I went to Shinjuku to capture street scenes for this article, but after getting them home, seeing the photos on my computer screen just left me depressed. It felt like a day of little return for my efforts. Why?
One thing true about Tokyo is that winter fashion can be bland. Really? Yeah, I think so. Most people dress using the same color palette. It’s an endless sea of black, blue, grey, and brown. Sometimes, you’ll see white.
To see someone stand out on the street is rare. I see seas of blandness. But, please don’t talk about my personal fashion. I know I’m one of the most unfashionable people around! My excuse is that I take the photos, not the subject of them.
The next problem. Do I walk too much? That might be a strange question. I was on the move for nearly four hours when I took these photos. If I couldn’t find something interesting, I’d go. In short, I’m unsure what I’m doing.
This leads me to an important question: what even is street photography? Is it about the streets themselves, the people on them, or only the most interesting-looking ones? Is it about architecture, or is it a combination of everything? The possibilities are confusing.
A photographer friend of mine once said he liked my Instagram feed but could never identify my photos. He explained that I wasn’t consistent. I jumped between photographic genres. My editing styles changed according to the weather. Now I understood what he meant, and it stung because I felt it was true. But another part of me immediately rebelled against the idea.
Why should people easily recognize my photos? That would lead to me being pigeon-holed as a certain type of photographer, which is the last thing I want. I want to make photos that I find attractive, and if other people feel the same way about them, that’s a huge bonus.
On the way home, I had a few ideas after reading some articles on my phone. If I want to shoot people, I need to find the type I want to photograph. They aren’t going to appear in front of me in some random place. I need to go to the places where they hang out. If I want fashionable people, Harajuku would be best. It’s a new direction worth considering.
But finding the right subject is only one part of the puzzle. As I thought more about my day, I also wondered if my tools were limiting me or if I’m just blaming my tools. With the IBIS in an X-T5, I could have dragged the shutter to blur the bustling crowds into streaks of color, making a single, sharp subject stand out. Perhaps a technical solution could solve an artistic problem.
What do you think of these street scenes from Shinjuku? Most of the photos are from the station, but I also went to Nishi-Shinjuku and Kabukicho. As always, I made a point of dropping by Omoide-Yokocho (Memory Alley).
So, while Shinjuku offered its usual bustling energy, this photo walk left me with more questions than answers. It highlighted my uncertainties about style, subject matter, and even the definition of street photography itself.
The resulting photos might reflect that ambivalence. Pondering specific areas like Harajuku for different results has made me curious. What do you see in these Shinjuku scenes? And more importantly, how do you balance the need for a consistent style with the desire to stay creatively free? Is it better to be a master of one genre or a curious explorer of many?
Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.
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