Ellen Mark

Chuck Kelton is a master B&W printer and has had an amazing career. He has worked closely with a large number of very famous photographers. The list includes Danny Lyon, one of my personal favourites. There's a nice little piece about him here, at the New York Times photography blog Lens.

Melburnian Reticulator

Here are two portraits from last week. They are of James, a reticulator from Melbourne. 

Taken using a one light setup and with an X100s + TCL-X100 combination. Processed in Lightroom + VSCO, via Capture One Pro.

A New Children's Portrait

The nature of photography means that you sometimes have to wait before you can show your work. This one is from six months ago. I like it so much I've also included as a regular shot on the Children's Portraits page.

Continental Freedom – Wish I Had It

Franz Barta, a Hungarian emigre who settled in Dunedin, New Zealand is the first photographer I ever became consciously aware of. Several of his prints hung on my grandmother’s walls. It was a long time ago now that I first became aware of them as the work of an actual individual person (I can just barely touch on the memory of the conversation that did it), but I was probably somewhere between the ages of five and ten. Of course, before that I knew vaugely that somehow people made photographs. It’s just that I had never really appreciated that real individuals created them, as works with intention.

It’s very hard to find information about Franz Barta, but I did come across this delightful passage, which quotes his contemporary Morris Kershaw referring to his style: “…the “Continental freedom” of his colleague Franz Barta, a photographer known for his very relaxed style, that seemed to “catch people out” before the camera.”

So, it was my great privilege this week when I had the opportunity to photograph his great granddaughter, Stella.

Another Pun - Graphics On Televisions

Graphics On Television, a two piece band I've done some work for in the past, has just made available (for free) a new 'concept' album. 

Basically, 15 musicians from around the world, all fans of Graphics On Televisions last album release, Pun, have resampled, remixed or completely rerecorded a song each from that album. It's called Another Pun. I think it is rather good.

A little video ad can be seen here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cykP0h8kPdw&feature=youtu.be

And the album can be streamed or downloaded here.

https://graphicsontelevisions.bandcamp.com/album/another-pun

One more Rural Portrait.

Here's another rural portrait. Along with the other one of my son, these are basically location test shots, filing away the info for possible future use. 

A Portrait From New Zealand

Here's a portrait I did recently in New Zealand.  

A Portrait From New Zealand

Here's a rural portrait.

Award Winning Brewer

Also while in New Zealand, I had a portrait session with award winning craft beer brewer Tom Jones, aka 'Tom the Pom,' of Crafty Beers and The Herne Brewing Company. Here's two from that session. Everyone seems to know about the health benefits of activated manuka honey, but you haven't really experienced anything until you have drunk a pale ale flavoured with smoked manuka wood!

Some work from New Zealand.

Just back from New Zealand. Here's a set of rodeo photos from the trip.

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Referral System - The Faux Points Card

It's now up and running - the 'Faux Points Card,' which is the new discount system for client  referrals.

Basically, if an existing client introduces four new customers over a 12 month period, they get a free basic, personal photo session, which they can use for themselves or even give to someone else!

Click here to see the details: Referral System - The Faux Points Card

Exiting Japan for a while...

I'll be out of Japan for several weeks soon, so while that's happening and for the prep period and while sorting stuff out after returning, I won't be available for bookings from January 26th until March 12th.* Still feel free to contact me during that period though. 

Thanks

* I still have a couple of free days before the 26th though

E-mail Troubles

I've recently had some e-mail troubles. It only came to my attention after certain things happened, and although I don't think I have missed anyone who tried to contact me, I can't be entirely sure.

It's working fine now though, so if you have emailed me or used the contact form on this site in the last two weeks, and I haven't responded, you will need to contact me again. Sorry for the inconvenience. 

Thanks.

Flare

Last Thursday I went location scouting along the Arakawa Tram Line near Otsuka in the middle of Tokyo. I couldn't find anything I liked, at all. But on the Monday before, on the way to a job out in Saitama, just outside western Tokyo, I noticed a cool area, which I think has potential. I took this there, of a shop sign, outside an unagi (eel) restaurant. I like the flare. 

Still More Food I Ate

Yet another from the growing proto-series Food I Ate.

More Food I Ate

Here's another recent 'Food I Ate' photo.