Jim Purdum recently returned from a trip to Japan with a wealth of new lifestyle images depicting the day-to-day life is the bustling districts of Tokyo. Focused on visually illustrating the differences between Japanese and US culture, Jim sought out people to photograph that fell into certain societal roles as they would appear and interact on a normal day. This included uniformed workers and school children to Harajuku girls and anime characters.

When composing these images, Jim consciously strayed away from shooting anything overly posed or contrived in order to achieve a more layered and nuanced look and feel to the work.  This approach allowed him to immerse himself in the culture and not just be an outsider photographing a look but also a feeling and a sense of place and time.

This, of course, is on of the things that make Jim’s images so special; he is able to step inside a situation and become a part of the scene in order to achieve a level of authenticity that feels as if the image were a snapshot and not a composed and produced photograph.

Two stories that particularly stand out from this adventure are of Rachel and Nori, a couple responsible for opening Ryozan Park, a shared living/work concept for like-minded Japanese and expats, and of a group of friends enjoying a night out eating sushi and singing karaoke. To see and read more about these stories visit Jim’s blog, https://jim-purdum.squarespace.com/jim-purdum-productions-blog/. Warning: It may result in you booking your next journey to Japan or booking Jim on your next project.