Chasing the Sun

Tokyo on Cinestill 400D

Here’s some photos from a long day in Tokyo where I travelled by train and on foot for a solid eight hours. I was marathoning because it was one of my last days in Japan and I wanted to just go until I couldn’t go no more. Guess what? It worked - I was flat-out exhausted by the end of it.

Turns out it was a day well spent because I got some shots that I really love, saw some awesome sights, and even met a nice old man who showed me around his junk lot.

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Like many days during this trip, it started quite overcast and by mid-day I had fully resigned myself to having photos that were going to be pretty flat overall. Not a bad thing, you just have to work a bit harder at making images that pop with contrast. In a place like Tokyo, even with little sun, you’re gonna take photos that work regardless because of the endless amount of interesting subjects, so like, you just go with it and hope for the best.

I had two rolls of Cinestill 400D with me, along with a few other rolls of film in my bag, but it was the 400D that took the cake that day, as I was nicely warmed up by the time I loaded it up, and finding a ton of great stuff to point my camera at.

The sun was working hard to break through, and about half-way into my time out and about, the clouds started to break. I knew better than to think the nice light was gonna last though, so the race was on to make the most of this rare and magical time. And, with that, I was off and running.

You might have seen my note from last week, where I talked about a photograph I took of a friendly stranger after he took me on a whirlwind tour of his lot.

Below is that lot, and when I say it was truly packed with stuff, what you see below was just the tip of the iceberg - behind the tree to the left was so much more. The place was a visual feast of interesting things that he’d collected, odd ephemera scattered everywhere, stuff in the midst of repair, and other items waiting for his skilled hands to make them useful once again.

It’s one of my favourite photos I've ever taken.

By this point, the sun had started to dip back behind the clouds and below the tall buildings nearby. But, I had already satisfied my criteria for that day: to go hard and then go home. Mission successful.

Stay focused.