COLORS OF A CITY – TOKYO THROUGH THE LENS OF LUKASZ PALKA
Tokyo, a city where creativity meets professionalism, is where people develop unique characters and are able to do what they love - a stressful for some yet unchained playground for creative heads.
Japan’s capital is a photographers’ dream and many use it as a source of inspiration. Especially the composition of the ultramodern skyscrapers in Shibuya and the old quarters like Kita-Senju. Tokyo has it all, the beauty lies in the ordinary. Scenes at local shops or people biking through the narrow streets transport more than pixel. These pictures express a feeling that can be felt throughout the metropole. Buzzling, traditional, yet progressive and futuristic, the city is what the recipient wants to see in it.
For Lukasz Palka, street photography captures the mundane, everyday things and through the process of photography turn them into something beautiful. His photos shine a light on the small, sometimes overlooked things; spots that people pass by every day without questioning their existence. By experimenting with unusual techniques, he creates pictures that go beyond the common perception of Tokyo.
Scrolling through his Instagram portfolio @lkazphoto, you’ll get a glimpse of his personal perspective on Tokyo. The city lights in his images joyfully interact with the grey concrete buildings. Lukasz curiosity leads him to produce images from an alternate angle on the unnoticed part of the Tokyo scene.
We had a chance to talk about his life in Japan, how he got into photography and most important how he sees Tokyo through his lens.
Could you please introduce yourself to the Sabukaru Network?
My name is Lukasz Palka, and I am a photographer based in Tokyo, thought I am originally from Poland and grew up in Chicago. My personal interests are in all kinds of urban photography. Professionally, I shoot editorials, corporate events, and branding projects. I also run photography workshops via my company EYExplore.
How and when did you get close with photography, and how do you maintain continuity in pursuing it?
Even as a kid I liked photography, but I didn’t take it seriously or anything. I was more into art, particularly digital art. Over the years I also started writing. It wasn’t until I came to Japan in 2008 then I started to grow into photography. I spent my first year in Tokyo without much direction, until one day I realized that I’m squandering my time in this city by staying home too much. I felt I should be out there in the city!
So, that’s when I bought a Nikon D300 which served as a motivator to get out of the house. It was in these early days that I really fell in love with photography. In a way, it combined all those artforms I already liked. Since I was doing digital photography, it was not so far removed from the digital art that I had been interested in over the years. And I love writing, telling stories, and also poetry. In a way, a photograph is like a poem. At least the good ones are. But now, photography has become an inextricable part of my life. It affects how I think and how I see the world. It is just part of who I am.
Why Tokyo? What does the city mean to you?
I came here because I had a vague interest in Japan, but more so because I was running away from my previous life. There was nothing bad about it, but it felt mundane. So, I found a job in Tokyo and moved here thinking I would discover something exciting. And in many ways, I was right! I discovered a passion, a career, and amazing people, including my partner!
But from a creative standpoint, Tokyo endlessly fascinates me. To me, it is the quintessential city, modern while also old, somewhat dirty, and rather disorganized yet still efficient—but above all full of so much life and character. It is the only muse I need. I can go to any random street corner and spend an hour shooting there. I’ve explored the city for over a decade, and I still find new places and new things to see and photograph. It is my home and my playground.
Anyone can be a photographer by owning a camera or phone these days, but your work still manages to stand out. What messages are you trying to communicate through your photographs, and how do you try to make a difference?
Of course, I hope people can share in my urban adventures through my work. I hope my audience can ‘meet’ the city of Tokyo in some way. But of course, they can only perceive it the way I have perceived. A different photographer will give a different impression of Tokyo. So, more than that, I hope to share my belief that photography, when done mindfully, is a meditative practice that leads to personal self-discovery. I have learned so much about myself through photography. And also, the pursuit has allowed me to grow in ways I could not have done without photography being such a major part of my life. I hope that other people see this in my work, as well as my writings and videos.
Talking about making differences, can you please tell us more about your YouTube channel, EYExplore?
And yes, that brings us to the EYExplore YouTube channel. It started out as a means to promote my workshops business, a purpose it has served well. But these days since there are no travelers coming to Japan, we’re not doing many workshops. Instead, I share my ideas via YouTube. We started out covering more technical photographic topics, but as times goes on, I want to keep infusing the videos with more philosophical approaches to photography. I hope to help people grow as individuals through their creative pursuits, even if they create another kind of art, not just photography. But I would say the channel is just entering the early stages of this direction.
What are the challenges of being a foreigner and photographer in Tokyo?
Honestly, I haven’t encountered many. The only one I deal with is the language barrier. My Japanese is passable, but really, I have no excuse for not being fluent after living for over 12 years in Japan. I’m studying a lot, but I don’t speak as often as I should. Daily life Japanese is fine, but business Japanese still eludes me. Other than that, I haven’t faced any particular challenges, though if I spoke better Japanese and had my site in Japanese as well, I’m sure I’d get more local clientele.
As an urban and street photographer, you shoot night cityscapes, playing a lot with city lights, as well as architectural photography. Can you guide us through your lens perspective and how do you find the right spots and frames?
There is no special trick to finding the spots. Cool spots are everywhere and discovering them just takes time. However, learning how to recognize a good shot is another thing. There are spots that I spent years walking past without realizing their potential. Then one day something clicks, I try out an idea, and a beautiful photo emerges. One important thing I’ve learned, and I think all seasoned photographers learn this, is to ‘work the scene.’ It’s important keep shooting and try out concepts even if you already have a shot that you are happy with.
Being happy with a shot should never be enough. An artist needs to be thirsty and not easily satisfied. You must explore a scene deeply and hunger for more. Only then can you discover the truly amazing photographs. It takes time and you have to put the work in. And also, you cannot rush it. Sure, you might come to a place that feels good and you know it has potential, so you stay for an hour. But still, you walk away with nothing. So, you have to come back another day, even if only for five minutes. And After weeks or months or years eventually you might be rewarded… or not. Photography is about mindfulness, curiosity, rigor, and patience.
At the same time, we see can find life, human interaction, and deep Japan in some of your series - what are the moments of Life in Japan that fascinate you the most and how do you try to portrait them?
Any moment that goes above the baseline of people staring at their phones as they walk down the street is already fascinating to me. I try to not to have much of a preconception of what I want to shoot. I keep a mindset of ‘I’ll know it when I see it.’ It’s important to have an open mind and be very observant, to pay close attention to what people are doing and how they are behaving. And then the moments will start to jump out at you, almost like they are shouting for your attention. Then the very hard part is to be at the right place, the right time, the right lens, the right settings, the right light…. You get it. But to answer the question more directly, I like any moment where Japanese traditions bump up against the reality of modern life in the metropolis.
Would you mind sharing your three best photography spots in Tokyo with our audience?
There are too many to list! But I would say my favorite area is the Ginza-Yurakucho-Shinbashi-Shiodome area. It’s a few distinct neighborhoods serviced by a handful of metro stations that are all bunched up on Tokyo’s east side. There is a great mix of modern and old, clean and dirty, posh and gritty. It’s great in the daytime and at night, and great for street photography and urban/architecture photography as well. Beyond that, I also love Nakano, which is a lively neighborhood a bit off the beaten path for most visitors to Tokyo. Ikebukuro is another one like that. It’s a major metro station and huge commercial and nightlife area, but a lot of people miss it. And finally, I also love Ueno for its retro flavor and the great street market, Ameyokocho.
You created artworks beyond the image itself, and you see Tokyo deeper at a microscale through your photographs. How do you motivate yourself in producing these constant photography series?
For me, it has become a practice, like a ritual. It’s not about motivation anymore. In fact, the only times I don’t go out to shoot is when I’m working on something at home like video or photo editing, or writing. Photography has become second nature to me. This is not to say that I have mastered it. I know I have so much still to learn, and I struggle all the time! But I mean that it’s just what I do. When I leave the house, I have a camera. I might shoot something I might not. And even if I don’t have a camera, I’m still doing photography. How can this be? For me, photography is a way of seeing. It’s about mindful presence in the world and paying attention to all those mundane, everyday instances that we normally take for granted—a glance from a person, a splash of sunlight on the pavement, a plant growing just right from concrete, a mosaic of colors on a wall, and on and on.
So, I just keep doing it, like a compulsion. And every few days I sit down and edit my recent photos and select a few to share online. I post on my blog, tokyostreet.photo, every single day, twice a day, two photos at a time. And I still have a backlog! Now, many of these shots are not my best or anything, but I love having this outlet. It’s like a release valve, a place I can just throw ideas and see what sticks. I put a more curated selection on Instagram, and only the best stuff on my homepage. And so, I just keep going, curious about what I might encounter tomorrow around the corner.
What messages or tips would you like to leave to those who are starting to do urban and street photography?
Don’t overthink it! And certainly, don’t worry about your gear, at least not in the beginning. Eventually, as you explore deeper into the city and into your own creative spirit, you might realize that you need a particular lens, or your camera is lacking for a certain kind of shot you’d like to do. At that point you might consider the technical matters more carefully. But first, learn how to see. Pay attention. Take photos with your eyes and your mind. And then learn how to bend the camera to your will (after all, the camera is just a tool), so that you can capture what you perceive in your reality. This is photography. Just get out there and shoot!
About the author:
Based in Japan, Adian is a '98 born Indonesian who is passionate about photography and anything related to fashion. With a particular interest in taking photos, colors inspired him to capture memories of people, cultures, and places.
Peter is a writer and editor who has devoted a lot of his activities to the Japanese culture. Partially located in Tokyo he academically studied many aspects of the Japanese society and culture to get a better understanding of Japan.
Interview by Adian Tanata
