2025: Year of the Street Photography Book
Ginza Underground, Commuter Ghost.
2025
Street Photography books are big business. Next to social media, it is easy to argue that in terms of popularity, books are the second-best way to see your favourite photographer's work. Books are the next best way to see the artist's vision, in addition to prints in a gallery, museum, or private collection. I have many street photography books, which are always rewarding to reread, no matter how many times.
It has been a goal of mine to write my own Tokyo street photography book. The task was more difficult than I had initially thought. The problem was that a different idea came out each time I sat down to write. By the end of the week of writing, several concepts were born. A brief for each and a link to a dedicated page for each are available below. It will take most of 2025 to produce these works. Likely encompassing the bulk of my creative output this year. I look forward to the challenge of creating multiple projects simultaneously and to the experiences derived from such a venture.
Book 1, The Symmetry of Decay
The beauty, dignity and symmetry of decay are studied with images from old Tokyo. As the world around her gentrifies, there is beauty in the symmetry of Tokyo’s decay.
The images in this book will be matched pairs taken at the same time with two different cameras. They have a common focal length and sensor size, one in colour and one in black and white.
Book 2, Being Original: A Beginner Guide To Finding A Voice In Street Photography
A beginner's guide to being original in street photography. This book will use the fundamentals of street photography to guide its readers toward originality.
Book 3, The Commuter Ghost
The concept of the half-self, more precisely the half-present self, is explored within the context of the Tokyo commute. Are we ever completely present? Or are we merely in transit?
Book 4-6, The Tokyo Trilogy: Tokyo Monochrom, Tokyo Moment, Tokyo Transparency
This trilogy of books aims to showcase Tokyo in vibrant transparency, contrasting monochrome, and constant motion.
The first book in the series, titled Tokyo Monochrom, features street photography from Tokyo taken with a Leica Monochrom camera. This camera, designed exclusively for black and white photography, is ideal for capturing the monochromatic essence of Tokyo.
The second book, Tokyo Transparency, contrasts sharply with the first, presenting street photography in vibrant colour on semi-transparent paper.
The third book, Tokyo Moment, will showcase long-exposure street photography, highlighting Tokyo's perpetual state of motion.
I respectfully invite you to participate in this highly ambitious project, which will encompass the entirety of my work over the course of the year. All of my images will contribute to the development of these publications. The content for all social media platforms will be derived from the experiences gained while writing and photographing these concepts, as well as my intentions to produce numerous articles focusing on street photography, Tokyo, and the process of writing six books within a single year.
Thank you to all who have taken the time to stop and read an article or view an image at Tokyo Forgeries; here’s to a wonderful 2025!
