Tokyo Forgeries

07/08/2026

Ginza, Sunday. 12 July.

14/07/2026

A most unremarkable lens, which is exactly why it's remarkable.

For the longest time, I shot with a modern 35mm ƒ1.4 — wonderful colour, incredibly fast optics. The problem: a little too big, a little too heavy, and clinically sharp. Not just center sharpness. Everywhere, all the time, sharpness. The longer I had it, the less I used it. I thought maybe I'm just not a 35mm guy — until I noticed I kept leaving every contemporary ƒ1.4 at home and carrying a small manual-focus vintage 50mm Nikkor instead.

What I was missing was the way lenses render. I want sharpness at the point of focus that rolls off into something creamy and painterly — because that's how you actually see. Focus on one or two things; the rest fades away.

This week, the right lens at the right price finally came by: a Nikkor Auto 35mm ƒ2.8. Field-tested it across Ueno, Akihabara, Yurakucho, and Ginza in one warm, half-sunny day. The verdict: completely unremarkable. Renders a little warm but neutral, contrasty without being punchy, sharp where it matters, and a nice controllable amount of flare. You forget it's there.

That's the highest compliment I have for a lens.

Full field test on the blog: https://www.tokyoforgeries.com/blog/a-nikkor-auto-35mm-28-field-test-across-tokyo

12/07/2026

Day plates from the first shoot with Nikkor Auto 35mm f2.8 lens.

11/07/2026

"09 July. Ginza · Ueno · Yurakucho · Akihabara."

24/06/2026

Akabane Is Sans Instagram

And Ikebukuro, where I first learned the street.

https://open.substack.com/pub/tokyoforgeriesstreetphotography/p/akabane-is-sans-instagram?r=dt0t8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

22/06/2026

Have you shot Ueno? https://www.tokyoforgeries.com/blog//street-photography-ueno

22/06/2026

Have you ever felt like an imposter? My lost day is here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/tokyoforgeriesstreetphotography/p/the-lost-day?r=dt0t8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

15/06/2026

Is the decisive moment luck? Is it skill? Can it become a habit?

The decisive moment isn't a lottery ticket. A Tokyo street photographer on Ueno, a soft-rendering 50mm, and turning effort into a better, more consistent hit rate.

11/06/2026

Ask a street photographer how they work, and they'll describe their method without knowing they're describing themselves. The hunter who can't stay still. The fisher who builds the frame before anyone walks into it. New essay on the two disciplines — and what your instinct says about you. Link in comments.

Ask a street photographer how they work and they'll describe their method without knowing they're describing themselves. The hunter who can't stay still. The fisher who builds the frame before anyone walks into it.

10/06/2026

Field Notes — 10 June 2026. Spent the day moving through Tokyo — no fixed destination, just walking with mixed vintage Nikkors until something stopped me.

Most of street photography is that: staying in motion long enough for the city to give you something. Today made me work for it. In my experience, that usually means the frames are worth keeping.

— Jeff