Late night mini portrait session.

"How do you think you look right now?" he asked me as I was washing the dishes.

"Normal?" I guessed as I wondered whether or not this was a trick question.

It was 10pm at night, I had just made myself a quick cup of coffee in hopes to stay up a little bit later since there have been quite a few early mornings lately.

He wanted to make sure I liked the way I looked, because he wanted to photograph me. It was another interesting process. I'm usually pretty hesitant about being photographed on instant film by him because I always feel like a boring subject.

Tonight's mini study was for him to find a way to connect with his subject, introduce a bit of motion into the image, and vary the composition in the frame. Also, to get away from his seemingly favorite habit of side-lighting me to the point where half my face is in shadow, which I quickly found to be unflattering for me.

Perhaps the most important part of the portrait taking process... connection with the subject - how you're going to photograph someone who believes being captured on instant film is a waste.

Images by Tyler.

Instant Film FP100C Polaroid 195
Instant Film FP100C Polaroid 195

Japan, Part 4: Tsukiji Fish Market

Skipping ahead to the last full day I was in Japan - the Tsukiji Fish Market.

It was a cold, rainy morning. I remember waiting in line for about an hour to have some early morning sashimi, with more than a hundred others waiting in different lines for tiny sushi restaurants to accommodate them. Shop owners of tonkatsu restaurants irritably shushed people waiting in sushi lines far away from blocking their entrances.

People quietly judged the tourists sitting around long after their meals had been finished, taking up their precious seating space. The sushi restaurant workers were too kind to ask them to leave.

When our turn finally came and we were seated, I ordered quickly and finished my meal in a hurry. I hated making people wait, knowing they were standing out in the rain just for some fresh tuna that had been auctioned off and prepared just a few hours before.

"That was the best tuna I have ever tasted," they said. I couldn't really remember - I can't enjoy a meal when I know I'm being rushed. Either way, eating sushi in Japan never disappointed.

Afterwards, we walked around in the fish market and boy, "it" came to life. If I had an appropriate word for "it," it would be loosely defined as that source of photography inspiration that so needs to be nurtured outside of work. It's that kind of scene that makes me excited to have a camera around, and maybe wishes I had my entire collection of cameras there with me at the same time.

The atmosphere was incredible inside the fish market. Workers were bustling with their fish carts, unapologetically honking at the people in the way of their route. Vendors laughed with each other as they smoked, completely uninterested in the tourists marveling at the wide variety of fish carcasses. A worker stopped washing a live octopus to let people touch its suckers. Of all the places in Japan, I think this was actually my favorite place to photograph.

Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsujiki Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S
Tsukiji Fish Market Japan Fuji X100S

Japan, Part 3: Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

Here's a quick tip to get the best out of the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest: Go as early as you can in the morning, possibly before 8am.

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Japan
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Japan
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Japan
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Japan
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Japan
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Japan
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Japan
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Japan
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Japan

Japan, Part 2: Golden Pavillion

The beautiful Golden Pavillion - the kind of scene that fills you with serenity and makes you want to lean against the wooden fence and take a deep breath ...

... until someone's selfie stick nearly takes your head off as they try to take a normal photo with their cell phone with the three foot stick still attached.

Golden Pavillion japan Fuji X100S
Golden Pavillion japan Fuji X100S
Golden Pavillion japan tourists Fuji X100S

Japan, Part 1: Kiyomizu-dera

I traveled to Japan for 10 days in early April, peak cherry blossom season (yay!) but also peak tourism season (boo!). I stayed in Kyoto for the first half of the trip, hitting up all the typical tourist spots. Why the heck not? Japan is gorgeous, and Kyoto has so many beautiful places to see. The colors everywhere were amazing.

For the trip, I decided to pack as light as I could, so I brought along my trusty Fuji X100S and the Instax 210.

Kiyomizu-dera Japan fuji x100S

Kiyomizu-dera Japan fuji x100S

Kiyomizu-dera Japan fuji x100S

Kiyomizu-dera Japan fuji x100S

Kiyomizu-dera Japan fuji x100S

Kiyomizu-dera Japan fuji x100S

Kiyomizu-dera Japan fuji x100S

Kiyomizu-dera Japan fuji x100S

Kiyomizu-dera Japan fuji x100S