New Format

One whole loop on the Yamanote-line takes a bit over an hour and there are more small camera stores in Tokyo than you can imagine within the range of it. Well, most of the top makers are from here, this is the land of the camera, not the land of photography though (in my view). When digital happened for real a couple of years ago the camera stores got overloaded with film bodies and other fine precision instruments. But since I got my two 5D's I seldom visit these shops anymore, so when I went yesterday and today to a whole bunch of shops I saw some really nice stuff. And these shops actually had customers as well. Meaning there are still people practicing this ancient art form of photography. I was in search for a Medium Format 6x7 Mamiya RZ 67 Pro II and thats what I got. Will write more about this stuff when I have some more to tell / show. Feel good though, so many things you forgot and doesn't realize when shooting digital, things you take for granted and just presume will be there for you. This kind of cameras are not going to give you shit if you don't do it right in the first place, and with the 120 filmholder I will have only 10 frames to make something worthwhile. I picked a 150mm f3.5 lens (roughly equal to a 60mm lens in 35mm photography) and a prism finder to be able to shoot the way I like. Hopefully I can extend the lens range in a near future, at least something more wide for the street.

Was waiting on the train, shot with my mobilephone. Contrast to the Mamiya I was carrying home in my backpack. Still...

Days of snap shots...

I have been shooting with my G9 compact (!?) lately. Great to have this rather small camera when the larger and heavier things feels like staying home. The Daruma shots were taken with this as well as when I went to a live show by PULLING TEETH and then visit some friends at SOFTMACHINE the day after. What can I say..? I could write a fat book on what photography is and shapes my life, past/present/future, but why make it more complicated than it has to be?

















Things in my photo "mode", how I feel towards photography from day to day goes in all kinds of ranges of tones. I will soon start shoot 6x7, this I have decided. Time to reach back a bit to the roots of photography. I realized that 6x4.5 just is pretty pointless (was shooting with Fuji Film rangefinder and twin lens reflex top viewer) compared with either 35mm or 6x7 (or bigger) when it comes to shooting film, it's a Do Or Die thing even here.

Daruma

Small local Daruma matsuri (Festival) here in Tokyo. I am not a religious person at all but I really like the story behind the Daruma. And the mood at a place like this is always worth seeing.

Japanese festivals are funny, as most religious "festivals" in general are. I have been around the world, seen many different religions and what they represent and I have to say that I am always fascinated of what I see. Some of the most unbelievable buildings and locations are linked to a religion or sect. The masses, in this case mainly old people paying their respect to a tradition more than anything else, the religion feels secondary here. Money is a leading factor even here as in most so called "holy" events. The local Yakuza are doing their best to squeeze out a yen of the minions selling snacks and beverages. Japan and the mafia has a love/hate relation where everyone are suppose to not notice that anything is wrong by dealing with the thugs, by quickly turning a blind eye to the truth. The Japanese Yakuza is a taboo topic in Japan, and this brings out some rather spectacular social behavior. I am just a mere spectator, taking in what's infront of me and my cameras, and it's amazing what you can see with open eyes!

5x4

Zoo prison, why do we treat animals this way? Greed and selfishness is still the dogma...







Tama riverbed



Paris winter



Chiba sand dunes



Xian citywall



Ransacked through my files the other day and found these. Some pretty (!?) real anti zoo images and some scanned B/W from a previous projects. There are some images here hidden in my hard-drives that I have a clear and precise memory of but in a way have forgotten. When I see them now after many years I know that I was shooting with other aims and with a different vision. The aims and visions have changed over the years but still with a hungry attitude towards all photogenic/photographic/photo.....

In Osaka

I went down to Osaka under the weekend to meet up with a friend. Kansai has a whole other "feel" to it than Tokyo and it made me open up my eyes and got some inspirational photo moments. The streets are wider, there are less trees as well as people but a traffic light on every corner. The outskirts are really depressing but personalities are more colorful as to tackle the balance.

Mamiya 6x7

A friend of mine "found" this camera at his girlfriends place. He asked me if it was an OK camera. Well, for me this is one of my dream cameras. This is an RB67, full of mold and spider web etc, all the old rubber packings are gone and the shutter won't move....guess we'll get it going and test shoot someday soon.







Soon to be...

Late Afternoon...

Been awhile since I updated anything on my blog. Had a couple of small jobs and the days just slips away. I found a blog today that made me open up my eyes again after a month slumber. In a way, the Mt. Everest Trail shooting was a so strong concept for me that I kind of lost track of things here down on earth, took me a while to get back so to say. But I realized lately that there are things to shoot still, stuff that is too interesting to just leave alone. I have to start some new project pretty soon, get going with some old ones and get in touch with my vision.

The weather was crisp, cold and clear this afternoon here in Tokyo and I saw on the way home between the tall buildings a perfect silhouette of Mt. Fuji. Took the elevator up to 9th floor of my building and got a shot just before the clouds cover this icon of Japan.

Man Power...

The Nepali are hardworking and tough little men and women. While you're in the Nepali mountains you will see these human "pack animals" with loads that would make any seasoned hiker stagger and collapse after a few minutes. We call them Sherpa, or porters but they are just people making a living on carrying goods up and down the mountains. Some are true Sherpas, people from the himalayan region some are not. Nevertheless, he brings his load up through the valleys from early morning till after dark, allowing himself short rests and on a spartan diet. 60-70kg is what is considered the norm to haul up in rattan baskets with one string over the forehead as the only support. I've spent many weeks in the himalayan region and always felt a huge respect for these men and women sharing the trail with me. For me thinking that 2009 just started its cycle and still there are people living under these conditions in raw nature, this is a true eye opener.

Bye bye 08, Hello 09...

New Year in a a short while. Thanx to all of you who supported -mwcp- during the year, -09 will have some new new stuff for you. It's just another number on a calendar but nevertheless it has always given me a feel of starting over with a fresh mind.

-m-

View From CITI Bank...

Shinjuku, my city! I shot this one with my mobilephone.....sorry!

OGRE JAPAN live gig

I went to shoot OGRE JAPAN last night in Koenji at the Mission. I always feel positive for days after when I have had the chance to shoot stuff like this. Great stuff.