I often volunteer for the Run For the Cure organisation (https://www.facebook.com/RFTCJapan), and this year decided to do something a little different: creating portraits of the guests, with pink being a prominent element of the photos. I strived for something simple, classic and human.

Awe-inspiring experiences typically start in mundane ways, and this was no exception. Our trip started with a train out of Tokyo, bound for Shimobe Onsen. Three hours later, my friend Nicolas and I arrived in the town, a place where many things seem frozen in time.

Venturing into the basement of the inn in search of the baths, we had a feeling of being watched by ghosts; there were lots of dark, narrow hallways leading to unknown rooms....

I recently visited both Hong Kong and Beijing on an assignment, and while in both cities managed to do some personal images as well.

While in Hong Kong, I stayed in Kowloon, instead of Hong Kong Island. Unlike Hong Kong Island, which is much more Westernized and upscale, Kowloon has a certain grit and roughness that can be both charming and overwhelming. Coming from Tokyo, Japan, where the streets are spotless and people go out of their...

I was asked by YouTube to photograph young video creators for their profile pictures and promotional materials. It was an intense shoot, lasting two days, with over two dozen people being photographed in total. The location was the YouTube offices in Tokyo, where they have a giant production facility. As a photographer, this was a dream location to shoot in, although I had to adapt the space, normally used for video, for photography. The...

Leica is to photographers what the Stradivarius is to violinists: not only the 'best' tool from a technical perspective, but also the one with the most 'spirit' - the one that represents photography and what it means to be a photographer, just as a Stradivarius represents the essence of being a violinist. Using a Leica, one can't help but imagine Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa, globe-trotting and making iconic images with this magic little...

Tutu is a talented new fashion designer from Switzerland, of both Chinese and Vietnamese descent. For this shoot, she wanted to showcase her new designs in Tokyo. It was essential to emphasize the environment and contrast the grey tones of Tokyo with the vivid colors of her dresses. The model needed to be a classic beauty, almost like Alice in Wonderland set free in Tokyo. For this purpose, Olena Hutsol was perfect. Before the shoot, I...

There's a phenomenon in Japan known as the 'asadora,' which is a 15-minute TV drama shown in the morning before people go to work. The word 'asadora' comes from the Japanese words 'asa' (morning) and 'dora' (drama). One of the rising stars of this television genre is Charlotte Kate Fox, who plays the lead in 'Massan,' a new asadora from NHK Television. Her character is based on Jessie Roberta Cowan, aka 'Rita,' who together with her Japanese...

Photographers are generally more comfortable behind the camera than in front, but sometimes it's necessary to be on the other side of the lens. In this case, I was being featured in Eurobiz magazine, and needed a striking portrait that would show me as a working photographer in Tokyo. Who better to turn to than my brilliant brother, himself a photographer? The shot was made in Shibuya, the bustling downtown center of Tokyo, right in the...

For the 4th of July, the Tokyo American Club decided to feature some of its organizers, using the American flag as a backdrop. For these portraits, an enormous flag was suspended first in a giant dining room of the American Club, and then in a badminton court! I found that, by back-lighting the flag, I was able to create a much nicer texture than by simply lighting it from in front. There is something magical about the American flag, the...

Picking up this book, the first thing I noticed was the overall quality of it as a physical object. The design - cover, font, layout - as well as the materials used (cloth for the cover, and heavy paper stock for the inside) are just great. The reproductions are rather small, as many have noted - larger reproductions might have meant a less classy looking design, but would have been more pleasurable to actually look at. However, this book is...

Bry Ony, a New Zealander living in Tokyo, is more full of life and zest than anybody I've met. She seems to appreciate and savor every moment, and when around her, one soon becomes joyful oneself. I photographed her for the cover of Pink magazine, which is devoted to informing women about breast cancer and encouraging them to get early examinations. Since Bry is obviously a survivor, I wanted the tone of the shoot to be positive and...

How did you get into photography?

I was looking for a hobby that would allow me to balance work and life. I have a very dynamic and busy schedule, which makes it difficult to have hobbies with starting times like Tuesday at 7PM, so I needed something that would be extremely flexible. Photography turned out to be just that. It is something you can do anywhere, anytime. I often do my best photography commuting to and from...

Cars are one of the most beautiful things to photograph - they're basically sculptures on wheels, and when the background and lighting are right, they look amazing. On the other hand, when the background and lighting aren't quite right, cars can be incredibly tough to photograph. In this case, I carefully chose a backdrop that complemented the color of the car, and also didn't 'compete' with it visually. I then used a little fill flash to...

Note: This is more a set of impressions than a scientific review. You won't find any specs or technical comparisons, but instead general observations and feelings about this product.

Having owned three Alien Bees for nearly a decade, I finally decided to upgrade to a new flash system. The Alien Bees have served me well - one of them fell from nearly ten feet, slamming onto hard concrete, and although the plastic casing...

Athletes are always a joy to photograph. For one thing, I'm less drawn to how a person looks, and more to what they've accomplished. Athletes are the epitome of this kind of person: through endless training and devotion, mixed with talent and a dash of luck, they've made themselves into something special. Also, the clothes. In this day and age, when people are increasingly dressing down, it's great to see uniforms with special numbers, logos,...

One of the exciting things about being a photographer is meeting great people. Fascinating, interesting, accomplished, inspiring people. And sometimes there occurs an even more rare situation - photographing not one, but several great people. This shoot, done for In Touch magazine, was of three Japanese legends: Junko Koshino, fashion designer; Norika...