My Adventures in Japan

September 30, 2013 in Photo

***Click on the images for full screen versions!***

I went over to Japan initially for a small trip to work out some paperwork but it turned into being a 4 month trip of creative opportunities. My brother, Jon Levy, recorded an album while I was back home in Japan, and I was recruited as the cameraman. I did all the photography and video work for the album and ended up going to the studio everyday, watching the whole project come together. It was fascinating to witness, and an honor to be the visual historian of the project.

So I'm back in Melbourne, Australia again and l have a lot to share with you guys. Photos and thoughts I haven't released to the world yet! So in the upcoming weeks there will be posts sharing some of my experiences from this latest trip to Japan. Here is the first one for you.

The last week I was in Japan, Jon and I did a few photo shoots before I left. In my mind we were celebrating what we'd accomplished in the last couple months as well as preparing ourselves to part ways for a time. One of the photo shoots we did was out in the forest near our childhood home in the mountains of Shiga.

It was a new and different type of shoot for me since it was the first time I used off-camera flashes and took time to mess around with lighting setups. It was a fun time of experimenting with different lighting techniques but it also produced some pretty neat photos. I had two speed lights setup on stands and used some wireless triggers to use them as portable strobes. So I was experimenting with three light sources. The sun, and my two flashes. It was just coming up on dusk when we started the shoot, so I got some really interesting different light throughout the next couple of hours. Here are four of some of my favorite shots. I may upload a few more from this shoot later on.

***I'm especially proud of the lighting on this one, and the backlight that outlines his left side.***

Gold Antiques - A Portrait of Luke Fujii

August 02, 2013 in Photo

***Click on the images for fullscreen.***

Let me tell you the story of how I met my friend Luke. We were 3 years old and I'm in the sand pit pretending to be a dinosaur, when the new kid pounces onto my back. In the process of jumping on top of me he also used my head as a bit of a crutch, resulting in my face suffocating in the sand. I can't recall whether he got tired of drowning me, or if a teacher came along and pulled him off. Luke, my now longtime friend, doesn't recall any of this. Probably because it wasn't traumatising on his end of things. Despite our interesting first interaction with each other, we still ended up being the best of friends.

Luke, like myself, grew up as an international kid always in different parts of the world, so it's very rarely we get to see each other. Luckily our schedules have collided and we're currently both back in Japan. Naturally we've met up. While we roamed the city we grew up in, I had my camera in hand taking photos along the way. We wandered down into the depths of an antique shop. Little did we know how awesome the place was. I unfortunately didn't take any photos inside the store but I did get a few on the way down. One of the reasons I love this shot is the lighting. The mix of the warm backlight and the smidgen of natural light from the doorway creates a really interesting contrast between the background and Luke. Not to mention the cool stairway that makes this shot a lot more interesting.

One thing I've always struggled with is color. It usually takes me some time to make my mind up on whether I prefer the monochrome or color versions of a photograph. I guess I couldn't quite decide with the next images so I'll show you both. Let me know which you prefer, color or B/W? Don't forget you can click on the images to see a fullscreen version of each photo.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed!

-Daniel Levy

Exploring Kyoto

July 11, 2013 in Photo

Since being back in Japan I have spent most of my days out walking the streets of Kyoto. Sometimes with friends, sometimes on my own, but always accompanied with my camera. Even though I grew up in Kyoto there are always new hidden gems to find in this beautiful city. It's been great to just wander the city with no direction. Here are just a few photos from the other day I was out in Kyoto.

I will be getting a roll of film back tomorrow. Not sure how they'll turn out but I'm hoping my thumb doesn't make an appearance in any of the photos. I will try to post some of the photos, that is if they turn out all right. Still unsure whether the camera was working 100% so we'll see how the photos look tomorrow. Anyway thanks for reading, and I've got some new and exciting things happening in the future. So keep checking back for more things soon!

-Daniel Levy

Meeting with an Old Friend and PIZZA!

June 30, 2013 in Photo

**Click on the photos for a larger view of them in lightbox.**

I'm back in my home country at the moment, Japan. Since being back I've been meeting up with old friends who I haven't seen for aeons. It's been great reminiscing about years past with 'em again. Just recently I met up with an old school mate of mine. It was great catching up and hearing what's been going on in his life. Not much has changed though. We're both still the same kids that went to school together. Just with a taller perspective of the world, and a little more stubble on our faces. One thing has changed though, his hair! He had recently just got his hair dyed so I hadn't seen his new do. It was RAD! Loved the look, and instantly wanted to take some portraits of him and his mane. We walked by this little pizza place and decided to check it out. It was a pretty neat little hole in the wall place. Ended up eating there and taking some photos of the joint. So here they are!

The sticker on the hot sauce says "やべー" which roughly translates to danger!

Everything on the menu was super cheap. Most expensive pizza was ¥530 which is around $5.00. Granted they aren't giant but they tasted good and only cost a fist full of change.

Tiny place as you can see, but I liked how claustrophobic it was. The next two photos of my friend I got a little carried away and pretty much transformed into my paparazzi form. Don't think he approved of my stalking ways, but the photos turned out good.

So there you are, more photos! Hope you enjoyed and I'll be posting more in the future. Check back soon!

-Daniel Levy

**You can click all the images to see them full screen.**

Ogawa Coffee The Cafe - Cafe Spelunking

June 20, 2013 in Cafe Spelunking

If you didn't already realise by the numerous tweets, facebook statuses and instagram pictures I have posted about my obsession with coffee, well now you know. I love coffee! It is my social drink of choice. I love going to a cool little cafe with a friend to catch up while we drink liquid gold, or going to a secluded cafe to read and explore my magical brain of ideas. I love it, not only the coffee but the cafe experience. In the last year I have become more intrigued by those little brown beans. I have also been informing myself about the myriad of ways to brew coffee and prepare it. I've slowly weaned my way off milk and sugar and just recently started drinking the stuff black. Never thought I would enjoy coffee straight, but turns out I prefer it. With my knowledge and intrigue in coffee increasing I have been searching for cool cafes to visit. Whether I'm looking for a place to hang out with friends, or on my more loner of days, to just sit down and read a book. Since I'm back in Japan at the moment I've been exploring the local cafes here in Kyoto with my similarly coffee obsessed brother Jon Levy. This week we ventured into a new little cafe which goes by the name Ogawa Coffee The Cafe.

I had heard about the cafe through a search trying to find good espresso in Kyoto, and boy did I find it. This place was great, not only was the coffee delicious but the atmosphere and decor were right up my alley. It's a great place to hang out, read a great book or do some work on your electronic device of choice. Speaking of electronic devices, the cafe has iPad's sitting on the bar, so one can occupy ones self as they wait. Who doesn't love having expensive potential spilling hazards!

Nothing like a little shameless promotion. I wonder if that slideshow is still playing...

I heard that the cafe had great cappuccinos, so I got one and my brother ordered a latte. Not only did he choose wrong, but he didn't get any latte art. Which ironically he was the one who ordered a latte. The coffees come in beautiful white ceramic cups where the handles flow off the rim of the cup. They also come on a cool little wooden tray which I quite enjoyed the presentation of. There was a choice of three different beans/blends and I chose an El Salvador Buenos Aires coffee for my cappuccino which was delicious! The cappuccino was made just the way I like 'em, with the perfect ratio of microfoam, milk and coffee.

You can see the handles I mentioned on the cups here.

After finishing my scrumptious cappuccino and annoying my brother as he tried to work, I decided I wanted another cuppa! If you are obsessed with coffee like I am, you may have heard of the AeroPress. If not, it is a really simple and delicious way of brewing coffee. Not to mention a very cheap way to make coffee at home! It's very similar to a French press actually. You put in your coffee grounds, add hot water, then plunge the water through the grounds and viola! I had never had an aeropress coffee so I was excited to finally try it out. I ordered one with Costa Rican beans and photographed the barista as he prepared it. The coffee was great, really smooth and not very acidic/bitter. I will definitely be getting myself one of these for my morning coffees.

Overall this place is great. I highly recommend it if you are looking for some great coffee and a cool atmosphere, while here in the Kyoto area. Like most Ogawa Coffee shops they sell coffee beans and gear here as well, so if you're in need of a grinder, aeropress, pour over equipment, or steaming jugs they have you covered. They also happen to do barista training courses here, so if you want to get some training with latte art and coffee making check 'em out. They have a website you can visit, to find out more about their course. They also have a facebook page. Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed my thoughts and photos. I will be doing more of these 'Cafe Spelunking' posts where I photograph cool cafes I come across, so keep checking back for more! If you have any recommendations of places I should check out, let me know in the comments, email, twitter or facebook.

-Daniel Levy

Aerial view of the rosetta design in my cappuccino.

Asking Strangers to Model - Street Portraiture

June 18, 2013 in Street Portraiture

The other day I came across a lens I had been curious about for some time now. I decided to try it out and instantly fell in love. Came out of the shop with a lighter wallet but my creative mind a little richer. I have been waiting for a lens like this, to challenge myself to do some intimate street photography. Guess it's time to get uncomfortable and awkward out in public.

There are so many different street photographers out there. So many different styles, and ways to approach people. Some are very aggresive with their street photography like photographer Eric Kim. Others take time to compose the shot and have people pose like the NY based photographer The Sarorialist. So I decided to finally get out of my comfort zone and go try my own style.

I waited for the sun to start to set and headed to downtown kyoto. I ended up walking down the amazing little alleyways near Sanjo for an hour. One of my favourite places to go is down these little streets. The lanterns illuminate the path down these narrow streets, showcasing the neat little shops, cafes, and bars. I found the perfect backdrop to do some portraits with some incredible backlight. I found the spot, now I just needed a face. So I waited, and waited. I stood for half an hour while tourists and locals glanced at me with strange looks. Then, this Japanese Ojisan walked by in front of me. Before I caught him, he had disappeared into a bar. I was bummed. He was exactly the person I wanted for this shot. He came out 5 minutes later with a sign and spotlight for the bar he had just entered. Not only did he work at the bar I had been standing in front of for 30 minutes but he also lit himself perfectly for the photo. WAS IT DESTINY?

I turned the corner and asked him if I could take his photo. He was confused and didn't quite understand what this 6 foot 3 white man was saying to him in Japanese. I repeated myself and he half understood what I wanted. I told him where to stand, and lined him up. Stepped back, took 5 photos and before I could check whether the photos turned out alright, he was off. Back to work or something. I quickly chased after him and thanked him. Didn't have a chance to check out the photos till he had disappeared into the darkness of the bar. Luckily, I had been planning this shot and exposing it for the last 40 minutes. I had captured my perfect shot for the day.

I will be honest. It was a little scary approaching someone, and asking if I could take their photo. Especially when they happen to be a grey haired uncommunicative bartender. Getting out of my shell and just pushing myself payed off though. I believe this is the beginning of some great new photos from me. I will be challenging myself and going out as much as possible doing these street portraits.

There are some incredible characters out there. People I have always wanted to shoot. I've been compelled with portraiture for sometime now, but never really had the urge to hire models or ask friends to pose for me. I think there is something magical about walking the streets and finding interesting characters. The people dressed up just as they are make such interesting subjects. As much as I would welcome working in the fashion industry with photography, I do think there is something compelling about seeing people with the clothes and styles they choose for themselves.

-Daniel Levy