Tokyo
Reviews and comments:
Phil Brideaux
“I’m pretty blown away by this. Your photos are part art, part socio-documentary. They make me want to go there.“
Phil also posted a nice write-up on his blog
Lauren Roberts
“One, I recall was simply breathtaking, right up there with Brassai’s famed stairs photo. Others were nearly as good ………..“
Preface
I have visited many places in my life, but until the spring of 2010, I had never been to Tokyo
My first trip was for 3 weeks. By the third day, I had fallen in love with the city. I returned several months later to see if, in fact, it was a true love. It was. There are other places in the world I have fallen in love with ( Jasper Alberta, Algonquin Park, Key West) but never was the feeling as strong as Tokyo.
I am from Toronto, a city known for it’s safety and cleanliness. Tokyo is the cleanest, safest, friendliest city I have ever been to. . ( Japanese people disagree with me on the friendly part of this statement. They mention other places in Japan that are friendlier).
Over a 2 year period I spent approximately 10 months in Tokyo.
What I found is:
- Tokyo is a city that lives as much outside as in..
- It is a city for people, not cars. Walking, riding and the train is the only way people can move around..
- It is a sleep deprived city, were any chance to close your eyes is enjoyed.
- It is a safe city. At no time was I concerned about the possibility of theft or personal violence
- It is a ancient city that has survived many catastrophes and has rebuilt itself.
- Old isn’t knocked down just because it is old.
- Visual appeal and design is as important as functionality. This is in all parts of life, space and fashion.
- Respect for others is more important then personal needs
- It is a city for dreaming, a city for business, a city to make your life bigger and more exciting
- It is a city that allows for calm reflection
- This is a city like no other city
- It is Tokyo
These images are also an exploration as my growth as a photographer. Before Tokyo, my main photography pursuits where glamour and studio images. Street or found images was a type of photography I admired but never pursed.
I love to explore with a camera. The shapes and forms, the light and shadows, the difference is style and culture. A main theme in a lot of Japanese art is the concept of minimal, while showing beauty. This affected me profoundly. I have tried to incorporate this into my images.  Â
With this book I did not create a guide book or travelogue of Tokyo. My purpose is to display images I have captured. This is what I saw through the eyes of a photographer.
This is a flash version of the first 12 pages ( mouse over the lower right corner to flip page)
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you can download the full PDF for review here.
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The PDF is for sale for $4.50
It contains 87 “pages” 169 high quality images
please link to:
http://www.glennspecht.com/Tokyo/
If you would like to purchase a copy
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Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Glenn
