Tokyo Drifter: Editorial and commercial photographer Alfie Goodrich on working in Japan

Another nice, skillful posed commercial photographer. 15 and 17 stand out for me.

Great pictures, love the style.

Japan is a great place for photographer. I have to go again:
http://pfenninger.ch/homepage/reisen/japan/index.html

Having visited Japan quite often over the past 8 years, Alife certainly captures the wide range of this complex country: its frivolous quirks; spiritual depth; highly organized structure; natural beauty; and mystical allure. Well done!

When I think of photos that could hang on walls and stand the test of time I think of photos like these. Truly exceptional.

Really like 1, 6, 15, 17, 20, and 22.

This is one of those articles that got me thinking, especially topics 15 to 17... it's not sufficient to work on my photography skills, but I also need to have a good idea about how to present the results to others. That's something I haven't put too much effort into so far. Time to move presentation skills up on the priority list.
Alfie - thank you for sharing your thoughts here!
DPR - thanks for providing this article that goes beyond the gear-centric viewpoint

Thank you for sharing your experience and beautiful photography.
Japan is my favorite country to visit. It's just so unique!

Hi

I enjoyed these images and also the others you linked to. Some lovely gentle and sympathetic work, that was both calming and uplifting to me at the same time.

All the best

Berni

Not the Japan I recognize, except maybe the one on the bridge or the IR view of the DoCoMo building from the park but it's an interesting take on these subjects.

Just a note about the photos that were chosen to go into this article:

I didnt choose them.

They are, with one or two exceptions, all from between four and eight years ago. I am sure all of us here realise how styles and preferences change over the years. Whilst I like all the shots here, they are not 100% representative of exactly how I work now.

These days I shoot the Nikons, typically, with Picture Controls I have made on the computer and put back into the camera. I'm always shooting RAW but I like to work with present aesthetics, just like I did in film days.

With the Hasselblad it's a bit different.

A good example of the Nikon work would be this article: all pics shot using colour and monochrome presets in the camera, all images simply converted to JPEG for the blog.

http://www.japanorama.co.uk/fashion-photography-in-tokyo-shooting-reverie/

Thanks for all your interest so far. And for your comments.

Glad to see your interview here !おめでおう

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank DP Review and David for doing the interview. I'm also enjoying replying to your comments.

I still remember when those TLR cameras were used as taking pictures machines... Now their role in photography is to be props so the models can look uber cool posing with them.

Well i guess this guy is my hero.

I am building my network in japan, and have shot my own projects, test shoot, and cityscapes. I am also learning Japanese. Basically my friends tell me its damn near impossible to work in japan without knowing Japanese - though i have met a few people that work in japan and they say thier Japanese is 'terrible'

learning how to talk is one thing, then there is business Japanese- a subset language; and learning how to LISTEN is very difficult, as fluent speakers cut out many many words for implied phrases.

However Im determined to make an impact int he Japanese photo/creative scene...figuring it out, and setting up my 3rd trip there.

My Nihon friends are rooting for me though.

cheers

Nice, very nice...

It would be good to know which photos are taken with the Hasselblad. Ironically, his comments about accurate colors and no need of pp are posted under a highly processed Instagram type of photo, #14.

Ahhh journalism for the under thirties techie hits again, elderly shutterbug collapses from an abbreviation overload, lets go of Zimmer frame and muttering 'that damn Willis again' reaches for his steam powered laptop and rabidly searches for the meaning of 'SEO'....

Rule number one, leave the caffeine at home and make your journalism accessible, not arcane. You stay with us and we'll stay with you...

Very interesting read - particularly for those of us with a Japanese wife and living with the perpetual conflict of whether to continue working in the UK in a salaryman type job or give it all up and go to Japan for something different. (Harder when you don't speak Japanese like me....)

Some very beautiful images here - and what I find most interesting is the way the photographer sees Japan from a non-Japanese perspective. I love the contra light shots in particular. Resonates with me - I wish I had this level of talent!

Thanks