Not only am I having a hard time getting out to take photos because of the rainy season front and typhoons getting in the way, but I also have to watch the World Cup—so I haven’t been able to take many photos at all lately.
So, for this filler post, here’s a little tidbit I picked up during a brief break in the rainy season.
It’s “Ishinki” (by Kan Yasuda), a sculpture that stands out the most at the entrance to the basement level of Tokyo Midtown Roppongi—one of the “Artworks” I’ve featured on this blog before.
What do you think?
Up until now, I’d always thought it was a really tricky subject—no matter how I photographed it, it just didn’t look right—but when I shot it from this angle, doesn’t it finally look somewhat presentable?
To be honest, it wasn’t so much a matter of careful planning as it was a haphazard, serendipitous angle I stumbled upon. But once I found it, I was able to experiment with things like shooting it in black and white with a slightly distorted composition.
For me, this “discovery” felt like a long-standing weight had been lifted off my chest—it was quite a big deal—but as it turned out, the photo on the original work’s introduction site had been taken from exactly this angle.
I felt a bit embarrassed about my usual lack of preparation—I should have kept that in mind from the start—but I was also somewhat pleased that I’d managed to find it on my own.
That wraps up this little anecdote, but I’d like to add a bit more.
At the time, I didn’t have any particular plans; I just happened to be in the area and thought, “Why not pop into the photo exhibition at Fujifilm Square in Roppommgi?” so I stopped by. Among the exhibits, this amateur art exhibition struck a chord with me the most, so here are some notes for my own reference.
I heard that EMA Photo School is a landscape photography school taught by Mr. Chitaro Ema, who has won numerous photography contest awards and is now working as a professional photographer. It was inspiring to see how the passion of these incredibly talented amateur photographers shone through even in their restrained compositions, which didn’t overemphasize “Instagrammable” aesthetics. While I’m nowhere near their level in terms of skill, technique, and mindset, this photo exhibition made me feel truly happy to have photography as a hobby.
