After New York New York, Dutch-Argentinian photographer Richard Koek announces the release of his photography book Tokyo Tokyo, available April 30. In the title, the repetition of the city’s name is already meant to be a first clue to what his shots will reveal. Koek looks for the dualism that every city holds in its essence. In the case of Tokyo, tradition on the one hand and extreme contemporaneity on the other. Clichés collapse and make way for the real daily life of the inhabitants of the Japanese capital, but capturing it was not easy.

«I did not realise it was quite an impossible task to fulfil,» Koek explains in an interview with Creative Boom. «Tokyo cannot be captured in one book, it has 40,000,000 citizens and is way more spread out than New York City. I did find a way that somehow made sense for a book, and I hope I succeeded in capturing it». Without a doubt, Koek reveals a curious side of the city, highlighting the stark contrast that characterizes the Edochian universe. Let’s find out through some of the shots shown in the preview.

What Richard Koek points out is that Tokyo Tokyo is everything you do not expect from this city. As a tourist, as an outsider, when you leave for Tokyo you have a very clear idea of what to expect, provided mainly by the images propagated by the media, but when you come back this idea is overturned. «My book will show two sides of the city; the beauty in centuries-old traditions, as well as the beauty in daily life of the moment that we all live,» Koek explains again to Creative Boom. Indeed, another aspect that emerges is the rapid evolution of the city, which, while jealously preserving traditions, is also constantly changing, both from an architectural point of view – new buildings are constantly springing up – and from a socio-cultural point of view.

Courtesy Richard Koek

Mario Tarantino describes himself as a ‘monochromantic’ but it was the photographic potential of brutalist architecture that led him to capture the image that won an award. “I submitted the photo because I felt the narrative I wished to convey when looking at it,” says Mario. He already had a creative direction in mind before being on location.

“I wanted to create an outer-worldly narrative, a meeting place or place of worship on another planet. Once on location, the sheer scale of the monument was impressive. To convey that immenseness, I put a silhouette of my father in the frame.”

Brutalist architecture is built with rough concrete, making for a heavily textured surface. “Getting the right angle, aperture and exposure was crucial in keeping the balance between enough and too much detail,” he says. 

Another challenge was the strong light, therefore Mario used an ND filter which let him control the light further. With a minimalistic environment and subject, the composition is crucial. “The composition is minimalist – the monument with its clean lines is placed on the third with the sky creating lots of negative space. The scale is demonstrated by the silhouette on the opposite third, which creates a balance between the subjects,” says Mario. 

Using traditional composition rules such as the rule of thirds is a tried and tested method, but it’s important to experiment as every subject requires different strategies. “Try experimenting with both portrait and landscape orientations when photographing your subject. Sometimes a tighter frame is better to guide the viewer’s eye into the frame making it more engaging,” says Mario. “Try and take the time to visit a location before going to photograph it. That way, you are familiar with the surroundings resulting in better composition as well as knowing what time of the day is best to do the shoot”. 

When it comes to light, he prefers to shoot in the early morning or late afternoon when the light is softer. “I prefer shooting in low light conditions. However, I have taken great photos during strongly lit daytime as well. The midday and early afternoon sun can also enrich B&W photography, especially if you want to create high-contrast imagery,” he adds. 

Mario follows a minimalistic philosophy of ‘less is more’. This is not just visible in his photographic work but also his technical approach. One of his most important accessories is a tripod for long-exposure shots. “When it comes to lenses, try and keep it simple,” he says. “A 24-70mm is a great all-rounder and should be part of everyone’s kitbag. I usually carry this optic and a 16-35mm flat wide, so I’m not overcomplicating things on location.”

Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino’s photographic style includes architecture, street and landscapes. He adheres to a ‘less is more’ philosophy as shown in his minimalist photo compositions. The simplicity of deep blacks coupled with crisp whites and the tones in between, makes the mundane look marvellous. Mario often uses long exposures, creating low-key tones for more emotive shots.

Lens choice

Expand the view by working with short focal lengths

“I enjoy working with wide-angle lenses and with practice, have got to know their pros and cons. What I love about this optic is the spectrum of genres they cover, from architecture, landscapes and even street. 

A wide-angle lens draws the eye into the scene, creating a strong feeling of perspective as well as a greater field of view in either landscape or portrait format. I also find the depth of field on wide-angle lenses superior to telephoto in that images are usually sharp throughout, with the exception of the corners. I work with a Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L.

When shooting with a wide-angle lens, fill the frame to avoid empty spaces where the eyes exit the image. Try to shoot at low angles, making use of leading lines to take the viewer through the image to the background.”

Three photographic techniques

1. Exposure bracketing 

“This is one way of creating well-lit and detailed photographs. Expose for the blacks, shadows, mids, lights and highlights. Each of these exposures can then be blended together, creating a wonderfully detailed and lit image. Having these exposures also allows for greater artistic expression in the way the image is lit and guides the viewer’s eye through the photo.”

2. Focus stacking

“Sharpness and detail are important so focus stacking is especially effective when working with wide-angle lenses. This technique helps to ensure a sharp image from front to back. To do so, multiple images with different focus points need to be created. Start by focusing on the foreground and then move it through the image. The images can be blended in post-production.”

3. Get support

“Always bring your tripod with you, especially if you are going to shoot in low light conditions. It is vital for exposure bracketing, focus stacking and long exposures as well as providing a steady base for sharp images. A tripod also helps with your photo composition, as it forces you to slow down and take in your surroundings as you set it up, usually resulting in a better composition.”

Taipei, April 3 (CNA) Photographer Chang Chao-tang (張照堂), one of the first Taiwanese to explore experimental photography and filmmaking, has died at the age of 81.

Chang passed away at 11 p.m. Tuesday night in Taipei, according to photography magazine “Voices of Photography” (VOP), which announced the news on behalf of Chang’s family on Facebook on Wednesday.

Born in New Taipei in 1943, Chang was introduced to photography in junior high school when he borrowed a camera from his brother.

He was further inspired to pursue the art in high school after attending a photography club led by Cheng Shang-hsi (鄭桑溪), one of the first documentary photography artists in Taiwan.

Chang developed a passion for literature and art while a student at National Taiwan University, where he learned about surrealism, existentialism, and modernism. These influences led to his experimental creations in later years, the VOP said.

In 1965, Chang and Cheng held a modern photography exhibition featuring their works, which caught the public’s eye due to their departure from mainstream conventions.

Chang began working as a photojournalist at China Television Company in 1968 and participated in the production of many TV documentaries on special topics.

His works earned him Golden Horse awards for best documentary and best cinematography for documentary and Golden Bell Awards for best cinematography and editing.

The shooting of “China Behind” (再見中國) in 1973 marked Chang’s successful venture into film production. His other works include “Woman of Wrath” (殺夫), “Tang Dynasty Beautiful Male” (唐朝綺麗男) and “Last Train to Tan Shui”(淡水最後列車), all shot in 1984, the VOP said.

Chang was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Horse Film Festival in 2022, which described Chang as more than a photography master who “has brought a profound, diverse and comprehensive influence on Taiwan arts.”

The way he shot films inspired succeeding directors such as Chung Mong-hong (鍾孟宏), Huang Hsin-yao (黃信堯), and Yang Li-chou (楊力州).

Additionally, Chang is the only photographer to have won the National Award for Arts and the National Cultural Award, in 1999 and 2011, respectively.

The Taiwan International Documentary Festival announced on Jan. 31 that Chang won its outstanding contribution award.

Brooke Holm: Sand Sea

In the Namibian desert, the tallest dunes tower into the sky, their colours shifting with the sun. From above, the dunes can resemble the female form, says Holm, a photographer based in Brooklyn, New York, who produces detailed environmental portraits

The “Chavalxs” project, spearheaded by artist Alejandra Aragón from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico teaches photography to 25 youths in areas like Gómez Farías and Guadalupe. The project offers an authentic view of life across the border, away from racism and xenophobia. These workshops have enabled participants to address and reshape misconceptions about their communities, heavily stigmatized by drug-related violence and a lack of artistic opportunities. By collaborating in places such as San Agustin, Chihuahua, Chavalxs fosters a creative resistance against harmful narratives. We interviewed Alejandra Aragón, Grantee of the Center for Cultural Power’s Border Narratives Project, about this important project.

How do the photographs produced by the project tell a different story about life in border towns compared to the narratives perpetuated by mainstream media?
“Chavalxs deals with the process of how narratives become. Historically, the border has been narrated in a hegemonic voice and sight. I, as a border artist only until recently feel my voice has been heard, although as Spivak points out, I am never sure if my message is
being understood since there are codes regarding language, identity and situated experience that still separates us from those who have had the power to construct history through art and media. So, the same way I received the grant to decentralize the narrative, I went directly to the communities and got them involved in order for me to not be a single voice, but rather a detonator of a wider conversation using art, specifically photography as the medium.

“Violence is a reality that over the years has been the main subject of interest about the border. My intention with this project and my body of work is to question how the narratives become part of the cycle of violence when we think we are giving “visibility” when our work ends up feeding the same system that perpetuates the violence, like it happened in the circulation of images of victims and misery. I have come to understand that the main tool of structural violence carried out not only at this border but in other disputed territories is breaking communities, and images are an active part of that. So, my intention with Chavalxs is not only to tell this story from our own subjectivity. But also confront the conditions that perpetuate violence. So, while we reflect on who we are and the situations of the
place we live in, and how we represent that using photography, we make community and confront the issue that made us vulnerable. We make community and strengthen collective memory.

“This same logic is applied to every image you see of Chavalxs produced by the kids, me or the contributors’ approaches within the classroom, the exhibitions, the curatorship, and the archive. We can make a semiotic analysis of each, but no image reproduces violence, no image is taken without permission, no landscape is stigmatized, and as I decided with the polaroids I gave away to the young people who I knew I could not reach through the workshops, or the efforts we made to bring every kid from the towns to the Juarez major exhibition: because most people photographed in the world never get to hold or see the images that are produced and reproduced of them.”

Beyond photography, what other skills have participants gained from their involvement in the Chavalxs” project?
“A very important fact about Chavalxs is that I am in a way part of the community. These are not random places I just arrived at. Valle de Juárez is the rural area of Ciudad Juarez, my hometown. Gomez Farias is my family’s original town municipality and I wanted to return to the community after doing a project about my father, masculinity and displacements of agricultural towns.

“First, photography is a craft that can help create some sort of income. Some of these young people have gotten jobs doing social photography or other publicity requests and part of this were Daniel Galindo and Professor Villareal who are themselves portrait photographers and shared with the class their strategies to make a living out of this practice.

“I networked and united forces with the people in the community who were already taking action to create third spaces, secure resources, and the wellbeing of their community, like Leon de La Rosa, Joseline Galdean and Alejandro Gonzalez who are collaborators in the project, so Chavalxs only became a part of these efforts.

“I am very proud to say that many of the kids involved got tools to manage their emotions and their psychological state since many young people are dealing with strong PTSD, many have experienced and seen very violent acts committed against their family members or community. So we spoke about our emotions, we tried to use photography to convey them and for some, like Cristian Jasiel Garcia Archuleta, photography became a tool to go out of the house, walk, understand he had a special perspective and talent. The workshop also helped insert him into a community since he lacked a support group.

“For one of the older participants, I am very proud to say the impact was more political. Alejandro Mono Gonzalez, who was part of the workshop in San Agustin, decided to create a community space for young people after experiencing the Chavalxs workshop. So now he, with the help of some youngsters like Jasiel himself, Ivone, Azul, Carolina and Joseline from Chavalxs and other community members have created OKUVAJ. They occupied an abandoned building and fundraised resources to sustain the space.”

How has the work produced by the “Chavalxs” project been received by the public, both within the border towns and in wider circles?
“The Chavalxs exhibitions have been received with great enthusiasm. In Guadalupe, we had the exhibition at the town’s park plaza and after seeing it, the mayor invited us to show it at the Municipality building. This created the space for us to use his interest to make some demands to the local government regarding the needs of the young population.

“Overall, the participants, the collaborators and everyone involved seem very happy with the results. And for me, I cannot explain clearly what it did for my self-esteem and mental state after coming from a major depressive episode after the pandemic and helped me learn even more about how to direct my practice towards more interdisciplinary strategies and forms. And even though it’s not perfect and there is a lot that can be improved as an art or social development project, I hope that everybody involved feels the positive impact in the long term.”

Learn more about the process and reactions in the video documentary of the project.

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