Stories About Our Cities. What’s Yours? Episode 3
Cities with stories. The furthest places and the closest issues about us.
“As a photographer who lives on this land, I find the issues and then record them. Now, I’m here to tell you all about it.” This might be the most simple thought to trigger photographers to press their shutters. The following series were made following this idea. They were made with photographers’ close observations, emotions and cares for the cities.
Soichiro Koriyama, a Japanese documentary photographer, was born in 1971 and is based in Tokyo, Japan. The “FUKUSHIMA ‘Black rain’ ” series is a long term project and Koriyama started it just one month after the tragedy happened. On 11th March, 2011, the earthquake triggered the tsunami which ruined the Tohoku district. At the same time, the nuclear threats became more serious day by day.
“One month later, April 2011, I visited Namie town, Fukushima prefecture. Cherry blossoms at their best on the river banks captured no one to share its beauty.”—Soichiro Koriyama
Despite the threat of danger, the residents needed to keep living their lives. Farmers kept doing their work and the students were going to school as usual. But in some area under contamination, people were evacuated and they lived in temporary houses. Many were left behind. Items, animals, buildings and homes.
Even though it has been more than 2 years, the residents from Namie town never gave up. They were still looking forward to going back to their homeland. Although the sorrow stayed in their minds, things would get better.
#For more photos, and the full story, visit “FUKUSHIMA ‘Black rain’ ”
#To know more about the photographer, check out Soichiro Koriyama’s website.
You might see things normally but there is more than you think. Have you ever paid much attention to the Coca Cola sign, banners or shops? Does it simply mean selling coke or people here love this brand?
GEM U, known as a urban explorer, is a street photographer with great patience. “House of Soda” is one of his projects about small and unobserved things.
“These Coke houses certainly can’t be classified as small, nor are they exactly invisible.” GEM U said: “As they’re everywhere, you can’t miss them. But in a way, their ubiquity has made them a bit invisible,
As we’re so used to them, we no longer even notice if we,
as a culture, love Coke.”
However, things are not that simple. It is a bit more weird. How come a private company’s logo can be found in so many places that they even become a visual part of the city’s landscape?
It seems that there is a huge obesity issue involving Coke in the Philippines that has lasted for a long time. GEM U photographed these Coca Cola houses and structures in different places over a period of six years. And the interesting part is that even the current President of the nation is a well-known Coke drinker. “Although he supposedly drinks the ‘light’ version which I believe to be an abomination,” said GEM U.
#More about the story -“House of Soda”
#If you are interested in the photographer, visit GEM U’s website.
Life is not that hard. Joy could be anywhere. Indeed, there are some people working hard to bring joy and laughter to others.
“This is my personal tribute to those who, for just a few minutes, fill up our ‘hurried madly walking’ in Milan with skill, joy and sometimes a touch of melancholy.”—Diego Bardone
“Street artists performing in Milan” is presented by Diego Bardone ,who is an Italian photographer living in Milan. Bardone’s passion for photography has been growing since he was 25 years old and has brought him to work for newspapers as well. But the best way to show his love for taking pictures is through black and white photography.
“Some black, some white and in the middle a never ending gray scale…that’s life.”—Diego Bardone
In “Street artists performing in Milan”, we are able to see those happy or serious faces of street performers. The movement, the moment and even a sudden flow of emotions are painted vividly in Bardone’s films. It is as if we were at that very place, sharing the performance. According to Bardone, while he was making these photos, he even met some new friends. That’s the best part of doing this street photography project.
#For more interesting content of the story, please visit “Street artists performing in Milan”
#Follow up the photographer: Diego Bardone
Rinse has invited lots of talented photographers from around the world to share their best works. If we haven’t reached out to you yet, and you also have a great story to tell, please don’t hesitate to come share it with us at Rinse.
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