An Impromptu Photoshoot in Harajuku, Japan [Video]

Shooting this video was another amazing learning experience for me. I’m always looking to tackle new projects and challenge myself as a content creator. My main inspiration came from a fellow YouTuber named Patrick from Tech Ninja Productions. The story of how I met Patrick is for another day, but needless to say, I look up to him as a vidographer. Patrick is a true professional. I think the last time I saw him was during the 2019 Tokyo Comic Con. While I had a press badge, Patrick was among the event staff covering the convention professionally.

To shoot today’s video, I linked up with a Japanese photographer, named Kaz, in the Tokyo area. If you check out his Instagram, Kaz’s photography is incredible. Working with him to shoot this video really displayed the amount of work that goes into creating an outdoor portrait. The concept of the video was for me to shadow Kaz and showcase one of his photo shoots in progress. I think I contacted him on a Monday and we were out shooting on that Saturday. It definitely was a spur of the moment setup.

The model in the video is a German Youtuber named Vanessa. In addition to her native tongue, she speaks English and Japanese. Up until recently, Vanessa was working as a freelance model in Japan. Unfortunately, she left the country when the pandemic started to affect the negatively the Japanese economy. For many of us in Japan, the pandemic has affected our lives in a variety of ways. Folks who had aspiring careers in Japan were cut short by this ongoing crisis. Hopefully with time, Vanessa will be able to return and continue her modeling career.

I think that’s what took me so long to finish this video. It was originally scheduled to be released last month, but I pulled it because of how I felt about the global situation. This was the last video I shot before Japan initiated it’s state of emergency. Watching and editing the footage was extremely difficult for me. It’s like a glimpse into a wholly different world, a wholly different Harajuku.

Before you go, check out more content from the folks I collaborated with in this video.

Vanessa also has a Youtbe Channel here.

When this is all over (the COVID madness), I hope to do more collaborations in the future.

Like I said before, I’m always looking to challenge myself. I have a list of video ideas that I’m just itching to initiate. I’m just waiting for the right opportunity.

I’ll see you at the next one.