Photo Blog | Tokyo, Photographer

I shoot a range of genres. But my primary love is portrait photography. Without a doubt, a portrait photographer has one of the most intriguing jobs in the world. I find the whole process utterly human and it invigorates me.

During a portrait session, I get the chance to connect with another person in a way that is intensely personal. My clients and I get to experience a certain amount of vulnerability together. With keen awareness, I am allowed to observe different aspects of my clients and am always grateful for being permitted to capture those fluctuations of spirit. Portrait sessions are both empowering and cathartic for clients and photographers alike. There's nothing else like it. Because of this, I am always am excited when I receive an inquiry from anyone who wants or needs images of themselves. 

A recent request came from Sui. She wrote:

I am frequently contacted by clients asking how they can become a model in Tokyo. The initial part of my answer is always the same. To become a model in Japan, or anywhere else in the world, you need first need to have a portfolio. 

Modeling, like many industries, is a business based on first impressions. In addition to a unique look, an aspiring model needs charisma, perseverance, and a portfolio to land representation. Before approaching an agency, an aspiring model should be ready to present themselves on a personal and professional level. 

The key here is to make an agency's job as easy as possible. By holding a selection of professionally photographed images, an agent can fast track a model's induction process and begin "pitching" the model to industry professionals. Since a model's comp card or portfolio (physical or digital) enters an agency well before the model does, it is imperative that aspiring models have a baseline portfolio to get them through the door. 

Considering this, I work with aspiring models to create starter portfolios, collections of images that showcase a model's potential and their ability to fit various client needs. In just a few hours, clients and I create imagery that is powerful enough to get the attention of Tokyo's modeling agencies. 

I recently worked with Ella, an aspiring model in need of a portfolio portrait session. Since Ella is interested in fashion photography, we designed our session that will streamline her entrance into the fashion world here in Japan and beyond. 

I was happy to hear from Sandie and to be chosen as her portrait photographer in Japan. After reading her ideas, I was more than willing to do what I could to help Sandie reach her goals as an author and to provide her with a custom set of portraits. We immediately began a conversation relating to the professional goals she had outlined and started planning Sandie's personal branding session. 

On our shoot day, I traveled north to Sandie's home in Saitama so that she wouldn't have to worry about traversing Tokyo or deal with any of the stress caused by pandemic commuting. There, in the northern suburbs of Tokyo, Sandie and I spent a couple of hours making the images that are now being used to promote her as a budding author and speaker here in Japan and beyond.

Troy knew that to sustain himself during his first years of life as an expat he would need to keep his mind open to a variety of personal and professional possibilities. Like Troy, many who come to Japan pursue a variety of endeavors to support a lifestyle that has more in it than convenience store ramen and a barren flat on the outskirts of Tokyo. Simply put, young expats like Troy have to hustle to prosper.

One avenue of possible employment and/or revenue is modeling. Luckily, there is relatively broad market in Japan for foreign models as a range of modeling opportunities in the fashion, lifestyle, and commercial branding sectors are available. For many, modeling is a great way to earn some extra cash while building a life in one of world's most expensive countries. 

There are several caveats to consider before making a leap into the modeling industry in Japan. One crucial piece of the puzzle is how to align with an agency, the industry's gatekeepers. Most modeling agencies in Japan want to have a collection of images (or a z-card) on hand so that they can promote any new addition to their model roster. Yet, most agencies place the responsibility on their fresh intake to independently have these portraits produced.

Troy was forward thinking and realized how the system works. Without any professional images of himself, Troy knew that he needed to book a portfolio building session so that he could put his best foot forward when meeting with agencies. Moreover, Troy knew that having a portfolio skeleton would expedite his ability to land modeling jobs.

Troy is a fan of fashion photography and likes grainy, muted imagery. By the end of our pre-shoot consultation, Troy and I decided to rent a studio space to correlate with his goals and visual aesthetic. While I don't considered myself a fashion photographer, I do know the types of images that model agencies need to have to move forward with a new model. Agencies and casting directors want to see a clean headshot, a variety of looks, and a handful of photographs that reveal a bit about the model's personality. Considering this, Our goal for Troy's portrait session was to nail these "must-have" images so that Troy would be ready to approach agencies as soon as possible.

I had a blast during working with Troy during our two-hour portrait session and know that Troy has great things ahead of him in the modeling world. 

By mid-May, Cassidy had already been in Tokyo for two months. Throughout that time, she had seen the inside and exterior of her parents house in nearby Chofu, a grocery store, and a convenience store or two. Basically, Cassidy's time in Tokyo has been nothing the rising university senior thought it would be. 

When the University of California stopped offering classes on campus due to COVID-19 concerns, Cassidy decided to leave Berkeley and head to Japan to quarantine and socially isolate with her parents. Here in Tokyo she could finish up her remaining course work online, spend time with her loved ones, and have a change of scenery. But even though Cassidy had made it to the Japanese capital, she wasn't able to explore Tokyo in the ways she had hoped. 

During the last days of Cassidy's visit, the Tokyo government lifted the state of emergency. With her canceled-now-rescheduled flight to California a few days away,  Cassidy decided to wanted to see something in Tokyo before heading out and decided that she wanted to book a portrait session to document the outing. 

I met Cassidy at our chosen location right on time and, before getting started with our session, we took the time to debrief our experience with lockdown. For more than two months, neither Cassidy or I had been around anyone other than our own families (as most in Japan have done all that they can to keep themselves and others healthy) and were both a bit weary to be back in "civilization." We discussed how surreal it felt to be in the city where, it seemed, life was starting to move forward with the "new normal."

For ninety minutes, I took Cassidy on an abbreviated tour of Kichijoji, one of Tokyo's most vibrant neighborhoods. The area is full of cafes, boutique stores, artist enclaves, and Inokashira Park (one of the most beautiful green spaces in Tokyo). Close to her accommodation, Kichijoji was a great location for us to meet by bicycle and would serve as the perfect alternative to other Tokyo locations that would require train rides and other unnecessary worries associated with traveling during the pandemic.

Throughout our session, Cassidy and I were successful by keeping six feet of distance from each other and the crowds that, here in the world's most populated city, are hard to avoid. We only took our masks off when we felt safely distanced. Basically, we eased our way back into some sense of normalcy. 

I was grateful to Cassidy for making our outing so enjoyable; full of laughs and great conversation. Working with Cassidy was the first times in months I felt like myself. While we were careful to observe recommended protocols, there were times during our session that I forgot about COVID-19 and the collective trauma we have all experienced. In the end, I couldn't have asked for a better afternoon as a photographer in Japan and was elated to be back behind the camera after an extended break.

Are you searching for a portrait photographer in Tokyo, throughout Japan, or beyond? If so, reach out today to begin planning your individual, couples, or family photography session. ​

A few months ago I heard from Judy and her daughter Mia. The pair were planning their first trip to Japan and wanted to take the opportunity to commission a portrait session for Mia. Judy wrote: 

After speaking with Mia and Judy a bit more about their hopes for Mia's photography session, I surmised that Mia basically wanted some awesome senior portraits, photographs that would showcase her love for travel, her interest in artistic photography, and her willingness to try new things.

I proposed a shoot schedule that would give Mia and I the chance to really make some stellar images. We decided on a two hour session and would utilize the backstreets of Harajuku to incorporate the urban vibe that Mia's was after. The locations I selected would also give us some space from the hordes of tourists in nearby Shinjuku or Shibuya and we would stay far away from Takeshita street (the tourist-trap-lane that made Harajuku famous in the early nineties) so that Mia would feel a bit more comfortable throughout our session.

Mia and Judy loved the plan and we moved forward without a hitch. In the end, I was thrilled with what Mia and I created and I hope that the images will serve as a reminder of her first time in Japan and of this special time in her life.