The image of Japanese salarymen generally isn’t a good one. A mere glance at the internet throws up countless stories of monstrous overtime, not to mention all the photos of them drunk and disheveled after similarly excessive over-drinking. But regardless of whether the fella below overindulges at the office, or indeed in the bar afterwards, he definitely has a real sense of intensity about him.
This man, along with many others, appears in a new series I’ve produced for my portfolio. Titled, The Faces, it’s a collection of shots singling out the faces and expressions of (mostly) men in Ueno’s distinctive shopping district. The vast majority of these photos haven’t been posted before, so if you fancy a look, just click here.
Denton says
Not sure about the guy but that’s a very cool shot! 🙂
Lee says
Cheers. Very pleased the way it came out.
Harry says
I really like this one. Great atmosphere.
Lee says
Thanks. Likewise. Big thanks to the man himself. A very photogenic fella.
Karl says
I like your photos and also like it when you identify the neighborhoods they were taken in. That gives me ideas on where to visit next time I am in Tokyo.
Lee says
Thank you.
Ueno is definitely a good place to visit. Lots to see. And when the sun shines, it’s a wonderful place to shoot too.
cdilla says
There are some very striking people in your new collection. The guy with the long hair for one, and the man in this photograph.
His face looks carved, weathered, able to withstand and stand up to anything. A thousand storys beg to be told about him.
You, sir, are an artist with that lens of yours.
And a timely reminder for me to print out a map of the Ameyoko market area. I was disappointed we didn’t see it on our first trip, (made the mistake of going to the park first and running out of time). This time I aim to start at Ueno-okachimachi station 🙂
Lee says
Thank you very much!
Taking such photos is so much easier with a subject like the man above. Like you said, his face looks like it has so many stories to tell. Very happy to have seen him.
A good choice. I always start from Okachimachi. From 11-ish the sun shines right up the street as well, so on bright days it’s a wonderful place to shoot as well and explore.
Coli says
Great picture as always lee. The framing is excellent. The second man in your new collection reminds me so much of Ito Terry:)
Lee says
Thanks a lot! One of those shots when I had no time at all to think, which for some reason tends to work out better.
Haha, that’s very true. Hadn’t thought of that, but yes, there’s a real similarity there!
Mauro says
First and foremost, great picture!
I’d like to ask if this shot was taken from the hip and if there was any post production work on the lighting.
Lee says
Thank you!
Yes, shot this one from the hip. Not actually by choice, but more because I saw him so late it was my only option.
Not a massive amount of post production. I darkened the shadows and made the blacks, erm, blacker, but that was pretty much it apart from the usual slight colour, exposure etc. adjustments.