Tokyo: Yutaka Meijo holds his breath to make sure his camera stays steady, carefully brings the object into focus and waits just a moment before clicking the shutter—relying only on his ears and a hunch.
“I take pictures relying on sound,” said the 18-year-old, who lost his sight when he was seven. “But there’s just a feeling to it,” Yutaka said, as he took shots of his visually impaired friends playing table tennis, hitting a ping pong ball with a bell inside.
“I press the shutter button and don’t hesitate when I think the moment’s right. The moment can’t be brought back. That’s my secret for taking pictures,” he says.
Yutaka is among 23 young photographers at a school for the blind in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, whose pictures are gradually drawing public attention. The children held cameras for the first time in their lives two and a half years ago when Hiroshi Suga, an award-winning Japanese photographer, gave a lecture at their school.
Suga, who is known for his documentary photographs, described the children as having “eyes of the heart”. “When I told them to hold cameras, at first some of them held cameras back to front or upside down while others covered the lenses with their hands,” Suga said.
“But they learnt quite fast and I was really surprised to see how impressive their pictures were,” he said.
He gave them cameras with oldfashioned film, and told them to take pictures of “whatever you like”. The results included photographs of family, teachers, friends, a street performer, and road studs for the blind.
“Their pictures are natural and honest,” Suga said, looking at their works in his studio. Suga decided to make their work public, kicking off an exhibition last year in Yokohama, and publishing two collections of photographs entitled “Kid Photographers”.
Exhibitions have taken place across eastern Japan, including Tokyo, drawing big crowds and selling more than 7,000 books. “Nothing is limited in life,” Suga said. “The kids have a disadvantage for sure but they aren’t pitiful.”
Kanna Yoshida, 14, takes her camera with her whenever she goes out as she says taking photographs allow her to “visualize” memories in her mind.
The young photographers, however, do miss at least one thing—appreciating their own work for its own sake. “I can’t see my pictures, of course,” said Takahiro Tsurui, 14, who lost his sight four years ago in an accident. “But taking pictures matters in itself. I can’t see them but I can imagine what I take.”
Takahiro says photography has helped him build the confidence to go out and talk to people. “No matter what job I have in the future, I want to continue taking pictures all my life,” said Takahiro. AFP
“I take pictures relying on sound,” said the 18-year-old, who lost his sight when he was seven. “But there’s just a feeling to it,” Yutaka said, as he took shots of his visually impaired friends playing table tennis, hitting a ping pong ball with a bell inside.
“I press the shutter button and don’t hesitate when I think the moment’s right. The moment can’t be brought back. That’s my secret for taking pictures,” he says.
Yutaka is among 23 young photographers at a school for the blind in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, whose pictures are gradually drawing public attention. The children held cameras for the first time in their lives two and a half years ago when Hiroshi Suga, an award-winning Japanese photographer, gave a lecture at their school.
Suga, who is known for his documentary photographs, described the children as having “eyes of the heart”. “When I told them to hold cameras, at first some of them held cameras back to front or upside down while others covered the lenses with their hands,” Suga said.
“But they learnt quite fast and I was really surprised to see how impressive their pictures were,” he said.
He gave them cameras with oldfashioned film, and told them to take pictures of “whatever you like”. The results included photographs of family, teachers, friends, a street performer, and road studs for the blind.
“Their pictures are natural and honest,” Suga said, looking at their works in his studio. Suga decided to make their work public, kicking off an exhibition last year in Yokohama, and publishing two collections of photographs entitled “Kid Photographers”.
Exhibitions have taken place across eastern Japan, including Tokyo, drawing big crowds and selling more than 7,000 books. “Nothing is limited in life,” Suga said. “The kids have a disadvantage for sure but they aren’t pitiful.”
Kanna Yoshida, 14, takes her camera with her whenever she goes out as she says taking photographs allow her to “visualize” memories in her mind.
The young photographers, however, do miss at least one thing—appreciating their own work for its own sake. “I can’t see my pictures, of course,” said Takahiro Tsurui, 14, who lost his sight four years ago in an accident. “But taking pictures matters in itself. I can’t see them but I can imagine what I take.”
Takahiro says photography has helped him build the confidence to go out and talk to people. “No matter what job I have in the future, I want to continue taking pictures all my life,” said Takahiro. AFP
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment