SCOTT GORDON BLEICHER PHO(BLOG)GRAPHY

Spending two weeks in Japan, traveling between Tokyo, Kyoto, and Yokohama. As much as I love New York, I must say that Tokyo may truly be the city that never sleeps. One minute your senses are being bombarded by the sounds and lights of an intersection that makes Times Square look tame- the chiming Pachinko parlors and video game arcades, salesmen shouting from electronics shops, otaku in their anime attire; the next you can turn down a narrow side street and be standing in the manicured garden of a Shinto shrine- koi fish ponds, wish trees and five story pagodas.

Truly a culture of contrasts, of the past and the future.

And it is on these side streets and back alleys that Tokyo’s character truly comes alive- sake bars smaller than Manhattan studio apartments, ramen shops with business men bent over bowls of noodles, vending machines glowing on every corner.

While there is a certain masochistic charm to New York’s megalomania and aggressiveness, and certainly to it’s cross section of ethnicities, we could stand to learn a thing or two from Tokyoites politeness, cleanliness, and urban planning. Don’t even get me started on the Tokyo Metro vs. New York’s oft dysfunctional subway.

I plan a major update to my travel portfolio when I make it back stateside and I manage to sift through all of the pictures. For now, I have posted an interpretation of Shinjuku below.

Now if I could only find bowls of ramen this good for ¥500 in Manhattan.

I recently had the chance to see Doves perform at Terminal 5 in Manhattan. I’ve been following the Mancunian trio since their 2000 debut, Lost Souls, but this was the first opportunity I’ve had to see them live. A few snapshots from the evening are posted below.

I highly recommend checking out Kingdom Of Rust, their first album of new material in four years.

A few behind the scenes shots and a select from a recent shoot with Cameron Carpenter, pipe organ virtuoso. We worked together against an overcast sky on his rooftop in the Lower East Side and did an editorial street shot in Freeman Alley.

I recommend doing a quick YouTube search of his name, you will most certainly be impressed. Even more impressive is attending one of his live performances, which I’ve had the good fortune of being able to do a few times in New York and California.

Cameron’s first album, Revolutionary, is available on iTunes and with it he is the first organist ever to be nominated for a Grammy for a solo album.

Welcome to the maiden voyage of the good ship Scott Gordon Bleicher Photography Blog! After much prodding from fellow photographer friends (I’m looking at YOU, Mr. Furman) and some initial hesitation by myself, I finally dip my toes into the warm, lapping waters off the coast of the blogosphere. (The recent purchase of a Canon G10 for blog snapshots also helped to turn the tide.)

As the bottle breaks upon the glistening hull, we turn and wave to the crowd on the pier…

Bon Voyage!