Report on the Grand Prize Selection Open-Committee Meeting of New Cosmos of Photography 2011 (34th competition)
Judges' comments
Maya Akashika
Sawaragi : “Akashika’s photos reflect her current self. Regardless of this, many people who see the photos will feel that they are self-centered. However, by separating expression and photos, she is leaving the interpretation up to the viewers themselves. Regarding “Eating,” I wanted to hear more about the how her mind was opened up.”
Omori : “At the exhibition, I wondered why this photo had been selected. This can be said of all of the winners. I feel selecting one photo as being representative of a photographers work is very important.”
Yoshiyuki Okuyama
HIROMIX : “Love is something that everyone experiences, so it has a sense of reality. This feeling should be the foundation for shooting photos. Without awkwardly overdoing it, wanting to shoot as you like is a good idea.”
Shimizu : “Always being shown one woman’s image is troubling. Disconnection is necessary in photography, and sometimes making a violent break is important. I was not able to see that in this work. As I am able to feel your sense as a photographer, I think it would have been better if you could have taken photos that draw out that talent.”
Masanori Kito
Shimizu : “I understand what you are trying to do, but I think the book was much better. Some photos remind me of Takuma Nakahira, however, these photos to not exceed the memory. Making all the photos horizontal for example. I think some kind of expression like that would have been better.”
Sanai : “I do not get any feeling of sentiment or spirit from Kito’s photos.” The sense of abandonment alone is good. Unfortunately there is no sense of color and crispness overall. The photos were probably taken simply for their composition, but this imparts a sense of youth. With age and experience, you will probably be able to take photos that are more appealing.”
Patrick Tsai
Omori : “I thought these were really good pieces. I really liked them. I wondered if selecting only these two photos for this exhibition was the best thing to do though.”
Sawaragi : “You do not want to explain the photos, however, I think the hints from Animal Farm and Pet Sounds are too strong. When people see the photos, I feel that that even if the photos look natural at a glance, because they are controlled, they will convey the message that the genuine naturalness has been lost.”
Mariko Yamada
Sanai : “The photo of the dog gave the impression of a still life banana or a kiwi fruit portrayed from the side. I think the feeling of distance in order to photograph the parents objectively, composition, and line of sight was also well expressed.”
Shimizu : “I think only the photo of the dog was good. I think you are concerned too much about shooting the photos. If the faces were like the surface of the moon floating on a black background, something expressive like that would be interesting, don’t you think?”
HIROMIX : “I think taking the photos again in the style of shooting that was popular with portraiture when photographs first made an appearance could be interesting.”
