Archive for November 2004

Blog on contemporary Japanese photography

Mmh, I don’t know if this the right place?
I only want to announce that I started a blog on contemporary Japanese photography (exhibitions etc.). It’s mainly about photography as art, which is my main interest:

http://japan-photo.blogspot.com/

Please have look and I would be glad for any feedback.

by kamui

Japan: A Self-Portrait published

I’m happy to announce that a new book about Japanese photography has been published in English as follows:

Title: Japan : A Self Portrait

By: Osam Hiraki, Alain Sayag, Keeichi Takeuchi
Publisher: Flammarion; (October 29, 2004)
ISBN: 2080304631
Hardcover, 216 pages

This is a major work featuring B/W works produced during the post-war period of 1945 to 1964 by well-known Japanese photographers. They are Ken Domon, Hiroshi Hamaya, Tadahiko Hayashi, Eikoh Hosoe, Yasuhiro Ishimoto, Kikuji Kawada, Ihee Kimura, Shigeichi Nagano, Ikko Narahara, Takeyoshi Tanuma, and Shomei Tomatsu.

It’s mainly documentary photos and while many are already well-known and published, there are some that are rarely seen. Everything is in English and a complete book review is forthcoming. It is really a beautiful book.

I was one of the consultants for this book, and my name and Web site are mentioned in the Acknowledgements.

Japanese and French versions are also available. See sample photos at Amazon.com.
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=photoguidejap-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=2080304631&fc1=000000&=1&lc1=0000ff&bc1=ffffff&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr

New photography mailing list

Since today Nov. 3 is Culture Day in Japan (a national holiday), I want to announce a new Japan-related photography mailing list at Yahoo! Groups that I have just started.

Its main purpose is to share information and tips for photographing Japan. Be it festivals, sports, people, seasonal events, flowers, landscapes, etc. You can also upload and show your Japan pictures in the Photos section and read/post notices about upcoming festivals and events in your area. We also have discussions that pro photographers in Japan would be interested in.

Most of the starting members on the list are professional photographers living in Japan or who have lived in Japan. They are a very knowledgeable group of people and many are bilingual or trilingual. They serve as a firm and friendly foundation for this mailing list.

Note that we are not here to answer touristy questions like where the best camera shops are or street prices of camera equipment in Japan.

I’m the moderator and membership is restricted. This means you have to sign up for a Yahoo ID and join the group in order to read the messages, view photos, etc. We are not listed in the Yahoo! Groups directory yet.

If you’re interested in joining, send me email and introduce yourself if I don’t know you personally. As long as you’re not a spammer or an undesirable person, your membership will be approved.

When you join, I will ask you to introduce yourself on the list and also upload at least one photo of Japan that you took or provide a link to a Web page showing your photo(s) of Japan. That will break the ice and everybody will know who you are. Hope to see you there!

Update: This mailing list has closed in 2010 in favor of a new Facebook Group.