Seen: Long Hug Town #5
Who: 水島貴大 Takahiro Mizushima / website / instagram
Where: Totem Pole Photo Gallery, Shinjuku
When: December 11 - 23, 2018 / Open 12:00-19:00 / (Closed Mondays)
The fifth entry in Mizushima’s ongoing Long Hug Town series proves he’s really on to something. His gear is simple- a Canon SLR with a 35mm f2 lens, a flash, and pockets of 35mm color film. With the exception of a few friends, most of his subjects (”98% of them”, he says) were snapped soon after the photographer encountered them on the street. Or in a park. Or along a river. The photograph of the four schoolgirls may look like an orchestrated album cover shot but it’s really a snapshot, the result of his request for a picture combined with his ability to put them at ease for a sudden and impromptu photo session. He just keeps getting better.
Copies of his photobook Long Hug Town are available in the gallery and online, here.