Destination: Tokyo with Mark de Paola – Workshop Recap

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Participants: 6 people

Mark de Paola and Camera West/Leica Store San Francisco teamed up for an unforgettable week in Tokyo, Japan May 22-30, 2025, immersed in Japanese photographic culture shooting fashion, portraiture, and fine art work. It is no secret as to why many call Tokyo the photographic capital of the world. With an incredible cultural reverence for the craft, a rich history in bookmaking, and countless artists throughout history, photography proves to be at the very heart of Tokyo. Having had several exhibitions and worked in Tokyo throughout his career, de Paola had wanted for years to share a behind the scenes exclusive experience of Tokyo, and 2025 was the year.

Immersed in Japanese cuisine, culture, and craft through Mark’s lens. Attendees explored and captured fashion and portraiture in Tokyo’s various neighborhoods:

Staying in Ginza, Tokyo’s most luxurious shopping and cuisine neighborhood.
Wandering the streets of Omotesando shooting portraiture and resting between looks at the new Leica Flagship Store
Exploring the photo book stores of Shinjuku.
Capturing fashion looks in front of some of Tokyo’s most iconic facades in Shibuya.

Destination: Tokyo 2025 was brought to you by Mark de Paola and in partnership with Camera West & Leica Store San Francisco. This workshop was intended to grow your photographic portfolio with new imagery and narrative, awaken your understanding of Japan’s incredible photography culture, and push your artistic journey forward amongst a group of very special artists.

We would also like to extend thanks and gratitude to Shiyo Takahashi, Leica Camera Japan, and the kind, accommodating teams of Leica Store Ginza and Leica Store Omotesando for hosting us for a one of a kind experience.

For those that are interested or missed this workshop, we currently planning future destination workshops with Mark de Paola, including a Spring 2026 Tokyo and beyond! Please contact info@depaolapictures.com for more information.

Student Objectives:

Building and crafting a narrative in portraiture and fashion.
Japanese Bookmaking.
Japanese Photography Culture + Significant Artists in Japanese History.
Shibari as Cultural Art Form.
The elements necessary to produce fashion photography.
Mark’s creative process from concept to completion in photographic storytelling.
Impact of lens choice on the creative process.
Working with natural light on-location.
Techniques for working at minimum focusing distances.
Capturing motion in a still image.
Understanding the collaboration between photographer and subject.
Adapting a creative concept to your own visual style.