The ballet of mass-movement to be enjoyed at Tokyo Station. A great photographer’s playground.
.Myself and David, one of my students, went down to Tokyo Station on Saturday to shoot some stuff for his lesson. It’s agreat place to go and tell a story through photos, a great playground for a photographer to practice capturing human expression, high-tech trains and the poerty and ballet of mass-movement. We had some great shots, both of us. Dave very keen to try out his new 135mm f/2 for his Canon… with which he is capturing some great stuff.
The great thing about this location is that the same things happen with clockwork regularity. So, if you miss the shot once you can get it again a few minutes later when it happens again. Learning to pick up the pulse of where you are shooting and to respond to the opportunities and happenings going on around you is something you can do in just a couple of hours here: you spend a little time just watching, observing it all. Then, once you have the pulse of the place, you can prepare yourself to capture what is going on. You soon come to ‘feel’ that something is about to happen, before does.
This fella was watching his train out of the station, peeking out of his Guard’s window on the MAX [Multi-Amenity Express}, the impressive and immense double-decked shinkansen that heads North out of Tokyo Station.
Learn photography in Tokyo, in English, with Alfie and Japanorama.
Zuco
September 11, 2009
Stations in Japan are a prefect place to capture original moments and expressions of people, specially in the night, after a hard working day a whole world of stories exist in every face.
Unfortunately sometimes it’s hard to shot in stations due security guards that try to avoid people to use cameras.
Thanks for sharing.
Alfie Goodrich
September 11, 2009
Have you had that problem here in Japan? Strange, I have never had that problem. The security guards and station staff in Tokyo [and not just at Tokyo Station] have never complained to me and are often very happy to be photographed. Some of the nicest reactions I have had from staff at Tokyo Station are when I show them the pictures I have been taking. Tripods: that’s another matter. No one on any private property or land in Tokyo will let you use a tripod.
charlie
September 25, 2009
whats the issue with tripods? is it that people think they will scratch the floor???
Alfie Goodrich
September 25, 2009
Charlie, for a lawyer you surprise me!
It’s mostly about the potential law-suit if someone were to trip over it and hurt themselves: my tripod, their building/premises… who is liable, who gets sued?