Geek Outing

Spent the whole day with my buddy UA, shooting street and going from one hot camera store to another, scanning what's out there. Decided that a 5D MarkII is on the list as well as a portable lightbox with radio slaves for travel portrait photography etc. Ended up at Tower Records well stocked photo book corner drooling over what should be sitting firm in our own private book shelves.

OGRE in Meguro

Another cool gig by metal maniacs OGRE JAPAN. Was shooting 15mm fullframe with a "narrow" flash setting, as well as 300mm for the "live" portraits. Meguro Live Station (the venue) proved to have quite a nice light setting with red and blue dominating. This mixed with the brutal sound of OGRE gave a fine result...the gig was fast, loud and furious...the way it should be!

Thanx OGRE for having me. Looking forward to nest gig.

Uncle Allan a.k.a. Onkel Allan

Good friend and fellow world traveller Allan is in town and guest working at INK RAT tattoo studio in Koenji. These people are really on the right track of their profession and are able to take things to a new and highlighted level. Always a pleasure to hang out with these guys.

Allan is a dedicated camera / photography geek on the side of his tattooing so we have lots to discuss and ponder over. Since our photographic styles differ some I feel that I still have lost to learn (will never end I hope) and that there are so many ways we see and functioning within what we love/hate in photography.

Check his blog HERE







Dinner with the INK RAT / UA crew, what a feast (Osaka style!)

TOSHIKAZU NOZAKA art exhibition

I was invited by Nozaka and went over to check out his Mystic Wave III exhibition @ Gallery 12. Multitalented Nozaka (Skater/Tattooist/Painter) is a really nice guy and I love when people keep up the spirit of their own art whatever happens around them.

Usugrow

My friend Usugrow is working on a new book and I was asked if I wanted to shoot the start/end inside cover. This is a big honor for me since I in first hand really like and respect him as a person, as then on that think his artwork is just great. The weather was cold but luckily no rain since I wanted to shoot outside. The clouds diffusing the light just right and shooting in B/W gave us a pretty good result. This one image will be a big spread so the midsection will take some of the composition away but I think we found the right "mood" and feel for Usugrows artwork/attitude. So look out for his new book in the bookstores in a near future.

Check his stuff HERE!!.

Just a small sample of what was done today. Thanx Satoshi for helping out!

Suzuki Yoshiki A.K.A Noploblem

Hooked up with my brothers from SOFTMACHINE again. This time for a collaboration with photographer Yoshiki Suzuki for a spread in FLJ (A free Underground Fashion Magazine?). I really like Yoshikis photography, he knows how to use his camera and can with a straight and simple way produce the most powerful images. This aspect of shooting and seeing photography really appeals to me. An honor to be buddies with these guys. Photography (and friendship) like this is priceless, has no boundaries.



Yoshiki will have a join exhibition with SOFTMACHINE on April 3rd near Roppongi, be sure to be there.





This is the shot that will be used in FLJ. The image Yoshiki took of me will be next to this.....cool. Using almost the exact gear, the images are light years apart....nice project!

Photo Journalism

Really great photojournalism here : BIG PICTURE

Just saw (again) James Nachtwey's unbelievable documentary "War Photographer". Is that maybe the route to take for a meaningful way in photography? I start to believe more and more that it is.

TOTAL LACERATION -OGRE JAPAN-

Congratulation OGRE JAPAN, well done, New CD out!!!!

Another really cool news in world of metal, OGRE JAPAN just came out with a new CD full of unbelievable tight packed death/trash/speed metal. I found out about this band not long ago and they have become one of my favorite band for sure. This is what metal is all about i.e. Do Or Die / Live your life.



Band photo by -mwcp-, turned out just fine.

This how the original looked like

N.W.O.B.H.M. -SURVIVE-

Tokyo metal band SURVIVE played at live venue MISSION last night and I went over there to meet the guys and shoot the band again, was a while since I saw then so it was great. Even if a short gig, last night was packed with old school metal, nice!!