Painterly Japanese Street Photos by Junku Nishimura

Sumiyoshi Shrine - Photo by Junku Nishimura

The black-and-white street photography of Junku Nishimura captures the people and culture of Japan in a dramatic, painterly way.

 

Sensu - Photo by Junku Nishimura

Sensu

Nishimura’s photos have a lot of atmosphere. They are saturated with deep rich blacks and almost blown-out whites, in extremely high contrast, which sometimes gives a strange effect like looking at a negative. There is also an unclear, spectral quality to many of the images.

Many of his photographs are taken at night in bars and clubs, and he calls himself a “midnight boozer with a Leica M5.” Other photos are taken in public baths and other areas, and these include some nudity that is presented without being sensationalized.

Some of the people shown are posing for a portrait, while other photos are more candid and the people seem unaware of being photographed. There are also little bits of humour and human interest captured in these moments, like a photo of a cat begging for food from a woman.

Nishimura says he loves the process of printing photos in a darkroom. He shoots exclusively on film, and he doesn’t plan to use digital cameras but instead intends to ” vanish from the scene together with film.” Along with their subject matter, this gives his photos a sense of nostalgia — they combine the traditional and modern aspects of Japan in a cool way.

Storm Coming - Photo by Junku Nishimura

Storm Coming

 

Don't Look the Other Way - Photo by Junku Nishimura

Don’t Look the Other Way

 

Whisper Talk - Photo by Junku Nishimura

Whisper Talk

 

To Funeral - Photo by Junku Nishimura

To Funeral

 

Shark and Buckets - Photo by Junku Nishimura

Shark and Buckets

 

Shampoo - Photo by Junku Nishimura

Shampoo

 

Sumiyoshi Shrine - Photo by Junku Nishimura

Sumiyoshi Shrine

 

Pilots For Desire - Photo by Junku Nishimura

Pilots For Desire

 

I'm Home - Photo by Junku Nishimura

I’m Home

 

Furious - Photo by Junku Nishimura

Furious

 

DQ - Photo by Junku Nishimura

DQ

 

Behind - Photo by Junku Nishimura

Behind

 

To the Sky - Photo by Junku Nishimura

To the Sky

 

Untitled - Girl Looking at Ad - Photo by Junku Nishimura

Tom is a writer, artist, and multi-media guru from Pennsylvania, U.S. He holds a Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication, but he has also taken several university-level courses in fine arts, art appreciation, graphic design, printmaking, and Asian art. He has been blogging for Monde Mosaic since February 2014.

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