Not a big gallery, but rather a small gallery of images shot on big film.
The "Big Film Gallery" currently contains six black-and-white images shot around the Yokohama area
on large format (4x5) film. Small web images cannot possibly do justice to the quality of the
full resolution originals, but I have made the images in this gallery a bit larger than those
in other sections.
These large-format film images are the beginning of a project I have been trying to get started
on for some time. I hope to be able to post new images as the project progresses and time allows.
– Click the photo to go to the gallery –
In my "Shy Side" project I will concentrate on compiling a collection of images that might
illuminate some of the less obvious aspects of this shy society. There will be no Tokyo Towers, or
magnificent temples, or famous festivals. The project does include images of temples and shrines,
but they are the small local kind that serve the soul of the community rather than the tourist
industry. And of course there are festivals in the same category. But there is much more to daily
life that forms the backbone of a reality that may come as a surprise, a relief, a warning
... any number of possible interpretations which, as any artist should, I will leave up to
the viewer.
Expect this portfolio to grow and change as I sift through and process a considerable backlog
of images and add new ones.
– Click the photo to go to the gallery –
Japan is a multi-faceted society piloted in a carefully measured orbit that keeps only certain of its faces visible to the outside world. To see the other side one needs to climb aboard and explore firsthand. It can take a while, but the reward is to see the culture as a whole, which leads to an understanding of the nation and its people that can be acquired in no other way. Quirks and foibles can make a lot of sense when seen in the right context, and myths can solidify into maps of the previously impalpable.
With the exception of a brief slowdown when Japan's economic bubble burst shortly thereafter, the building and renovating has been essentially non-stop ever since. 2009 is a major milestone in this process, since it marks the 150th anniversary of the official opening of Japan to the west via the port of Yokohama. Currently, in mid 2008, preparations are underway at a fevered pitch.
So far I have posted just a few inital images from a fairly large backlog that just keeps growing. Sooner or later I'll have to organize and put a cap on the "Minato Mirai Project" ... but that probably won't be until after the 2009 celebrations. In the meantime, I'll add a few random images whenever I can.
– Click the photo to go to the gallery –
Although one of the most historically important cities in Japan in terms of the country's relationship with the west, until the mid '80's Yokohama was actually a fairly quiet port town that placed more emphasis on function than beauty. Then came the '89 Yokohama Expo that was the kickoff point for major redvelopment of what has been somewhat whimsically named Minato Mirai 21 (direct translation = "Future Port 21" or "Port of the Future 21").