It is no secret that one of the major inspirations for photographers in Tokyo is cyberpunk media. Although, the relationship is better seen as a feedback loop, since most works in the cyberpunk genre were, at least in part, inspired by Tokyo, particularly back in the 70s and 80s. In fact, I had the pleasure of seeing the original Blade Runner (1982, Final Cut) in IMAX just last week. It was a magical experience for me as the film has long been a key inspiration for me (as it has for so many others), both in its themes and content, but also in its cinematography particularly the film’s use of lighting and color.
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Optimizing Your Night Street Photography
Ah, the night, what a wonderful time to go out and do some street photography! As a photographer who got his start in the streets of Tokyo, it was inevitable that I would end up photographing mostly at night. To me, the city becomes its ‘true self’ when the sun sets, and the artificial lights come on and illuminate the metropolis. But let’s save my romanticism for another time. I hope to share with you my methodology, some tips and tricks, for night street photography. First off, please don’t expect any magic tips or secrets. I keep my photographic approach pretty simple, but fundamentals used well lead to great photography!
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Long Exposures — 6 Tips and Tricks
I wanted to expand upon my last two posts regarding long exposure night photography. But Instead of going into depth on another central aspect of this kind of shooting, with this post I want to cover a few specific tips and tricks that are a bit more on the technical side of things.
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Long Exposures — Two Approaches
Over my years shooting digital long exposures of the neon nightscape of Tokyo, I found that there are two basic approaches. One is to shoot as long as possible with as much traffic as possible, while the other is to shoot relatively short exposures while exercising excellent timing. For the basics on this kind of shooting, refer to my previous post on long exposure photography. You can also book EYExplore's Tokyo By Night Photo Adventure to learn all about long exposures in Tokyo.
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Long Exposure Photography — Basic How To
Have you ever wondered how to get a night shot of the city with intense, fiery light trails? Well then read on my friends! This blog post is for those who want to learn how to shoot long exposure shots from the basics, as well as those of you who have already joined EYExplore's Tokyo By Night Photo Adventure and want to recap the settings and techniques you already learned.
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