I know I’m a bit late with this, but I thought I’d write a quick article about the photography exhibition I went to on September 22nd. Here’s the event (I hope the link doesn’t break for a while).
It’s a well-known media outlet that has become something of an industry infrastructure, so I don’t think I need to explain it, but Tokyo Camera Club Inc. is a for-profit company that is attracting the attention of photography enthusiasts, and it is developing services such as content production, site management, campaigns, and SNS management by making use of its network of photographers based on its owned media, including SNS accounts, photography exhibitions like this year’s, and official photo collections.
This year’s photo exhibition was held at Shibuya Hikarie, with the usual “10 Selections” exhibition of works by photographers, as well as exhibition booths from supporting manufacturers and local governments.
It was the day after the Robert Doisneau photography exhibition I wrote about in my last article, I felt like I was looking at a very different story (lol). Not in a good or bad way, but just different. I thought to myself that photography has come a long way.
It was the first time since I visited this event the year before the Corona pandemic. At the time, I remember thinking that there were a lot of photos that were too showy (or, to use the current term, photos that were too conscious of how they looked), whether they were nature photos, snapshots, or portraits, and that, of course, everyone was extremely skilled, but that the style was a little different from my own tastes.
This year, I didn’t feel that sense of incongruity as much. I’m not sure whether the trend of the photos on display has changed a little, whether I’ve become used to “photographs that look good”, or whether some other factor has come into play, but there were many works that I could really enjoy.
The venue was as crowded as ever.
Many of the exhibitors were present (or so it seemed), and the appeal of this event is that you can interact with them by asking them about the locations and methods they used to take their photos, and by frankly asking them for their impressions. Many of them also gave away beautifully made postcards and mini-albums, so by the time you leave you’ll have a lot of souvenirs.
The rules were that photography was allowed and that the photos could be shared on SNS, so I suppose I should introduce some of the exhibits that I liked, but somehow I feel awkward about it. Let me make it up to you by leaving an affiliate link for the photo collection.
That’s right. Several local governments aiming to attract tourists with the motive of photography also participated this year, and I was able to enjoy the booths of Yokosuka City and Koriyama Regional Area, with where I am familiar, with the thought, “Oh, that’s the photo there”. There are people who can take such wonderful photos while visiting the same place, so you should be a little bit jealous, right?
Koriyama City was so enthusiastic about selling local specialties like Mamadoru and Yubeshi that I almost forgot to buy some. It was the biggest regret of the day.
