Notes on the Osaka Train Station photos
The Crosswalk
by Takashi Tachi
Notes on the Osaka Train Station photos
This crosswalk is on the eastside of Osaka Station.
This is perhaps the busiest time of day for passengers of the Osaka Train Station.
The place in the balloon (in the google map) is the crosswalk where I always take photographs.
There is a pedestrian bridge above this crosswalk, so I can take photos as I look onto the crosswalk (the picture taken from this pedestrian bridge is 01, 02 and 11.)
This pedestrian bridge connects to the second floor of Hankyu Department Store (the photo taken from this are 14, 17, 18, and so on.)
Other images are taken from ground level (the photo taken from the position of this are 08, 09, 13, and so on.)
My name is Takashi Tachi, and I am 65 years old.
I have lived in Hannan, a city in Osaka Prefecture, since I was 12-years-old. Following high school, I lived for six years in Shizuoka City - where I attended college in Shizuoka prefecture, famous for Mt. Fuji and traditional green tea.
My passion for photography began with documenting life with my growing family after college. I bought a camera when my first child was born, and started taking photographs to record this wonderful stage of life. In time, my interest in photography expanded and I started taking photographs on my way to work.
Photography enriches my daily life, and allows me to become acquainted with many people. As a result, I’ve had many meaningful experiences as a photographer - too numerous to mention, which have all made me very happy when I work with a camera.
Street photography is my hobby. I have no formal training, just trial-and-error. My sensei - or teacher, has really been photography magazines. For street photography, my go-to camera is the easy-to-use Ricoh GR II - which is truly stealth. Yet I also use the Fuji XE 2, which has superb optics and produces very clear image quality.
The population of Hannan City is large and so there are people of all ages in motion: walking and talking, people going to work, people enjoying leisure time. Like all cities, there are crosswalks, buildings, alleys, arcades, stations, restaurants, trains, cars ... countless backdrops related to people. And the light of the sun, rain, snow, and darkness further attracts people, and all this activity becomes a source of fascinating potential for photographs. And these combinations vary widely. So the changing street is very attractive.
Most of my photographs occur between Hanan City - where I live, and my office in nearby Habikino City. Points of interest for me are the platforms and the staircases of the various train lines that operate between the two cities.
When photographing, I care very much about composition, and how to frame my subject - plus the direction of the light, and matters related to background. As much as possible, I try to pre-visualize the photograph before even touching the shutter release.
The greatest compliment for me is when viewers connect to my photographs on the strength of composition and the beauty of light - even if the theme is every day life.
The shadows of businessmen waiting for a train are arranged in a rhythmical pattern on each of the benches in the morning platform. I think that this sight is seldom encountered. By chance, at the usual time, the weather is fine and the angle of light is right, and businessmen are lining up in order.
This picture is a sight that I could not achieve if one of these elements were missing.
Perhaps my favorite technique is a slow shutter speed. With this technique, I am not so concerned whether the medium is color or B&W - simply a well-executed photograph that connects with viewers. For post-production, I use 'SILKYPIX Developer Studio pro 8 (Ichikawa Soft Laboratory). Some times I will spend a half-day, perhaps longer to achieve results that are true to my vision.
As a photographer, both Kineo Kuwabara and Nobuyoshi Araki have influenced me. Kuwabara’s work has been especially important, and I was captivated by an image of his from the photo collection: Tokyo. Recently I have become interested in the work of photographer Kisei Kobayashi.
The following books and novels have also influenced my work:
-桑原甲子雄 Kineo Kuwabara
東京1934～1993 (Tokyo 1934～1993)
荒木経惟 Nobuyoshi Araki
東京物語 (Tokyo Monogatari)
東京慕情 (Tokyo Bojyo)
冬へ Tokyo:a City Heading for Death
新倉孝雄 Takao Niikura
Wonderful Street
ハービー・山口 Herbie Yamaguchi
LONDON Chasing the Dream
小林紀晴 Kisei Kobayashi
ASIAN JAPANESE 1,2,3
Days new York
Robert Frank -The American
And Robert Frank’s photo of two young African-American men attending a funeral during the era of the Civil Rights Movement has influenced me the most.
Robert Frank -THE AMERICANS