Sonomama Sonomama: Photographs of Photographers

There may not be many cows in Japan, but the locals sure do say “cheese” a lot. Everywhere the eye can see, the Japanese flash peace signs and grin for the camera. Britain lays claim to the distinction of most cameras per capita, but global photography powerhouses Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus, and Sony all began in Japan. There are photography museums in Tokyo, Nara, and elsewhere, and humongous and knowledgably-staffed retail stores like Yodobashi.

Two of the best books in the world are Japanese photography books:

Sonomama Sonomama (a common photographer's utterance meaning “just as you are"), Taishi Hirokawa’s captivating images of everyday people wearing high fashion in Ehime in the Japanese countryside - anyone for grilled squid on a stick from a beachfront vendor in Yohji Yamamoto?

and Ken Ohara’s ONE from 1970, a thick, square artist's book containing  nearly 500 pictures of international people – each closely cropped to show the mouth, eyes, nose and cheeks only (the part cops concentrate on when identifying suspects because the center of the face fluctuates the least with age, weight or changes in hair).

Whether it’s a fancy 35mm or a disposable camera phone, I’m not the only one who finds its fun to snap shots of people snapping shots or collect pictures of women using cameras like Kodak Girl.

how many photographers does it take to shoot a shot like this?

who's not into photography?

hurry, get a video of that guy taking still shots.

a pro in Kobe

a television crew in Saga Arashiyama, Kyoto

Sunday in the park with the camera club

how many unwitting photographers can be captured in a single shot?

Whether in school...

on tour in your own homeland...

aboard a bicycle...

or hanging with friends, photography sure is omoshiroi (fun)!

Comments

[Tina]

Thanks for this great post. I love pictures of people taking pictures and I like to take pictures, and sometimes people take my picture taking pictures.