Subtle Perseption

@Shinjuku Nikon Salon
Subtle Perception
At first I was going to hop some gallaries this day, however, my legs for going to others stoppped so that i got staffed with great portraits.

The portraits sereies had very orthodox style: the backdrop was plain wall and direct approach to the single subject standing in front of the camera.
I could enjoy peering into the subjects themselves without any distraction.
(They reminded me of the photographs in Asakusa by Hiroo Kikai.
I really like such a direct style.)

koku no sai/ koku no irodori

I went to epSITE Gallery to visit the show by Mr. Keiichi Ito i met last year through some people.

(It was first time to visit the gallery.)

The photographer shot natures in various regions in Japan mostly with Hasselblad using only b & w films and then output with the printer after he colored with Photoshop.

According to him, he colored with imagination! (Because..., needless to say, b&w films don't have colors... )

I've never seen such a new style in the show. Very challenging.

Honestly I liked them creating a fantastic atomosphere.

Throuh the work, I saw his calm personality and sincerity to the objects.

"HOKKAIDO"

i went to Rat Hole with john in the cold rain.
"HOKKAIDO" by Daido Moriyama

awesome... i still like his old work, especially... 　

Daido Hokkaido Dekkaido~~!!!

show hopping memo

December 13, 2008 ②
I spent in Ginza for a whole day.

*RING CUBE (Ricoh Gallery)
"S' by Daido Moriyama"

*YOUGEN
"Croquis Show"
a group show of friend of my co-worker
fun!

*Ginza Nikon Salon
"HIROSHIMA 1958 by Emmanuelle Riva"
I like the photograph put on a post the best.

When I and my friend Petz were standing in front of the Nikon Salon to watch some cameras through the window, I suddenly felt someone's presence behind us.
Then I turned to look......

Kurt!!

Surprised!!

We three just met recently in Shinjuku Nikon Salon.

That was interesting! 　

Very nice to meet him again!

:)

New Cosmos of Photography 2008

November 28, 2008

I went to syabi to watch Public Examination Committee for the top prize in New Cosmos of Photography.

I just enjoyed how/what Mr. Araki remarked about each work on the stage...

There was also biting remark though......

Honestly I prefer last year's than this year's.

November 30, 2008

went to shabi again.

"Let's sell, Let's buy" Exhibition

I was asked out to an exhibition by a foto friend yesterday afternoon.
The exihibition was just what i wanted to go sometime in my free time, so i was willing to go to Meguro with her, i had a plan from the evening though.
We could arrived at "Gallery Cosmos" in 12 minutes from Meguro sta.

The project was quite simple.
Whoever wants to sell their own works can attend that. (The application was already closed.)
And everybody can get each photograph in 3,000 yen there if they like any of the photographs.
This time about 140 photographers has attended the project, and the visitors can look through their works in black files.

I thought the project itself was a great idea.
I didn't buy anything though...

By the way, I saw Mr. Herbie Yamaguchi there.

After I left Meguro, I went to International Forum in Yurakucho to enjoy Sigur Ros concert!(Ummm I went to concert much times this month... Being satisfied.)

"Gaijin Like Me"

September 30, 2008
I went to Nikon Salon to see John's show, “Gaijin Like Me”.
Wow...awesome...
I like the text as well as the photographs.
I think usually too much text are not needed in exhibitions, however, this time the text is very good to express/support to be understood the feeling of the photographer as a foreigner living in Japan.
Some old Japanese or people who do not have any interest or relation with foreign culture/people might hardly understand though...
For people have sensitivity, interests and understanding of them, the show must be very interesting, i'm sure.

I'm a Japanese living in Japan, not a foreigner here this country.
But i think i'm able to understand the feeling deeply.
So far, when i'm with some foreign friends, i often feel someones eyes from around.(needless to say, i don't care though)
When being in train with them/him/her, i get such a good example.
And I've ever heard how they felt in Japan and I've heard some said like "I don't wanna get attention".
While, I've also watched the guys (i didn't know directly well) fluttered themselves (because they suddenly got attention from Japanese girls after coming to Japan.)

I think these happens only (or particularly?) in Japan.

-why?

Before, i've thought and discussed why these happen and found some reason...
ummm...i don't wanna say, maybe.

Get back to the subject...

So...I like the show from such a cultural point and many other aspects.

The awkward eye-COMMUNICATION between foreigners in Japan are very unique and interesting because I feel like witnessing kind of secret only between them.

Anyway, it's a wonderful exhibition with good concept, good text and of course many great photographs!! Indeed!

I'm so jealous...!

Urayasu

Sunday

I went to Urayasu for visiting the event "Shashin-Yokocho".

Urayasu is the town my elder brother lives.

So i mailed him to ask if we could have lunch on the evening before. (we rarely exchange mails though).

He usually works on Sunday.

But fortunately last Sunday was his off.

He, his wife were waiting for me in the station, then we took a walk for 10 minutes or more and we ate lunch in an Italian restaurant.

We enjoyed conversation catching up recent events.

Last time we met was maybe last September when we had a farewell lunch for my second bro. was going to leave for Canada...

After lunch brother and I went across the river being led by some music and found the place of mini concert.

I checked the map there for the first time to find the place of john's show.

"Oh it's very close."

So i brought my bro. to the place in unplanned schedule. (but my bro. left soon, he was too shy... )

John's was nice exhibition in a nice Japanese room.

(I miss Japanese tatami room and its smell recently...)

And soon after that, I went back to the Urayasu sta. for picking up my friend.

Then we had fun with fotos and nice Japanese traditional houses.

Japanese old construction is awesome.

However it was very hot day, I felt good breeze coming through from the window to another window inside the houses.

Night was also very enjoyable.

Thanks for john's introduction to Akiko.

Nice people and nice houses comforted me.

Urayasu made my day.

show hopping memo

July 27, 2008
*shinjuku nikon salon
"sayonara nippon"
great!
so powerful!
i like the way the photographer exhibit!

*konika minolta plaza
"tourist atraction" and more

"Hanahaneni" by Kisei Kobayashi

Yesterday afternoon I got off in Nakano-Sakaue station, it's a forth stop from my sta. to Shinjuku.

I went to Tokyo Polytechnic University to see the show "Hanahaneni" by Kisei Kobayashi.

It's exciting a bit to visit a university campas after i became a worker in society.

The campas on Sunday was really quiet with no students.

The show consists of color and b&w photos, which of his family and landscape in his hometown, Nagano(maybe).

The photographer firstly got famous for his Asian photo on his trip.

But as written in his text, I felt some changes from his recent fotos, focusing on closest things in his life.

I think they're getting something gentle and soft.

It's also interesting to watch the transition/process of his/her works of a photographer.

Soon after i left the gallery, when i looked up from the stairs, a familiar face suddenly came into my sight.

Oh... she's a friend of john, mami.

It's second time to see her, but i noticed soon.

what a coincidence...

small world...!

I really really encounter an unexpected person in unexpected place.

Such a thing happens to me once a month...maybe...recently.

It's something mystery.

I think it's because i often move around many places...

floating world

Last week I happened to find a blog by a stranger lives in San Francisco, my favorite city.
Since then I often check the blog coz that' s interesting and has many links to nice sites.
Then I found a Japanese name among the links, I visited the site.
She's a Japanese photographer, Kanako Sasaki, lives abroad.
And surprisingly I knew she just had an exhibition in this June in Japan.

So, I went to guardian garden in Ginza after work yesterday, the very last day of the exhibition.
It's first time to go to the gallery though, I liked there.
The works were color photos, portraits of women, calm, somewhat humorous, but strong.

Anyway, I like her photos very much.

So glad to find a new favorite photographer, especially a female Japanese works hard abroad.

strolling photographer

Last Saturday I went to Watarium Museum to see an exhibition of Katsumi Watanabe.
(To tell the truth, I've not known much about him until then. )

He took photos mainly in Shinjuku for dacades and was called “strolling photographer”.

How cool the nickname in Japanese is!! (nagashi- no- syashinya)

The name came from his style of hanging around Shinjuku and shooting gangsters with tatoo, gay boys, dancers and workers in show-biz and much more.
According to the biography, he usually photographed three portraits for a person and got money(200yen) for them.
In the photographs, people looked so proud of themselves and so energetic.
I smelled the Showa era. and felt jealous of the time.

The exhibition consists of three floors from the 2nd floor to the 4th floor.
On the third floor, there was a corner with many portraits fully exhibited all over the wall and floor.
I hesitated to step on the photographs at first, though they were covered with plastic sheet...
Because they are PHOTOGRAPHS...!

I didn't have much time to watch and read the caption on the 4th floor, the last floor, to leave for Ochanomizu to meet friends.
I'll go there again, for the museum has free entrance during the show if once visitors pay the admission.

Every time I go to any show, my head is really fulled with much stuff to think about photography.
Watching and feeling is very important and needed constantly.

Anyway, the show was awesome.

Sight

I dropped in Konica Minolta Plaza on my way to the meeting place with my friend yesterday.

There were three shows in the gallery.
I like “Sight”　among them.