A. Aleshchenkov

Morning light at Tsukiji Outer Market

I've been going to Tsukiji early on weekday mornings, before the tourist crowds arrive. The light between 7 and 8 AM in winter comes in low through the narrow alleys and catches the steam rising from the tamagoyaki stalls. It disappears fast.

The vendors don't mind being photographed if you buy something first. The trick is to order a cup of tea or a skewer, stand to the side, and wait. The best moments happen when they forget you're there.

Autumn colour in Rikugien

Every November I tell myself I'll skip the autumn foliage photos. Every November I fail. Rikugien is the most beautiful garden in Tokyo for momiji and I won't argue about this.

The light meter in the FM2 struggled under the canopy. I bracketed everything and ended up preferring the slightly overexposed frames — the reds turn warmer when you push Ektar half a stop.

Notes on shooting at night without a tripod

Pushed Tri-X to 1600 and walked around Shinjuku for two hours. Hand-held everything at 1/30 or slower. Half the roll was unusable. The other half had the kind of grain and motion blur that I can never get on purpose.

The best camera is the one you have with you. The best film is the one you're willing to push two stops and not worry about.

I'm starting to think that technical perfection and interesting photographs are usually at odds. The shots I like most from this roll are all slightly wrong in some measurable way.

Obon in the countryside

Visited a friend's family in Niigata prefecture during Obon. The rice paddies stretch flat to the mountains and the light is completely different from Tokyo — wider, softer, with a haze that makes everything look like a watercolour at midday.

Film handles this kind of light so much better than digital. The greens on Portra 160 are exactly how I remember the paddies looking. No colour grading needed.