Flickr Imagery – Do you think it’s authentic?
Does Flickr imagery transcend the culture of the place it was taken? Does it have universal appeal?
As an editor for the Flickr Collection, I’ve looked at thousands of images on Flickr, and whenever I come across Japanese imagery, I find it distinctively Japanese. I’ve posted some examples below:
85176930 © Stephan Wilms/Flickr
85269903, Masato Ninomiya/Getty Images
85154506, detch/Flickr
85151272, © 2007 Jon Climpson/Flickr
Is it culture? Is it country? Is it aesthetic? What is it exactly that makes these feel so familiar to me?
Japan is a country of Zen, Karaoke, Samurai, Harajuku girls, Wii, cup noodles, sushi and the list goes on and on. It’s a country of all things in the mix.
For those who have seen the film, “Lost in Translation” by Sophie Coppola, you might have wondered the same thing as I have. Is it western? Is it Japanese? Or is it the mix of both that makes the film universal?
What are your thoughts? We would love to hear what you think of the Japanese imagery we have so far in the Flickr collection!
Tags: amateur, Authenticity, concept, Creative Research, culture, Flickr, Flickr collection, Getty Images, Japan
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March 22nd, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Just a thought genius but maybe its the Japanese people in those pictures, that lead you to think your looking at Japanese imagery.
April 17th, 2009 at 5:59 am
Whoever photographers’ perception about his/her Japaneseness influence the image. Most images shot by western photos looks awkward to us Japanese, and it was so hard to sell in Japan! Good luck!!