Atsuta Shrine 2012

I went to Atsuta Jingu on New Year’s Day which is one of the major shrines in Japan. It was chaos on the 1st but a lot quieter when I went back a few days later.

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Osaka (in pink)

Made a quick trip to Osaka over the weekend. For some reason pink seems to be popular at the moment.

週末、大阪に行ってきました。なぜか分からないけどピンクが流行っているみたい。

Osaka #1

Osaka #2

Osaka #3

Osaka #4

Osaka #5

More Brighton – Holga

Here are some more shots with the Holga of Brighton Pier. (Kodak Portra 400)

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Brighton Pier #4

Brighton Pier #5

Brighton & Tardebigge

I went back to the UK a few weeks ago and took my Holga and some Ilford Delta 3200 – one of my favourite combinations. Here are a few shots.

Brighton

Dog in Tardebigge #1

Brighton

Dog in Tardebigge #2

Tardebigge

Brighton

Projects

Over the last week I’ve been re-thinking my latest approach to photography in an attempt to overcome some self-inflicted constraints. Photography used to be so simple – I’d catch up with my nieces, take a few snaps, play around with them, and have fun. I’d go somewhere new in Japan, India, or wherever I happened to be, walk around, absorb the local atmosphere and snap away when I felt like it. But over the last year I shifted direction because I wanted my photography to contribute to society in a more meaningful way, even if it was only a small one. So I started a project on asylum seekers in Japan. I liked it. I liked the idea of social documentary and how it can, if done well, help take society to a better place, and I enjoyed all the challenges that came with it. But the problem for me was that I only felt like shooting when I was working on a project, and if I couldn’t decide on a project then I wouldn’t shoot at all. It sounds ridiculous now but that was my approach to most of 2011.

Projects of course are important, but a recent blog post I read by Blake Andrew made me realize that there’s another approach, a much simpler one that shows you don’t actually need a project to shoot one. One sentence, in particular, got me thinking:

“I’m all about taking photos first, then finding out what the project is.”

For me this feels perfect. Why constrain yourself by thinking too much about projects? Why not just wake up each morning grab a camera and go out and shoot? To seasoned pros shooting projects this is standard stuff but to me it’s something new – shoot a project by not shooting one. Some of the photographers I admire and respect the most use this approach.

So I plan to get back to basics. Wake up each morning decide where to go and just go. One camera, one lens, and a few rolls of film. See what’s around me and react if I feel like reacting. If I like it go back again, if not move on. The project can come later.

So here are a few shots from my Nagoya project that I didn’t realize  I was working on. Until now.

Sakae

Higashiyama

Sakae

Nagoya Station

Yanagibashi

Osu Kannon

Haridwar Station Portraits

I added these to Flickr a few weeks ago but have decided to add them here too. These portraits were all taken at Haridwar Station in northern India in December last year. I’d like to return sometime soon and make this a more in-depth project and longterm project.

かなり前に下の写真をFlickrに載せましたが、ブログでも載せることにしました。全てが北インドのHaridwar駅で去年の12月に撮影しました。近い内にもう一度インドに行って、そしてもっと深くて、長期間で撮影してみたい。

Haridwar Station 1

Haridwar Station 2

Haridwar Station 3

Haridwar Station 4

Haridwar Station 5

Hirakata-san

Ayu in English translates as Sweet Fish but I’m guessing that doesn’t mean a lot to many people. Ayu are fresh water fish that can be found in rivers throughout Japan and East Asia. And the Japanese love them. Especially in the central regions such as Gifu and Nagano which are far from the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan.

Hirakata-san used to live in Tokuyama village in Gifu before in was flooded in a controversial dam project in which all the residents were forced to leave and find new homes. The Ayu, which were a staple of the villagers in Tokuyama, were affected too as they could no longer migrate upstream to spawn. Hirataka-san says he misses his old life but seems content in his new home that also serves as a makeshift bar for the local community.

上の英語を日本語にしようと思いましたが、よく考えると鮎についての説明は日本人にいりません。なのでヒラカタさんについてのところだけを訳します。

ヒラカタさんは岐阜県の徳山村に住んでいましたがダムが建設されたので村が消えてしまいました。現在、岐阜県の関市に住んでいます。徳山村は懐かしいと語っているけど、木曽川のとなりにある彼の家は民間バー (?)になり、沢山のお客さまとワイワイしているらしい。

徳山の方の川がダムになってしまいましたので鮎が上流を出来なくなりました。

Hirakata-san's home

His home becomes a makeshift community bar in the evening

Grilled Ayu and rice ball

Telling stories about Tokuyama

Hirataka-san grilling ayu for guests.

After the meal

Active in Society

One of the things I have noticed during my time on the refugee/asylum seeker project is the clear division between people who actively try to engage in society and those that shy away from it. There are of course numerous reasons for this, most noticebly language problems, boredom, and paranoia. But it goes without saying that the more active one is the more stable life you can live while in a foreign country.

難民と過ごしたことで気付いたことが一つある。積極的に社会と関わろうとする人たちと、社会から逃避する人たちとに明確に分かれることだ。もちろん言語の問題、退屈、被害者意識など理由はたくさんある。しかし、外国で過ごす時は、より積極的に関わった方が安定した生活をすることができると言える。

Taro is popular in the local community

Discussing refugee issues at an African food party

Having a free medical check up at a nearby centre

Yakub and Japanese friends eating a Burmese lunch.

Collecting donations for the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami victims

Royal Trading Portraits

Here are a couple of portraits from Royal Trading, a Pakistani-owned car export business in Japan. These were taken after Iftar one evening during Ramadan. I’ve written more about Royal Trading in previous posts.

Ramadan

During Ramadan I decided to go the local mosque and start a small project. I mentioned in an earlier post how I thought it was fascinating that there were people fasting during Ramadan in an average Japanese city.

But to be completely honest I found that I enjoyed photographing after Iftar (the first evening meal) more when people had left the mosque. People seemed more relaxed and the atmosphere was much friendlier. Apparently there are a few factions within the mosque; some that adhere strictly to Islam teachings and others that are more open to other ideas and people.

After Iftar people head up the road to the nearby car yard where they buy and export cars

A Pakistani / Indian board game that I'm yet to understand.