Into the Woods: Tokyo International Players (TIP) Production
So I just got back from the second night of the Tokyo International Players rendition of the musical “Into the Woods” which originally debuted on Broadway in 1988. Into the Woods is a musical mash up of several famous Grimm’s fairy tales. The story focuses on the tales of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel. The unique spin on this production is the style is heavily influenced by Indian culture and artistic traditions.
If you’re reading this before Sunday, May 19th, 2013 at 7pm then there’s still time to catch the show. Unless you change your mind after reading what I have to say. You’ll have to click through to find out.
Editors note: Though written after the show this review was published the next day.
People in the Coffee Shop
I started an analog journal today, meaning pen and paper like they used to do in the days before the electric light. Well not quite so old tech, but certainly before the rise of the blogosphere. (Which I am still amazed to find is in the default spellchecker dictionary). So while I was writing about my deepest, whiniest, emo thoughts (as all journals tend to devolve into) I decided to do a character description practice on some nearby people. It ended up filling three pages in the knock off Moleskin journal. (I wasn’t about to spend almost $20 on a stack of paper I was going to use almost exclusively to bitch about my extraordinary life) So I thought there might be something of a blog post in there. At least enough to convince Google I haven’t died and so there’s no need to keep me listed in their arcane search ranking algorithms. Anyway, here’s me once I let the pretension off the chain. (I did do some editing though, I’m not that confident)
Live in Tokyo: Balaganist
From time to time I am given the chance to go out into the city and see some people; acquaintances at worst, good friends at best, perform music. This is a pretty enjoyable experience and part of the benefits of living in such a big city. Creative people congregate and if you own a good camera and a friendly attitude then it’s easy to make friends in the local live music scene.
So take this with a grain of salt if you must, but I swear my friends are really good at music. Really. Trust me.
Especially this band: Balaganist
Just a note
I have some interesting news to report. Tomorrow night, April 18th at 10:00pm (22:00) Local time (local being Japan), I will be appearing on a call in internet show with noted voice actress, Katie Adler.
As some might be able to guess I am a bit of a recluse when it comes to interacting with the wider blog community. Mostly I just write what I want and if people wander by and take an interest then so be it. This web show will be a new experience for me and the first time I’ve made an effort to engage people beyond my own simple mind space.
So be sure to tune in! It’ll be a blast.
Links for the curious:
About me…
Every good artist page; whether you are a photographer, writer, painter or any other type of anything, needs a space where people can find out what you’re “About”. For a well established professional this might be a simple listing of your accomplishments, publications, awards, etc. My list of such things would be rather short. (For now)
So what should I talk about? The deep questions of life and the meaning of the universe? Too pretentious. What I ate for breakfast? Too mundane. The Moon-Bat conspiracy to take over the Nebraskan government in order to control the national supply of sorghum?
Too crazy.
What then, should I say to describe myself and who I am while maintaining a professional air without coming across as elitist?
Pretty tall order if you ask me…
I Give Up…(April Fools!)
Update: This was an April Fools joke. There’s a poorly photoshopped picture of me as a sumo wrestler inside though. So might be worth a look just for that.
The title says it all really. I tried to change my entire life around and make an impossible dream come true. But as I stare into the abyss of everything I need to do to make this business work, I just don’t think I can do it anymore. So I think it’s best if I just abandon my dreams of being a photographer.
But don’t worry about me. I plan to use whatever I get from selling off my camera equipment to pursue a new dream. A better dream. Click through to see what I have planned for the future.
Exposure Triangle Episode 3: Return of the ISO
The final entry in what was supposed to be a simple explanation of the basic points of photography. These are only the basic mechanics, I didn’t even touch on anything artistic yet. Anyway, the amount of control a digital photographer has over ISO is relatively new to the field. ISO is helpful though, read on to find out why.
Exposure Triangle Episode 2: Shutter Speed Strikes Back
Last time I was talking about aperture and how it affects digital photography. Aperture is like the iris of the eye. Your pupils dilating in the sun is like the aperture stopping down to let in less light. Shutter speed isn’t as easy to compare to the eye because we don’t view the world in single pictures. Mechanically, shutter speed works similar to the eyelid. The shutter acts a curtain which can open and close to let in light. The analogy breaks down because camera shutter speeds are often much faster or slower than the average blink.
The Exposure Triangle (3 Part Series)
They say one of the best ways to learn something is to teach someone else whatever skill you want to improve. I think this only applies if you’re interested in learning yourself. The vast majority of Japanese public school teachers of English that can’t speak a lick do a good job of proving this point. But I could rant for pages on the subject.
Since I picked up photography I’m always happy to try and explain the basics as I understand stand them. The best thing is 95% of the stuff you need to know are pretty simple to pick up with only a modicum of self study. The other 5% is a mystery shrouded in gloom and doom. There be dragons hiding in the last bit so don’t come looking to me for a coherent explanation.
The other stuff is pretty easy, like Exposure.
Oh and I’ll only be discussing this in terms of digital photography because I use digital and my understanding of film stopped once the 1-hour photo booths disappeared. Film is neat, yes, but all I see is something a lot like how vinyl is for music. Sure, if utilized correctly the quality is better than digital but crap music on vinyl is still crap music just like crap photography on film is still crap. Plus, the expense and hassle that comes with producing photos from film is just not in my best interests right now to worry about. Sorry film purists, much love to you but if you’re into film photography then I’m sure you don’t need to learn any of the stuff I’m here to discuss anyways.
So, the exposure triangle consists of the three points; Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO.
Starting a Business and the Arrogance of Artistry
So I’ve decided to take a running leap over the cliff of uncertainty and go full bore into an attempt at starting a photography business here in Tokyo. Not just in the “I hope I can sell some prints to my friends” kind of business either. Nope, a full fledged “If this fails I’m screwed” type of business. As I’m finding out, this kind of thing actually takes some work. That’s why I can’t promise I’ll be very attentive to certain aspects of my life until I get this thing rolling. Since everything in Japan starts and ends in April, this is my goal for being completely set up in a way that hopefully won’t turn off potential clients and will make them think seriously about opening their operating budgets to me.
Can I succeed? Perhaps, but more and more it feels like it will take a certain level of self-confidence that borders on the obnoxious. And there in, gentle reader, lies the thrust of this article.
