I enjoyed this piece by Fiona Merrideth. In some ways, it is what I was thinking with my fake plastic blowfish post a while back. It is the first time I have heard of the term humblebrag, and plan to add it to my lexical pallet, as I often encounter what she describes as "an ostensibly modest or self-depreciating statement whose actual purpose is to draw attention to something of which one is proud." This little video also crossed my radar and make me chuckle. Funny, because it is so true, especially for aspiring musicians, but you could imagine the same for writers, artists, photographers, poets. and just about any creative field.
Speaking of attention seeking, many years ago, I picked up a book by the legendary advertising executive Paul Arden that made an impact on my hard head. He pointed out that awards create glamour and glamour creates income. However, awards, he argues, are given to things that are fashionable. If you create in order to be praised, you are chasing a fleeting thing. Being original means that nobody has had the time to judge it as fashionably accepted.
Not sure exactly what I am getting at, so let me shift my attention to the photo. It was taken on a slope just on the Teramachi side of the Sakura-bashi (bridge) of the Saigawa. The roofs in the background are no longer there. They once topped some banquet type restaurants, but were torn down about 18 years ago. I am not sure, but I think that the old man was a retired doctor who lived somewhat close to me. It had just stopped raining and he was closing his umbrella when I made the exposure.
I remember around that time, I got a call from a newspaper that was interested in having me take some photos for a story about noh theater. I can't recall the details, but I was introduced by a graphic designer, and I met two writers at a family restaurant (actually, it was the infamous Gusto branch in Kanazawa, that was later the scene of a yakuza murder...but that is a different story). I brought 20 or 30 prints to show and I specifically remember that the two guys both stopped and looked at the above photo a long time. This to me was validation that it was a good piece of work. I wound up not doing the assignment (they wanted color and indoor lighting), but the value I got from watching them react to my photos was worth it.
So, without much of a conclusion, I bid you peace.