An inspiring look inside the life of a Tokyo street photographer

By Gannon Burgett July 21, 2016

Point, Click, ShootTokyo

“I don’t know exactly what I’m searching for. But I seem to know what it is when I find it.” These are the introspective words of Dave Powell, a director at Google by day and photographer of Tokyo by night.

For its latest video, SmugMug dives into the life of Powell as he explains his ongoing love and fascination with shooting the streets of Tokyo.

Originally, Powell picked up a camera with the intention of using it as a means to get his mind off his day job — a way to find balance between work and play. On his commutes to and from work, he’d bring along his Leica, snapping scenes and environments he’d passed a hundred times before.

In doing so, something changed. Rather than simply passing by the shops and vendors of Tokyo as he’d conditioned himself to do, Powell started to notice the intricate worlds around him. Over time, this went from a simple observation to a fascination, as he started to further seek out the scenery around him.

Powell’s narration with the wonderful visuals from SmugMug’s video team illustrates a significant part of photography that so often gets forgotten in a world that’s obsessed with megapixels and autofocus points. Photography is a tool to help you see. See things you’ve passed by a million times before and never thought twice of.

Powell has taken his love for Tokyo street photography to the web with his blog ShootTokyo. To find out more about Powell and his work, head on over. Use it as fuel to inspire your next project and remember that the best images can be made with the people, scenes, and moments that happen around you every single day.

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