“I love strong light and colour.”
This Is How I See: Tokyo in Colour
Australian based photographer Jesse Marlow is known for his candid street photography. Drawn to bold light and colour, he finds endless inspiration in Tokyo, where contrast and fleeting moments collide. He moves away from the main roads, seeking quieter streets where geometry, colour and people come together at just the right moment.
This story is part of an ongoing Tokyo Street Series. Subscribe to our newsletter to follow the series as new photographers are featured.
Bold Frames
Jesse has spent nearly 30 years photographing street scenes, seeking out moments with strong graphic qualities and a sense of intention. He uses light to shape his frames, creating spaces where people move through a world of form and structure.
He is drawn to surfaces that hold history, patina and texture, as well as bright, new walls where light cuts through and turns passersby into silhouettes. The goal is simple: create a clean composition where the street provides the backdrop and the person completes it. Watch the video to step inside his process and see these moments come to life.
Tokyo’s Urban Landscape
In a new city, Jesse prefers to wander without a plan, letting the streets lead. He gravitates toward quieter areas away from the noise, where the background can breathe and distractions fall away.
In Tokyo, he looks for contrast and pockets of light cutting through the urban landscape. The city constantly shifts, with dense, fast-moving environments sitting just steps from calm, almost hidden spaces. It is in these overlooked corners that his most compelling images emerge.
“A few meters down the road, you can be in a really quiet little pocket, and I love that contrast.”
Jesse Marlow
About Jesse
Jesse Marlow is an Australian street photographer based in Melbourne, known for his bold use of colour, light and graphic composition. His interest in photography began at age eight after seeing Subway Art (1984), leading him to document graffiti around Melbourne for a decade using his mother’s camera. He later completed a one-year photography course, where he was influenced by photographers such as Robert Frank, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Alex Webb, as well as architecture and Australian painters Jeffrey Smart and Howard Arkley.
His work has been widely exhibited and published, and he has released several photobooks over the course of his career. Marlow has received international recognition for his photography and participated in major programmes such as the World Press Photo Masterclass.
He is also a member of UP Photographers and the manager of the Leica Akademie in Australia, where he teaches and mentors photographers, encouraging the development of a consistent visual style and personal voice.
Jesse’s Gear
Built for Light and Colour
Jesse continues to evolve his tools and approach while maintaining a long-standing connection to Leica. He often works with a single lens, developing visual consistency and a clear photographic voice.
He began with the Leica M6, before moving to the Leica Q, which he used for over a decade. With the Leica M EV1, he sees a natural progression, retaining the simplicity of the M-system while giving him the assurance to walk away knowing he captured the shot. It also opens up new possibilities through a wider range of lenses, including 50mm and 90mm, allowing for more detail and layered compositions.
“Try something new every few years and mix it up and really throw new life into your work.”
Jesse Marlow
The M Experience: From Film to EV1
Jesse loves the suspense of rangefinder shooting and the way film lets the image reveal itself later. More recently, his time with the Q system has brought a different kind of certainty, giving him the confidence to make the frame and move on.
The Leica M EV1 brings those two approaches closer together. For Jesse, it feels like a natural bridge, combining the simplicity of the M-system with the confidence he found in the Q. It supports the way he works, allowing him to build precise, graphic compositions from light and colour.
Rather than replacing the romance of the classic experience, it expands it. The M EV1 opens up new focal lengths and new possibilities, while keeping the street at the centre of everything.
M-Cameras: The Tools for Street Photography
The Leica M has long been regarded as the quintessential street-photography camera. More than just a device for capturing images, it is an instrument designed for truly seeing. Its minimalist design, manual controls and compact form factor make shooting intuitive and unobtrusive, allowing photographers to engage naturally with their surroundings. Over decades, M-Cameras have become synonymous with street photography, offering a connection to the moment that few other cameras can match.
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With Electronic Viewfinder
Discover the Leica M EV1The M-Camera with an electronic viewfinder (EVF) combines the renowned build quality and classic design of the M-System with advanced digital precision – ideal for the fast, intuitive demands of street photography. The EVF enables precise manual focusing and confident composition, allowing photographers to stay fully connected to the scene while preserving the intimacy and authenticity that define the M shooting experience.
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With Optical Viewfinder
Discover the Leica M11-POur digital M-Cameras pair a powerful full-frame sensor with classic manual operation – perfect for the fast-paced rhythm of street photography. At their core is the optical rangefinder, a hallmark of German craftsmanship, presenting the scene in its purest form without distractions. The superimposed focusing image enables precise, intuitive manual focus, allowing photographers to stay fully connected to the moment unfolding before them.
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Black & White at its Best
Discover the Leica M11 MonochromThe M-Camera that’s entirely focused on black and white is especially well suited to street photography. By stripping away colour, it draws attention to light and shadow, giving everyday scenes a timeless, expressive character. Black and white has a unique ability to simplify moments and emphasise emotion, turning fleeting encounters into images that endure. This digital M-Camera combines a classic approach with modern convenience.
