Photographer in Tokyo, Japan

Being a freelance photographer means that – when things are going well – the average week ends up being far from average at all. Such was the week I got a call from Patrick Burke of ZumiZushi in Nashville, Tennessee. Patrick told me he was shortly to open a new sushi restaurant in the American capital of country-music. He had, he said, a back-of-bar area for which he wanted an image; something special, something that illustrated a little the fusion of the modern and traditional of Japan. A theme, he told me, ran through his food and the ambience he wanted to create with his establishment.

On top of the ‘trad meets modern’ tag, Patrick had some reasonably firm ideas of what he wanted: trains, station platforms, a kimono-clad model… more specifically a model clad in a particular shade of orange kimono. The particular orange that was very much part of the colour-scheme of his restaurant. Briefs that allow some interpretation for the photographer are good. Tight briefs [excuse the potential innuendo] are also good, as they focus the mind and the camera: get in, get the shot, get out. No ambiguity. After seeing my work online and discovering my knowledge of Tokyo, Patrick was to allow me a little of both worlds: a fairly focused remit but one that would remain open to my own on-the-ground interpretation.

Read a full write-up of this shoot, with more photos, here at japanorama.co.uk about how I produced these shots for what ended up as a 14foot-long mural.