“Horrendous Power of Middle-aged Women”
The place suddenly got crowded. An auction began, and people were pushing and shoving one another. I had never been in such a scene, and before I was aware of it, I was among the crowd. When a terrible scene caught my eye, I immediately pressed the shutter. People were pushing each other, and it was very dangerous to be there. A man was pushed away by a group of middle-aged women. He was driven away and forced to leave. That sight was printed in my memory. I was scared, and felt as if I was watching an “aspect of life today” in it. After the event was over, some people went downtown to have drinks in spite of heavy rain. I simply admire such energetic people.
I’m always capricious, taking pictures of things I like whenever I feel like doing it. Recently, I have felt that a photographer is missing some fun. She has to choose the best moment to press the shutter, and cannot observe that moment directly, because the mirror is up. Sometimes I stop taking photographs only to appreciate the best moment. The reason why I do not quit photographing is probably because there are people to whom I want to show what I see. I want to tell people in the world that there is such a wonderful moment.
Selecting judge: Kyoichi Tsuzuki
I believe that the essential element of photography is to place great emphasis on a particular moment in a documentary, and this work shows it exactly. She bravely entered this competition with a single picture. I think that’s marvelous. Anyhow, Nakatani concentrates her mind on photographing, and Imai uses photographs as materials for art. As these extremely opposite qualities are expressed in their works, I have chosen them. Most of the entrants of New Cosmos of Photography Competition are using photographs as a means to express their view of the world. In my opinion, however, documentary is the essence. No matter how wonderfully a photograph is made, it can’t defeat real events, for instance, a jumbo jet crashing into the World Trade Center. In this respect, what is important for photography is to stick to what, not how.
