'The Tramp'

Posted by Duncan Galbraith (kyoto, Japan) on 30 January 2007 in Cityscape & Urban and Portfolio.

Been taking a few walks and seeing what the neighborhood throws up in the way of...whatever really. Nothing phenomenals arisen, but I do have a soft spot for little places such as this, nestled snugly amidst the office blocks and grandeur of Kyoto Eki.

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Comments (22)

H.O from Victoria, Canada

Nice lighting shot Duncan-san :)

30 Jan 2007 6:55am

@H.O: Thanks H.O!

Lucca from Cologne, Germany

I love this urban feeling. The colors and light are really beautiful. Did you capture it in the morning?

30 Jan 2007 9:38am

@Lucca: Hey Lucca, this was morning time yes, maybe around 10ish. IThe light had a hint of warmth to it even then. I used Curves to try and bring it out a little and then diffused the lighting slightly to give it a softer edge. Thanks mate!

benjamin from Singapore

lovely tone.. gives the lazy late afternoon feeling... reminded me tt i need to cut my hair soon=P

30 Jan 2007 11:49am

@benjamin: Hey benjamin. im due for a trim too! not too sure Ill be heading in here though....

Wayne from Melbourne, Australia

Oh I love the framing! Awesome perspective. Another great job Duncan =D

30 Jan 2007 12:28pm

@Wayne: Thanks Wayne!

Aidan from Seoul, South Korea

Hi Duncan,
I really like this composition - the colour and blown highlights work well here. Great shot.

30 Jan 2007 12:35pm

@Aidan: Cheers Aidan! love your hands series mate!

John Hartman from Kyoto, Japan

Stuart and I were commenting on this sort of thing yesterday in Osaka. We were in the middle of Den Den Town with all the huge neon and giant stores and stuff, and tucked away somewhere would be somebody's house or a little old shop. Osaka is weird.

30 Jan 2007 12:58pm

@John Hartman: Hey John! Osakas a weird place isnt it. But mighty interesting. Hoe you didnt spend too much at Den Den!

Makoto from Sapporo, Japan

I love the Charlie's films. He played the part of a barbershop in "The Great Dictator". I like this photo!

30 Jan 2007 12:59pm

@Makoto: Thanks Makoto. I'm a Charlie fan too!

Angry Buddha from United States

I can see why you like these places...nice shot.

30 Jan 2007 1:38pm

@Angry Buddha: thanks Sean!

Still from Valence, France

A new fine composition for this urban shot! the colours are really subtl and Chaplin very enjoying in this universe...

30 Jan 2007 1:45pm

@Still: thanks Still!

Alfredo J. Martiz J. from Tokyo, Japan

I like the photo, and its nice to see the image of Chaplin there. Great lighting

30 Jan 2007 1:49pm

@Alfredo J. Martiz J.: Cheers Alfredo! gotta love charlie!

Colour blind from Tokyo, Japan

Nice work mate...did you go in and get a cut?? The comp is great as everyone else has said and the lighting choice for this is fitting for the run down barber shop.

30 Jan 2007 1:56pm

@Colour blind: No cut im afriad Kelly, although I need one. cheers mate!

Paul Ricciardi from West Hartford, United States

I love the lighting here, it really leads you through the frame vertically. At the top we have a very open and brightly lit scene, the linescape created by the telephone wires and the buildings is accented nicely by the bright, tinted light. As we progress through the frame heading downwards, we encounter a uniquely lighted roof of tiles that, for me, evokes a sense of the ocean. The value scale from this point on grows darker as we move further down the picture which is in keeping with the continually more gritty subject matter. By the time we reach the bottom, the photo is very dark and it has a sort of underworldish feel to it, it's almost as if we have taken a journey from an open, sky worshipping portion of a city-the upper city shall we call it-through the middle city, to the low, dark worshipping, dingy lower city. The various levels in this photograph really appeal to me, both in a lighting sense and in a subject sense. I also love how the light and linear aspects coming off of the building in the background serve to balance out the composition of this picture by providing a channel of light almost throughout the entire frame. Well done as always, provoking, and it inspired me to write, something that my own photos have failed to do recently. Sorry I haven't been around your blog lately, great work today!

30 Jan 2007 2:34pm

@Paul Ricciardi: thanks it could be of inspiration Paul. A lovely reading from you of this and one which is most appreciated. Dont worry about not being around mate, Im probably as busy as yourself of late, Ive had precious little time to get onto AM3. take it easy and lets catch up when we can.

Darren from Japan

They are cute mate, those little place that hide in the places you wouldn't expect them.
I like the colours you get in your photo's mate, it seems to be some yellow and puple effect I can't get my finger on it.

30 Jan 2007 3:17pm

@Darren: The purple issue was raised by Damon in a post after this one actually. He said the wires in the sky were purple on his monitor, whereas on mine they were black. Think I have a calibration issue. Its resulting in me not picking up purples amongst black...Ill check my monitor out. As for the yellow I used a diffused yellow filter via lighting effects to give it a bit of warmth.

Craiger from Vacaville, California, United States

Looks like Kyoto has a lot of personality! Good shot.

30 Jan 2007 3:34pm

@Craiger: Thanks Craiger!

Ted Tusker Adams II from Sudan

Charlie Chaplin was of course renowned for his amazing ability to transfer the mundane and ordinary into a work of art. Your picture is amazing in it's ability to do the reverse.

30 Jan 2007 7:14pm

@Ted Tusker Adams II: errr. ok. Thanks for taking the time to say you didnt like it in such a remarkably witty fashion. come again!

Damon Schreiber from Toronto, Canada

Cute catch. Very atmospheric. You could do a whole book out of this sort of image: the salons and kissatens squeezed in amongst the more modern buildings.

30 Jan 2007 8:22pm

@Damon Schreiber: Thanks Damon, and a nice idea I have to say. If I ever publish it you'll get your cut and credit!

Ali-G from Ottawa, Canada

I think i had my hair cut here once! Felt like i was being interviewed for a part in a porno flick...

30 Jan 2007 9:46pm

@Ali-G: wow. You actually went in. Interviewed for a part in a porno? crikey! not the usual chit chat you get from a barber! your comment made me LOL!

Chris Sullivan from Melbourne, Australia

The different levels and layers in this scene make for a captivating photo; Paul's hit it right on the head. The way you've managed the lighting is great - for me the top half of the image is very Japanese with the powerlines and rooftop of the building, and the lower half reminds me of a scene from an old Eastern Bloc country with the backwards "N" in "Mens Cut". I like how there's seemingly more dreariness in the environment at street level, the place where we go about our daily lives. Great imagery mate!!!

30 Jan 2007 10:09pm

@Chris Sullivan: Thanks Chris. I love your reading of this alongside Pauls, the backwards N caught my eye but I never associated it with Eastern Bloc states but well realised!