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Alfie Goodrich 
Photographer in Tokyo, Japan | Photography teacher in Japan
Occupation: Photographer and photography teacher
Location: Tokyo
His ProfilesRankThis is the rank of 'Alfie Goodrich' out of all Google+ Profiles.: 175 (GenderRankFor the gender 'Men'.: 107)
His ProfilesRankThis is the rank of 'Alfie Goodrich' out of all Google+ Profiles. in Japan: 3 (GenderRankFor the gender 'Men'.: 3)
Followers: 1,224,108
Following: 0
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Latest postings
2013-05-22 04:43:07 (8 comments, 4 reshares, 194 +1s)
Just arrived in Kobe
Here for a shoot today. Liked the three circles and the three kids.
I Was waiting for the subway train.
2013-05-21 02:51:00 (16 comments, 8 reshares, 290 +1s)
Maybe my fave shot from the shoot with Ruri
Doing a little editing and printing this morning. Heading to the airport shortly for my flight back to Tokyo.
Great few days here in Kyushu. Feel in a real high from shooting with Ruri.
Expect to see her appearing in a few shoots in Tokyo soon.
Gear?
Nikon D800E
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AiS
2013-05-20 03:11:14 (21 comments, 7 reshares, 215 +1s)
Perfect end to a great shoot: a swim & a few last shots
Went back to the beach just now for Ruri to have a swim. Water looked so good and as I was needing a bit of a wake-up call from being awake at 2.30pm... I took a swim as well.
Then, seeing as I can't ever stop taking photos, I did what anyone would have done in the circumstances: got in the sea with $3500 of camera and lens.
Glad I did. The last shots Ruri and I made have truly put the cherry on top of the photographic cake we've cooked up this weekend.
Gear?
Nikon D800E
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF-G
2013-05-19 23:22:46 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 124 +1s)
Dawn in the beach in Hyuga with Ruri
We were up around 3am this morning to get down to a great little beach I know in Hyuga, Miyazaki-ken....to shoot some stuff with the morning sun.
Beautiful dawn, beautiful location, beautiful lady. Having a hard time thinking of a better way to start the week. :-)
Here's one from the shoot.
Gear?
Nikon D800E
Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8
Muslin backdrop cloth wrapped around Ruri.
2013-05-19 04:22:48 (12 comments, 10 reshares, 217 +1s)
Ruri, framed: Mimitsu, Kyushu
First saw this location about a year ago and have been wanting to shoot a model in it since then.
This just worked out so nicely.
*Gear?
Nikon D800E
Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 Ai
2013-05-19 04:11:07 (9 comments, 5 reshares, 96 +1s)
Ruri in Kyushu: the sailor's sweetheart shot
Down in Hyuga, Kyushu, for a few days shooting a variety of fashion shots with Ruri.
Rainy day here today but we're making good use of it. Shot in a variety of spots around the fishing port and docks this morning.
Gear?
Nikon D800E
Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8
3xYongnuo 560iii
One through a 50degree grid on Ruri.
One bare to light the name of the ship.
One bare to light the numbers on the ship's bow.
All flashes fired with Yongnuo 603N triggers and in Ziplok bags to keep them dry.
2013-05-17 02:28:53 (13 comments, 3 reshares, 170 +1s)
One from the archive: Shinyong down by the railway tracks
A few months ago my friend and collaborator, +Shinyong Lee asked me if I'd go with her and take some shots with her wearing an outfit she just wanted to have some fun wearing.
So that's what we did...
First question she asked me was where we'd go and shoot. She wanted something gritty and urban. She didn't want to go very far. We only had a couple of hours to spend shooting.
I knew exactly where to go, as I pride myself on knowing Tokyo well enough to be able to fairly rapidly think of a certain spot that's going to suit a certain type of shot.
This was taken by the railway tracks between Kanda and Akihabara. This exact spot is tucked away down a small alleyway and you'd easily miss it if you didn't know where it is. I like it ... more »
2013-05-16 05:06:32 (10 comments, 3 reshares, 133 +1s)
Fashion shot from recent Fukushima workshop
Shio Mikuni modelling in an abandoned bus on Route 20 through the mountains in west Fukushima.
After agonising over what to do with this magazine idea of mine and faced with a reduction in my available time over the past three months, I am just going to get something out rather than keep putting off getting the perfect thing out....
There will be some special editions to begin with: student focused, workshop focused, themed by topic. They'll be slimline and available as PDF.
The project will gradually morph towards what I eventually want it to be. Gradually the elements I absolutely want in the magazine will come together. The final goal of this first stage being something I feel is really worth committing to paper. The electronic editions will be how I try stuff out.
Gear &... more »
2013-05-15 11:14:53 (7 comments, 5 reshares, 141 +1s)
Tony Ito racing the Lotus 35 at Sodegaura Raceway
This is the second or third time I have seen this car but the first time I have seen it race. The first two times I saw it were on its trailer.
The Lotus 35 was an Formula2 racing car built for the 1965 and '66 seasons. It is in my opinion one of the finest, most slender, sleek and beautiful racing cars of all time. I once had a Scalextric slot-car version of it. Seeing the real car up close and getting to shoot it at a race were a great pleasure and something of a boyhood dream come true.
Tony Ito was there with two cars; this Lotus 35 and a MGBGT touring-car. Both,. I believe, come from the AC Minds garage near Toyota City.
I shot this from a vantage point behind the pits, looking back across to corners 8 and 9 on the Sodegaura Ccircuit; great position that allowed me to get such ... more »
2013-05-15 05:48:41 (6 comments, 8 reshares, 156 +1s)
Tetsu Ikuzawa racing his 1968 Porsche 911T
I'm currently involved in shooting some pics of Japanese racing legend Tetsu Ikuzawa, for the official Porsche 911 '50th Anniversary' book.
This one probably won't make the book as those shots will be portraits of him and his 911s, shot at his garage in Tokyo. But I visited him recently at a race near Tokyo, at the Sodegaura Forest Raceway, just to make friends and get a few shots for b-roll.
Lovely day out. He's such a gentleman. Lovely guy. The whole day was a beautiful experience.
Looking forward to shooting Ikuzawa-san at his home and garage soon... and,of course, seeing his amazing collection of Porsche 911 cars.
Gear?
Nikon D700
Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8IF-ED
#alfiegoodrichblog
2013-05-06 09:01:16 (12 comments, 3 reshares, 95 +1s)
A Day at The Races: Classic Lotus F1 Action
Been too long since I posted anything but have been so busy lately and just haven't had a lot of time to spend online.
I shot this last Saturday at Sodegaura Forest Raceway, about 50mins drive from my place in Tokyo. There were a collection of formula, touring cars and bikes there; mostly British classics, mostly from the 1960s.
I was there to shoot Japanese race driver Tetsu Ikuzawa, who drive for Porsche and various other teams in the 1960s and 1970s, racing various classes from Formula through to Le Mans 24hrs, sports, touring cars etc.
Ikuzawa-san was there last weekend racing his 1968 Porsche 911T. I was there to shoot some pics of him racing and to arrange a shoot at his home and garage in Tokyo.
The shots I am doing of him will be featured in the official Porsche 911 50th A... more »
2013-04-25 23:24:14 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 107 +1s)
Joe: he's growing up.....
My eldest, Joe, is growing up fast. Took this the other day when Joe was posing for a student of mine, as she learned about shooting portraits.
Time flies. He'll be 12 in September. Quite the young man already.
Gear?
Nikon D700
Nikkor 85mm f/2 AiS
2013-04-25 03:19:31 (23 comments, 4 reshares, 234 +1s)
In praise of re-visiting locations: The International Forum, Tokyo
I've been going to this building since about 1999 and I can still find a new angle on it.
Sorry for being absent from Google Plus recently but it's been a very busy few weeks of work and May is looking even more busy.
I spent a few days in here last week as I was doing two photo tours, for corporate clients, and did two lessons around here too.
I typically shy away from the super-wide in here, cos that's the easy lens in a place that simply screams 'shoot ALL of me at once'. So I often shoot the 50mm or the telephoto in the Forum.
But I happened to have the 14mm on me last week and found this angle.
The strip of light at the bottom right - which is the beginning of the final ramp to ground level - is what caught my eye.
more »
2013-04-22 06:28:11 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)
Photography workshop in Tohoku: couple of places left
P.S. THIS WORKSHOP IS NOW SOLD OUT
Still a couple of places left. Nice crowd of folk signed up already. Looking forward to a great trip. Still time to book if you fancy coming along...
http://japanorama.co.uk/2013/04/07/photography-workshop-in-tohoku-end-april-2013/
2013-04-10 05:19:00 (5 comments, 5 reshares, 35 +1s)
NHK World piece on MyJapan project & my work for it
This just aired today....
You can find the MyJapan project on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Japan/201660989857117
And here:
http://subjectmatterart.com/pages/project-my-japan
Here is the link to the NHK World TV item:
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/newsline/201304101300.html
2013-04-09 12:00:01 (13 comments, 1 reshares, 36 +1s)
Stekki - the new magazine from Japanorama
A quick preview of the long awaited magazine from myself/Japanorama.
'stekki' is the phonetic english [or romaji] for すてき [soo-teh-key], which means wonderful, lovely, splendid, great...
Editorial meeting tomorrow with one collaborator. Then we put the gas pedal down to get the first issue finished asap. Now the name, general style is sorted out it's all down to the content... gathering that all together over the next few weeks. It's been a long wait for this to come to fruition and there will be some changes to things along the way but we're on the final few laps now. Excited.
+andrew holian's photos grace this preview. Shot with my daughter, Shiho Mikuni and Masako Tatsukawa recently - for lesson one of the fashion course Andrew is doing with me. The lovely Shiho makes it onto t... more »
2013-04-08 01:17:13 (4 comments, 6 reshares, 142 +1s)
Five years ago this month: Joe & Ami on the local train, Fukushima
Taken on the one-man-car train from Shin-Shirakawa through to Yabuki, in April 2008.
We were heading up to Ishikawa-machi for the sakura.
Great display of cherry blossom in our town.
I would recommend Ishikawa-machi to anyone wanting still to see some cherry blossom this year. The trees will be out and in full blossom in about a week's time.
Gear?
Nikon D300
Nikkor 85mm f/2 AiS @ f/2
2013-04-26 01:17:21 (17 comments, 3 reshares, 137 +1s)
The Fukushima Coast, 2008: a little flock of love flies by
After two years of thinking I had a whole hard-drive's worth of shots from 2008-9 corrupted, today I found a mirrored copy of the files on another drive I hadn't used in ages.
Can't tell you how happy I am, not least because all the shots I took on a trip to Fukushima in 2008 were on there.
I'd moved a bunch of files from one external drive to another, which I don't ever recommend you do... because USB read-write and buffer speeds can fluctuate and I ended up with thousands of JPEGs that were greyed-out halfway up.
I tried everything to get them back, including even trying to re-write individual headers in the images: no joy.
Finding all the original RAW files today was like a dozen Christmases and Birthdays rolled into one.
The trip I'd... more »
2013-04-07 09:53:53 (12 comments, 13 reshares, 225 +1s)
The sky over Tokyo: from our balcony in Omori
Very strong wind and rain yesterday in what was, I suppose, the first typhoon of the season.. all be it rather early.
As is usual after a typhoon, the skies the next day are wonderful: full of clouds, characterful, dramatic.
Today was particularly good and ended with this amazing and somewhat threatening cloud formation near our house.
Gear?
Nikon D700
14mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6
1/8th sec handheld
800ISO
#alfiegoodrichblog
2013-04-07 08:22:39 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 36 +1s)
Photography Workshop in Tohoku: end April, 2013
Details of the forthcoming workshop up in Tohoku, which features landscape and fashion shooting.
Two full days of shooting
Three nights accommodation
Some awesome locations
Full details at the link below.
Apologies it's just three weeks' notice and that it's at the start of Golden Week. But life's busy and GW is a bugger to try and avoid. Good thing is, MY prices don't go through the roof just because it's Golden Week. And I have been able to get a decent deal out of the hotels to keep the price at an absolute minimum.
Great weekend of stuff to do and both pretty places and pretty models to shoot. Superb locations. Nice accommodation. Nice bus driver too. But I would say that... I'm biased [and I'm the driver]. :-)
... more »
2013-04-05 03:35:33 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 123 +1s)
Whatever you do, DO look down
I was doing a session with a student yesterday, where we looking at line, shape and form - as well as sharpening up her composition and exposure skills in general.
This was a quick snap I took during the lesson...
Gear etc?
iPhone 4S
Snapseed app to edit
2013-04-03 23:59:17 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 94 +1s)
Fukuoka Central Fishmarket: the auctioneer
This was done for a recent feature in KLM's inflight magazine, the current issue which is in their aircraft now.
Getting into the flow of the auction, spotting where the action was going to happen next and having the flat-bed of one of the little trucks to hand helped me get a slightly elevated viewpoint. I ended up with the auctioneer right across from me. That shot was made with the 50mm f/1.2 Ai lens at f/2.
See a few more shots from this particular morning, here:
http://japanorama.co.uk/2013/01/26/fukuokas-central-fish-market/
2013-04-03 03:36:12 (23 comments, 11 reshares, 200 +1s)
Cherry Blossom in Japan, 2013: the birthday cake
After the first sakura season I lived in Japan through, back in 2008, I rarely felt the need to return to Ueno Park.
There are places in Tokyo to experience hanami [flower-watching] once and from then on to avoid: Naka-meguro, Ueno Park, Shinjuku Gyoen, Yoyogi Park...
Although this is a generalisation and there are exceptions......
1. If I am drunk
2. If I am in the area
3. If I am in the area AND drunk
So, seeing as I was in the area and drunk one night last week - and that I was out with my good buddy +Paul Church, we decided to float through Ueno Park, have yet another beer and see what we could see.
As is the way with Japan and especially hanami, random shit happens. Pretty much the first thing we saw upon entering the park was this girl lighting a... more »
2013-04-03 02:39:19 (6 comments, 5 reshares, 21 +1s)
A Lesser Photographer: A Manifesto: my take on this article.
There is an article doing the rounds today, with links to it popping up all over my Facebook stream.
+Eric Kim was one who first drew it to my attention.
I agree, it's a nice article with lots of great points. But, like most articles, there are some generalisations and things that won't work for everyone. Like this one....
""Stop buying into the assumption that your goal is to make money from photography. Your goal is most likely to create amazing photographs that you love"
Well, that's fine but photography is my career. So my goal is to do both: create amazing work and pay the rent, put my kids through school etc.
And this one, which is basically the trigger for the rest of the article....
"Four photographers, in the ... more »
2013-04-02 06:16:19 (9 comments, 3 reshares, 141 +1s)
Ami by Lake Inawashiro, Fukushima
Spent a little of yesterday driving around and scouting for locations for a photography workshop.
My daughter came with me as she's staying with her grandma in Fukushima until Friday.
She was just finishing a chocolate ice-cream as I shot this....
This is at a little section of beach by the village of Joko.
There are a few lakes around the area of Mount Bandai. We;ll be doing a day of the workshop around two of them: Inawashiro and Hibara.
News later this week of the workshop, with some more scouting shots from this area and an area around the river near Ishikawa-machi.
Gear & Processing?
Nikon D700
Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 ED IF
RAW converted to TIFF
Into Photoshop and then cross processed.
#alfiegoodrichblog
2013-04-02 05:52:31 (11 comments, 3 reshares, 109 +1s)
The bus that's only going one place: back to nature
Drove on Route 20 through Fukushima yesterday, on the way from the Ishikawa-Iwaki road to get over to Koriyama. Found this bus just near where the '20' joins Route 349.
Spent a little while shooting inside and got a few of outside too.
Would love to get a fashion model in here...
Gear & Processing?
Nikon D700
14mm f/2.8 lens
RAW converted to TIFF
Processed in Photoshop with Topaz Adjust 3's exposure equalization filter, to get a little more out of the shadows whilst protecting the highlights.
#alfiegoodrichblog
2013-03-30 07:01:18 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 70 +1s)
Messing with Macro
Its always fun to play with odd setups on the camera, especially where macro photography is concerned.
And after a week dominated in Tokyo by Sakura (cherry blossom), it's nice to be up in Fukushima and back in time, in a seasonal sense, shooting pics of the Ume (plum blossom).
So I was messing with lenses today. This was with the 50mm f/1.2 on a 2x converter and then mounted on a 36mm extension tube.
Nice 100mm super close-up lens.
2013-03-28 21:40:25 (8 comments, 6 reshares, 195 +1s)
Cherry blossoms in Tokyo, Japan: Yanaka Cemetery
Yanaka Cemetery is a wonderful spot for seeing the sakura in Tokyo, with its long avenue of trees and the great light that percolates through them.
It's not the best place for partying under the hanami because space to do so is limited. But at various places along the street it's perfectly possible to sit in small groups and enjoy the scenery.
Pleased how this came out. The taxi helps identify the scene nicely as Tokyo.
Gear?
Nikon D700
Nikkor 300mm f/4 ED
Shot straight to black and white in the camera
#alfiegoodrichblog
2013-03-28 03:03:36 (11 comments, 8 reshares, 169 +1s)
Cherry blossom in Tokyo, 2013: the raindrop
Had a little bit of time yesterday out with the camera at the end of a lesson I was doing with someone who is taking my 15hr Beginner's Photography Course.
Yesterday was partly about getting her introduced to a bunch of different lenses, what they do and why you'd be interested in using them. Part of achieving the 'picture I have inside my head' on the camera is about understanding what different fields of view are available and how they render the world in front of you.
Among the lenses we looked at was the macro, in this case my 105mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor.
There'd been some rainshowers yesterday morning in Tokyo and that's always a nice time to shoot the cherry blossom because of the water drops that sit on the petals.
Gear?
Nikon D700
more »
2013-03-27 14:20:39 (5 comments, 12 reshares, 165 +1s)
The now with the 'yet to flourish': cherry blossom in Tokyo
This is in my neighbourhood and a popular spot for me to shoot as it is an area of trees that comprises a few different varieties. So you get the cherry but you also get momiji and one or two others.
I like this spot because it gives you one season's trees mixed in with another.
Particularly good right now because you get the cherry overlapping with some green and the wonderful black branches of the trees behind.
I also like the man-made textures of the building in the background.
A proper little mashup of textures and colours.
Gear?
Nikon D700
Nikkor 300mm f/4 ED
#alfiegoodrichblog
2013-03-27 00:33:04 (7 comments, 4 reshares, 152 +1s)
Fashion photography courses in Japan: Shiho in Chinatown
I was down in Yokohama earlier this week with Shiho Mikuni and one of my students, Ron, who is currently taking the 15hr Intro to Fashion Photography course that I run.
To set the scene for Ron, as to how to get something out of the 300mm for a shot he wanted to do, I shot this frame of Shiho.
I took a few bits of my glass for Ron to use as part of the set of shots he wanted seemed like it would benefit from the perspective compression you get from this telephoto in particular.
We all had a great time, moving through Yokohama's Chinatown and down to the seafront in Yamashita Park... two-and-a-half hours of shooting, many different cuts done. Great afternoon out.
This was Ron's 'ambient light only' lesson. Next we tackle mixing ambient with flash.
Ron ... more »
2013-03-23 00:30:26 (24 comments, 8 reshares, 236 +1s)
Life's a bench: a little contemplation in Yoyogi Park
I'm just getting ready to head out for our cherry-blossom walk, which is going on along the Shakuji River in northern Tokyo.
A quick posting from the little shoot I did with +Shinyong Lee yesterday. She'll be joining us later today as well: she's at an audition this morning. Good luck, Shinyong!
Shinyong's sort of like my little sister as we have the same birthday, our Chinese sign is the same, we're the same height, similar personality, we get moody at the same time.. happy at the same time. So it's a joy to work with her because we totally understand each other.
My wife, Hiromi, does some part-time work for Shinyong's fashion business. Hiromi says working for Shinyong means it's like having the best and worst of two copies of her husband in her li... more »
2013-03-22 14:28:30 (6 comments, 4 reshares, 73 +1s)
Flare, flare, more flare: Shinyong in Tokyo
The shot as it came out of the camera had some nasty blemishes on it. They looked a lot like Newton's Rings; the circular patterns one used to get in the darkroom and with printing, when negs got sandwiched between glass.
I know what caused them today, as I had the 135mm f/2 lens wide-open and right near the angle of the sun... it was halos from the dust spots on the sensor. They sort of looked cool but the more I look at them, the more they looked un-cool.
So, I ran the 'soft infra-red' filter from Silver Efex Pro over this to soften out the blemishes, add some grain and it worked to cover them up.
The massive semi-circle of flare was just like this in the camera. I was shooting at an angle very close to the sun and could see this flare in the viewfinder and was able to play w... more »
2013-03-22 12:20:07 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)
Hanami and models walk: re-schedule to Saturday
Sunday looks set to be cold and wet so I have re-scheduled the walk to tomorrow.
I am mailing my mailing list now but a few of you found out about this walk from G+ so this is a courtesy, to put the details here as well.
11am meetup
We'll have at least two models, maybe three.
Google map of the route and some key places is here:
http://goo.gl/maps/sk294
Drop me a line to alfiejapanorama[at]gmail.com if you want to attend and I can give you all the details. Thanks
2013-03-22 11:30:33 (10 comments, 2 reshares, 123 +1s)
Shinyong at Meiji Jingu Shrine
Had just been to see a studio space I am thinking of renting when +Shinyong Lee messaged me:
"My style really nice today.... what you doing now?"
Love it when that happens. Means she's into taking some pics and has a nice outfit on. Plus, a few days ago she had a new haircut and we'd not really done any serious shooting since then.
Just so happened that I was out, sort of killing a little time and had just the right two lenses on me for us to have some fun.
We first went to the long path that forms the southern entrance to Meiji Jingu shrine and that's where I got this shot.
We got some great close-ups here as well.. I'll post the, as soon as I can.
So, a great afternoon of impromptu shooting was had. Lovely end to the week.
Gear and ... more »
2013-03-19 01:39:53 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 114 +1s)
Six legs, two wheels: Shimbashi, Tokyo
Another one from Saturday's loiter around Shimbashi before I taught my class.
This time at ground-level and another nice spot to get the bullet-train in the background. Although my timing was a little out on getting the front or back of the train AND the people where I wanted them.
Gear&Processing?
Nikon D700
Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 ED IF
Shot monochrome in-camera
Highlights recovered, contrast dropped a little in Silver Efex Pro with a grain-free custom preset derived from the 'Pull Process -1' filter.
#alfiegoodrichblog
2013-03-18 23:46:35 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)
Cherry blossom and models photowalk in Tokyo: Sunday 24th March
My schedule is busy this week but... sakura, photwalk, workshop: wanna do one and lots of people have been asking me about one. So, I was thinking this might be the best way...
+Shinyong Lee seems interested already. So, on Sunday [24th March] we walk along the Shakuji River with three or four models and have a casual walk/day out taking photos of the trees and the pretty ladies. Ending up in the park at Oji for hanami. My wife and the kids would join us at the park.
3000Y each for the walk as it's not really a full-on workshop. No limit on numbers.
Anyone up for it, drop me a mail to alfiejapanorama[at]gmail.com
:-)
Here's some shots I took along this route a few years back:
http://japanorama.co.uk/2010/04/03/shakuji-river-sakura/
2013-03-17 23:44:59 (17 comments, 5 reshares, 170 +1s)
Fashion photography classes in Tokyo: Shiho, the model, DJ & designer
I was out yesterday doing the first shoot with two guys who've signed up for the intro to fashion photography course I'm doing here in Tokyo.
I don't really tend to shoot a lot on these classes with my own camera; I shoot a few with student's cameras as it's good to give them some ideas and better to prove something can be done with their gear and not mine.
But... as Shiho and I haven't shot with each other before, I took the chance on the final setup of the day to shoot 10 or 20 frames for myself.
Yesterday's class was all about using ambient light only and +andrew holian and +Jeff Matsuya had previously scouted a bunch of locations, some of which we used and some we didn't.
Over the course we cover some fashion ph... more »
2013-03-17 02:00:56 (33 comments, 24 reshares, 241 +1s)
Tokyo in a Nutshell: I love it when a shot works out
I'd done a photo tour in Tsukiji yesterday morning and was on my way to teach a three-hour class... and was just killing a little time around the Shimbashi area of Tokyo.
There are a few spots in town where you can get pics of the bullet-trains at track-level. There aren't many where you can get people into the shot at any sort of close-up. I've walked past this one a few times but haven't had the right lens, the right light or the right moment. Yesterday I had all of them.
Re-visiting locations and making 'the shots that got away' work for you is one of the great pleasures of living in somewhere you love shooting. Tokyo and me is a long-term relationship, not a one-night-stand. So if I miss a shot one day, I just remember the exact ingredients that would have made it great and... more »
2013-03-16 03:13:30 (7 comments, 6 reshares, 160 +1s)
Reflections on this Century
A play on words going on here as this vehicle is a Toyota Century.
Shot this a few weeks ago, in a moment of boredom whilst waiting outside the criminal courts in Tokyo. I was there covering a murder trial for a newspaper in Ireland.
Gotta do something to soak up the time and this reflection was wonderful.
Gear?
iPhone 4S
Edited in Snapseed
2013-03-14 01:56:54 (23 comments, 1 reshares, 75 +1s)
For those who think I shoot with 500mm on the street all the time
I suppose I should cease to be amazed at how few people actually read anything on the web before opening their mouths.
But, for those of you who misconstrued the previous post about my being out with a 500mm lens to shoot street [thinking that I don't know how to get physically close]... here's one for you:
Coming of Age Day, 2012.
Shin-yokohama, Japan.
Followed this particular crowd of youngsters for an hour because I knew something was going to kick-off between two of them in particular.
The wait and the watching paid off.
I was there when one threw a punch at the other.
One uses what tool and skill is best for the job and in this case close and wide was the way to go.
Gear?
Epson RD1S ... more »
2013-03-13 12:14:39 (80 comments, 66 reshares, 543 +1s)
Street photography: it's all about getting close [however you can]
There is this mantra among street photographers of 'get close'. I totally agree with them.....
...and here's one other interpretation of that 'rule'.
The shot on the left was made with the 500mm Nikon you see on the right.
We did a little street shooting that afternoon and were later joined by a friend of mine who came out to model for us whilst we shot some street fashion.
Big thanks to Remi Farvaque for the lens, who was in Japan for the fashion workshop I ran in Kyushu. He stuck around for a few days afterwards, in Tokyo, and a bunch of us had some fun with his wonderful 500mm f/4 VR lens.
Some days you just gotta go big! :-)
Using this lens is like travelling in time.. you get to shoot people 5mins before they... more »
2013-03-13 00:44:59 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 91 +1s)
Photo workshop in Tohoku, end of April
At the end of this month I'll be going up to our place in Fukushima, in Ishikawa-machi. Ami's spending spring break up there so I'm taking the opportunity to drop her off, spend the weekend there and to have some countryside time with her before coming back. One thing I will be doing is scouting locations around the area for an end-of-April weekend-long photo workshop. Locations including the one in this photo... lakeside in Bandai, near Aizu. Superb spot for some macro, landscape and fashion.
One of my uncles has a huge tatami room above his restaurant in Ishikawa where people can stay. That's one option I'll be investigating. There are other options as regards accommodation.
Details coming as soon as I have been up there to scout. So if you fancy a creative excursion towards the end of April, ... more »
2013-03-13 00:24:34 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)
Nice piece here by +Star Rush about self-promotion and using the online world to get yourself and your work out there.
Head on over to her post to comment, please. Thanks.
2013-03-12 10:48:44 (17 comments, 0 reshares, 142 +1s)
The Smoker: Shibuya, Tokyo
I was out shooting a job for a client last week and after I was done, I spent a little time around Shibuya Crossing because the light was so good.
I didn't have much gear on me, just specific stuff I'd taken out for the shoot: 300mm f4, 80-200mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.8
I read and hear a lot of stuff about the topic of shooting telephotos in the street. The purists always say 'nothing longer than 90mm'. People typically call it voyeurism to shoot with a long lens. I have been called a voyeur many times. I usually point out that 'voyuer' in French means simply 'someone who sees or watches'.
I don't care for listening to purists and I don't really care to be told what I can't or shouldn't do in the street with my camera. I personally think the majority of the hardcore... more »
2013-03-10 23:51:55 (11 comments, 6 reshares, 110 +1s)
Sandstorms come to Tokyo: Tokyo Tower from Roppongi Hills
I was out yesterday to do a shoot for a client in London but never got my shots because of, wait for it, sandstorms in Tokyo.
Myself, my wife and two of our kids were in Ginza and heading for the subway station, to go up to Hiroo and shoot, when we could see the sky changing colour towards Hibiya Park.
One minute it was a beautiful sunny day with clear blue skies, the next....
...dark, orange, yellow.. looked very threatening and as I looked at street level towards the end of the road you could actually see the air.
We dipped quickly into the subway entrance. Wanted to get underground as I didn't really fancy my kids being out in whatever it was that was rapidly heading up the street towards us.
They went home, I headed to Roppongi to shoot a few pics from a ... more »
2013-03-10 03:20:32 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 53 +1s)
Cover of the South China Morning Post weekend magazine
A week or two ago I took the pics for a feature on Nequittez Pas, a restaurant in Tokyo that serves a full-course menu based around soil as one of the main ingredients. My buddy Julian Ryall wrote the words.
My little joke was to give the chef/owner garden tools as cutlery. It worked out nicely. We weren't up for the cover but the mag must have liked the whole feature enough to make it so prominent. Always a great buzz to get the cover :-)
Gear?
Nikon D700
Tokina 28-70 f/2.8
Three Yongnuo 560ii strobes bounced into a 60'' umbrella at camera left.
This is a scan of the mag hence the slightly odd blue tinge to his face...
I'll post some more if the pics in the mag when I get home.
2013-03-09 12:55:37 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 124 +1s)
Over the bridge into Tokyo
The only downside of wanting to shoot the wonderful view from the Yurikamome Line train as it crosses the Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo is the cage you are in at the centre of the bridge's lower deck.
But, not a problem if you want to take advantage of the wonderful lines and shoot the cage instead.
Best views are really to be had by walking over the bridge, which is a great walk by the way.
You can read about my doing that walk a couple of years back, on a day when I had the use of a medium-format digital camera and tilt-shift bellows, here:
http://japanorama.co.uk/2011/02/01/photowalk-tamachi-to-odaiba/
Gear and processing on this shot?
Nikon D700
Nikkor 300mm f/4 ED
Shot monochrome in-camera
Tweaked with a custom variation of the 'dark contrast vignette' f... more »
2013-03-09 12:32:28 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 73 +1s)
Density: Rainbow Bridge From Yurikamome Line, Tokyo
Had a few hours out with a couple of my kids and a friend last weekend. Haven't ridden the Yurikamome Line for a while. Great views back in from Odaiba to Shimbashi.
Holding the 300mm still enough on a bumpy train, to get all the lines straight in this shot, was a bit of a challenge. But that's where having shot rifles in the past comes in handy.... good breath control.
Gear and processing?
Nikon D700
Nikkor 300mm f/4 ED
Shot monochrome in the camera. Run through a custom filter of mine in Silver Efex which pulls back the highlights and flattens the contrast a little.
#alfiegoodrichblog
2013-03-07 11:33:23 (17 comments, 3 reshares, 123 +1s)
Six page spread in Air Malaysia's inflight magazine
I have six pages of photos in Air Malaysia's inflight mag. A variety of Tokyo stuff shot over the years. One of my all-time fave models, +akiko yamaguchi, made the opening double-page spread. Great memories of this shoot :-)
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