photo poster project | Warmly Welcoming Photography Enthusiasts of All Ages by shonansurf2003 | ISSUE #123

Hello! My name is shonansurf2003. I mainly do portrait photography along the beaches around Enoshima. I used to surf all the time, but there was a period when I couldn’t go into the ocean due to health issues. During that time, I started taking walks along the beach to lift my spirits, and one day, I was so captivated by the beauty of the sunset that I instinctively took a photo with my iPhone. That was the beginning of my journey into photography.

As I continued capturing landscapes with my iPhone, I began photographing people I met on the beach. I became fascinated by the stories created when people were placed within landscapes. That’s when I realized I loved capturing these “stories of people and landscapes,” and in 2019, I started focusing on portrait photography in earnest.

Now, through participating in exhibitions and entering contests both domestically and internationally, I’ve found my own way of engaging with photography and continue to enjoy it.

I had known about cizucu for some time, but my impression was limited to “What kind of organization is it, and what do they do?” When I looked into cizucu, I discovered that it was an exhibition that values communication. I felt it would be a great experience for me, so I decided to participate.

Although I had already participated in domestic exhibitions about three to four times a year, I found the to be refreshingly different. All I had to do was submit my data, and they would handle the exhibition process meticulously. I only needed to bring my business cards and photo book. This gave me the impression of an exhibition that anyone could easily join.

My honest impression after participating was that the staff and participants were very young. Initially, I was a bit worried, wondering, “Is it okay for someone in their 50s like me to join?”

However, those concerns quickly disappeared. Everyone warmly welcomed me as a fellow photography enthusiast, regardless of age, and I found myself naturally engaging in conversations in an inclusive atmosphere.

At the venue, each participant was given a one-minute opportunity to talk about their thoughts and messages behind their photos. It was a space where people freely shared their feelings about photography, and others responded with genuine empathy. I found this environment incredibly comforting. For me, it was a valuable time to articulate my thoughts and convey my feelings through my photos.

In recent years, social media has often been a place where misunderstandings or unkind words stand out, making communication feel challenging. However, at the , especially among the younger generation, I noticed a strong emphasis on meaningful communication, both as staff and participants. There was a genuine sense of wanting to connect with others and do something for someone else, which warmed my heart.

While social media often focuses on broadcasting one’s opinions, I felt that the younger generation here valued “real dialogue” over one-way communication. This realization was another takeaway from my experience.

The photo I chose this time is titled “Living with Sorrow,” featuring the model Emu.
This photo conveys the message, as the title suggests, of “carrying sorrow while holding onto hope and living toward the future.”

In fact, Emu lost her mother last winter. She shared that she spent months in deep sorrow, often finding herself overwhelmed with tears in her daily life. When I heard her story, I thought, “If this sorrow becomes a darkness that traps her, her mother would surely be heartbroken.”

That’s why I wanted to portray sorrow as a red thread connecting Emu and her mother, encouraging her to live with it. I hoped she could cry her heart out, and when she was ready, lift herself up and smile again. This wish was the inspiration behind this photo.

This photo also carries my own prayer-like feelings. If people can learn about her story through this photo and feel something from it, I would be truly happy.

The was an exhibition where I could enjoy meaningful communication with staff and participants in a warm atmosphere through photography. By discussing participants’ photos, I gained insights not only from a technical perspective but also about approaches to thinking and expression.

It was an opportunity to reflect on my own photography, reconsider “what I aim to achieve and how I want to convey it,” and articulate those thoughts to others. This deepened my understanding of my own work.

It was an exhibition where I gained so much, and I highly recommend it to many others.