As of this evening, I’ve uploaded seventy images to my Flickr page, fifteen to my Instagram account and I’ve loads more on my phone’s camera roll, but for one reason or another, some images rise to the top of my consciousness more than others. The shot of two of Tokyo’s fire fighters is one. They typify the friendliness of everyone I have met her, on all three trips.
My next choice was my Blipfoto choice for Friday. I love the light in this shot, the intimacy of the couple and, as usual I find that hats are always a winner with me.
My fascination with railways goes back to my childhood. I’m old enough to recall travelling on a very dark carriage with my mother and brother in the Sixties, and like views of the sea, they always appear to be leading somewhere interesting. This shot taken at Shibuya is a recent favourite.
My trip yesterday to Ueno Park was interesting on a number of levels. I spent some time watching the owner of a small shop, which was more of a shack, cleaning his roof and guttering of leaves that had fallen from the trees above his business. He worked purposefully and took no notice of anything around him while he unblocked guttering and brushed up the debris. This shot is of him on the roof of his shop which backs on to the site of the five storey pagoda built there in 1639 and which survived earthquakes, fire and WWII.
If I have a favourite genre of photography (apart from arty nudes, and pictures of Porsche 356s), it’s night exposures. The shadows and strong lights, colours and shades and sometimes blurry impressions given by just enough detail can be very evocative, and can fire your imagination. This shot, taken this evening, has enough texture and shadow to describe a little of the atmosphere of the alleys and backstreets of this part of Tokyo. What you’re missing in this are the noises from the small neighbourhood bars and the smell of cooking emanating from the countless homes and apartments surrounding me. I can’t help you with that…
More soon…
Forever Chasing Light 