Stekki 07 Workshop Special: Express Yourself in Monochrome

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workshop special edition: “express yourself in monochrome” a japanorama production | www.stekki.photography

no.7 - november 2014 < japan, fashion, photography, lifestyle, life

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素敵 すてき su-te-ki /ste ki/

adjective: beautiful, great, lovely, splendid, wonderful, nice

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index/ credits

credits EDITOR IN CHIEF Alfie Goodrich.

SPECIAL THANKS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Hiromi, Joe, Ami and Charlie [for putting up with and supporting me throughout the years], Gianluca Carrero [for the initial magazine template design], Matthew Lamb [for that chat in tbe van, on the way back from Kinugawa]. produced by japanorama www.japanorama.co.uk/stekki COVER PHOTO: Ewen Corbelon.

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WELCOME TO STEKKI

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hooting in monochrome has been, for me, a lifetime occupation. As a child I started with monochrome. Later, at artcollege, the first year was spent shooting exclusively in monochrome, as well as learning to develop and print in the medium.

As time moved on, I spent more and more time shooting music - bands, recording sessions, concerts - and most of the early years of my doing that were spent shooting only in black and white; much of the time with the then new Kodak Tmax 3200 ISO high-speed film, which was a god-send for shooting in the dark clubs and music halls which were my typical venue for that sort of work.

Since the late 1980s and early 1990s, I spent more time shooting in colour.

With the advent of digital came an opportunity to have a camera that no longer had the limitations of film and that could shoot in mono and colour, low ISO to high ISO. With digital, though, came a series of increased choices and more flexibility.

The attraction of doing everything ‘in post’ was something I increasingly felt would be detrimental to my own work and was something students of mine should avoid.

Alfie Goodrich, Editor in Chief Photograph by Lisa Fujiwara | paintwithstars.com

Shooting in black and white helps you see in black and white. Helps you think that way and that’s a good thing.

And so it was that a few of us went out on this workshop, to think, feel, shoot and express ourselves in monochrome.....

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FIRST FRAME Japanese Cultist Chanting

by John Murch You never really know what’s around the corner...

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his shot was taken during Alfie Goodrich’s “Expressing Myself in Monochrome” workshop. Well, actually it was taken pre the workshop. We had all gathered in from of JR Ikebukuro Station, East Exit and Alfie was briefing the group of photography enthusiasts on that day’s workshop plan and the proposed route.

During the brief, we were suddenly and unceremoniously over-powered by a sudden ear challenging, chanting sound. Looking behind us a few meters away, this strange fellow had positioned himself to broadcast his (message?) to all passers by in this very busy junction on this Saturday morning. However, it seemed to me more that he was really alone in his own world and oblivi-

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ous to all those around him. By the same token the local population in typically Japanese fashion also seemed to block him out and were oblivious to him. I quietly left the group for a few moments and “zeroed” in on him, as his clothing, the fans (sensu) with the Japanese flag (hiro maru) and his weird facial expression were all intriguing to me. I tried to capture this entire scene in that brief instant of time.

For me this shot encapsulates life in Japan. You never really know what is around the corner; always something weird, interesting or just somehow special or unique that continually makes this a wonderful and sometimes perplexing place that is called Japan.

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express yourself in

MONOCHROME Text by Alfie Goodrich Photograph by Sachiko Matsunami

Back in the days of film, shooting in monochrome meant choosing a particular brand and type of black and white film and loading it into the camera. After that, coloured filters would often become a consideration; if one wanted blacker skies, a red filter. Differentiating between various shades of foliage would perhaps be done with a green or yellow filter.

One thought in black and white because one was shooting in black and white. Not to say that digital photography has its advantages or charm, because of how it allows us to chop and change, flit backwards and forwards betwen colour and monochrome. No. I for one love that convenience.

Once the film had been shot, there were further choices to make in the developing stage: shaking a film developing tank more during that phase would lead the film to come out, typically, more contrasty. Less agitation would mean less contrast.

Printing threw in a multitude of choices; paper types, low or high contrast papers, dodging and burning, toning, bleaching.

Digital gives us many in-camera choices. Lights-on processing, in one of the many processing software packages available today, bring much convenience.

But, what this workshop was all about was getting back a little to the methodologies and mindset of shooting in black and white; the way it makes us think, the way it limits choice, the way it helps us see subjects that suit monochrome. The way we eventually are able to see in black and white and bring greater control to the process of choosing subjects.

Contd on page 15....

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Photo by Daniel Griggs

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Photo by Ken Enochs

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Photo by Erik Schaubach

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ABOVE AND LEFT: Photos by Ewen Corbelon and Tyler.

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This workshop was all about steering clear of the mindset of ‘I’ll sort that out in post’.

The route we took for the day was one I’d done many times before but which I hadn’t walked for some time: Ikebukuro Station, through the back-streets past Sunshine 60 and down to Zoshigaya.

It was a route that most people on the workshop hadn’t done before and everyone found a little something to tease their interest: some nice shrines, simple backstreets, a touch of the olde-worlde in the quaint neighbourhoods of Zoshigaya, the tall buildings and urban density of Ikebukuro.

Some people by nature feel more comfortable shooting things rather than people. The crowd we had on this event were no different.

Some concentrated only on people - and you can see some of those shots in the second set of pictures, later in this issue of Stekki.

After the sun dropped, we walked to the venue I had booked for our critique session and each began to pick out a few shots for discussion and constructive criticism. Everyone had something good. Some more than others, for - as usual - the workshop was a mix of people of all skill levels.

A good day out. A chance to narrow the choices, see the tones and bring out the ‘colour’ of the city in all its shades of grey.

Find out more about some of the workshops our group has done, here at meetup.com http://www.meetup.com/PhotographyWorkshops_Tokyo/

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Photo by MarkJames

Photo by Seishi Ohmori

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Photo by Mete

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Photo by John Murch.

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Photo by Alfie Goodrich

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Photo by Ken Enochs

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP-LEFT: Photographs by Alex Mustățea, Erik Schaubach and Mark James.

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Photo by Ewen Corbelon

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Tokyo never fails to deliver some excellent opportunities for taking pictures of the people who live in the city.

Our attendees took the chance to scoop some wonderful shots....

Photos by Ken Enochs [left] and Ewen Corbelon [right].

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ture of the mind stekki_25

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ABOVE AND LEFT: Photos by Joanna Ohmori and Seishi Ohmori.

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People photography isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Taking photos of strangers is a whole separate subject. A lot of the business of photographing strangers is about building the confidence necessary to do so. Building that confidence requires familiarity with your gear, being able to easily choose settings and change them on the fly to meet the demands of the situation.

If you have the confidemce and experience to do all of that, Tokyo offers some wonderful opportunities for photographing people. It’s also a pretty good place to build the confidence to do so, with a largely camera-friendly population and very little of the ‘attitude’ or complications that can arise in many other parts of the world.

I always say that photographing strangers on the street ‘a smile can cure almost any issue’. It’s been the case for me during the fifteen years I have been shooting in Japan. Fifteen years during which I can count the amount of uncomfortable altercations with my subjects on the fingers of one hand.

Photographers are people too. We’re different because we see, I think, the beauty in everyday life and ‘everyday’ folk.

Wanting to take a photo of someone we don’t know isn’t about wanting to pry into their life. It is, for me at least, a chance to freeze a moment of that person’s life. There are obvious questions of privacy of the subject to consider, especially when it is so easy these days to instantly publish a photo to a global audience. I personally have a code for photographing strangers: no embarassing moments, no inherent wish to poke fun at something someone is doing. For me it’s more about the beauty, the ‘heroes’ of everyday life and capturing them in their environment, our environment.

Contd. on page 33....

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Photo by Sachiko Matsunami

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ABOVE AND RIGHT: Photos by Mete and John Murch.

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During the workshop we explored a variety of different locations, from city streets to quiet and secluded shrines. In each place we found some wonderful moments with the people who were there. I think everyone who photographed people during the day got one or two very beautiful and illuminating photos.

Ewen Corbellon’s work deserves singling out for special attention, however. Ewen loves taking photos of people. I think like most of us who do, he started out being far less confident doing it. But his work shows he has grown in confidence and appreciates the world around him. His choice of moments to capture shows that he is watching before he shoots; soaking up the place and its rhythm before pressing the shutter. But that he is also experienced enough to know exactly how to use the camera in that splitsecond it takes to capitalise on a moment happening in front of him.

For me, street photography is a lot like fishing: find a place where you know or see there to be a concentration of fish. Bring the right gear or just know how to use what you have to best effect. Sieze the moment and know how to sieze it best. The rest is patience.

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ABOVE AND LEFT: Photos by John Murch and Alfie Goodrich.

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PARTING SHOT Each issue we finish with a special shot that in some way sumes up the workshop or that is just deserving of special attention.

Photo by Sachiko Matsunami.

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nce I set my camera to its monochrome mode, I even felt shackled a little bit in the colorless views because I got used to expressing my feelings with color and lights/ shadows when taking photographs. However, as my eyes and mindset got accustomed to the monochrome images through the viewfinder, the colorless world picked up additional richness and depth. My gaze was drawn to the essence of things; masses of light and shadow, reflections, gradations, lines, shapes, patterns, outlines, materials, angles, layers, and ambience- all stood out more clearly and offered greater flexibility to the way I could express something.

My senses gradually became keener and more attune to the subjects, my mind’s eye savored every momentary scene, and my creative energy was

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free from its limitations.

After walking among the skyscrapers and under highways near Ikebukuro station, the town showed us different faces of local life. This scene unfolding at an old tram station might be familiar looking to locals in the neighborhood, but I couldn’t help but relish the idyllic moment that a variety of elements composed through the monochrome perspective.

I thank Alfie for giving me the opportunity to make a conscious effort to gain a fresh understanding of photography. His workshops always enhance our potential and bring stimulating experiences along with his helpful advice with picking great locations. As usual, the experience was enjoyable and gave me the chance to foster my creative energy with other talented photographers.

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stekki is a japanorama production | japanorama.co.uk/stekki 36_stekki