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Jul 01 2015 7 Comments

Tokyo contrast: A deal and the discarded?

dirty gritty tokyo contrast

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Coli says

    7/1/2015 at 9:03 am

    Wow! Where was this taken? In an alleyway? Interested to see the surroundings. You could definitely write a short story about this picture. Amazing timing to get this two in the same shot.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/1/2015 at 3:32 pm

      It was in Shinjuku. Too big to be an alleyway really. A gap where a building once stood I think.

      But yeah, there’s plenty to speculate on. And timing wise I couldn’t have asked for more. Just after I took the photo, the man on the moved moved. Right place at just the right time.

      Reply
  2. Hans ter Horst says

    7/1/2015 at 5:12 pm

    The question that comes to mind is: Who of the two is the happiest with his situation? The dark suit/brown shoes guy being hassled by his job or the guy with the freedom of having nothing left to lose?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/1/2015 at 7:11 pm

      That’s a very interesting question. After giving it some thought, it’s a distinct possibility that neither are happy in any real sense, so I’d (sort of) answer the question with another question: Who of the two is the least unhappy?

      Reply
      • JOno says

        7/3/2015 at 11:58 am

        Good point Lee, I was thinking ‘who’d be happiest’ but you’ve answered it well by speculating on levels of ‘unhappiness’ instead.

        Reply
  3. Squidpuppy says

    7/3/2015 at 3:51 am

    Excellent composition. This reminds me of mid-late 20th century modernist, hyper-realist social commentary paintings. The Amazon smiley box is an awesome, serendipitous element. The recycle bins look robotic, and sad. The whole thing has a sense of surreal isolation and disconnection. You look at it and you want to know: what’s the story with these guys? Does this mean something other than what it simply appears to be? It’s not just a picture, it immediately inspires thought.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/3/2015 at 12:07 pm

      Thanks ever so much. Very rewarding to hear you got so much from it. That means a lot.

      It was a genuinely odd scene. A relatively new space if my guess is correct. The fresh tarmac and new bins seem to confirm that too. And yet all the rubbish there. Plus the two, hugely contracting figures…

      Reply

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