Thinking about Photography and Local Revitalization considering the Blog of Mr. Kent Shiraishi

I had a good chance so I would like to describe what I think about the relation between photography and local revitalization today.

Photographers should be an artist in that they change people's minds and behaviors through their photos, and they can be very much like a marketer if they try to design such changes.

And, one of the highest levels of photographers as a marketer should lead to an action of making people take actions by creating landscapes. This amounts to creating a new sightseeing spot, or rather, creating a new business.

Let's see how Mr. Kent Shiraishi wrote on his blog on August 4.

※Screenshot was quoted from Kent Shiraishi Photo Blog.

If it is just dark, there's no need to try a fireworks festival at a sunflower farm because we can't see anything anyway. And you know, fireworks festivals of that scale are available in Biei Town and many other towns. But if we launch sunflower-looking fireworks in the sky while illuminating a sunflower farm below, it must be pretty rare throughout the world. That is, we can promote Hokuryu Town to the world. (Quoted and translated from Kent Shiraishi Photo Blog)

It sounds like he was involved in the fireworks festival of Hokuryu Town, Hokkaido the other day. He, of course, took several photos with a great sense of color. If you want to enjoy his photos, please visit his blog.

He created a rare remarkable landscape in the world by combination of the illumination and the fireworks. There must be lots of people planning to visit Hokuryu Town only to see the landscape. The quality is worth visiting.

...well, I must mention one thing so that any of you don't misunderstand what I mean. This event was achieved not only by his power but by the owner of the sunflower farm, illuminations suppliers, fireworks suppliers, the town office of Hokuryu, and lots of local residents there.

I want to emphasize this point - photographers with a strict sense of color, with a sense of global market, and with world-level influence can be a leader in such local revitalization activities.

Mr. Kent Shiraishi also says with his word "Machi-Okoshi", (Machi-Okoshi literally means town's revitalization".)

It's boring for photographers only to take photos for money or for oneself. Let's challenge what everybody else finds hard to realize

For example, please be helpful in "Machi-Okoshi" of where you live or used to live. If you are really a skilled photographer, you can be helpful in "Machi-Okoshi" for sure. I always believe in myself. "Yes, I can!" (Quoted from Kent Shiraishi Photo Blog)

He's cool.

I would really like to be a man who challenges photography with own point of view with confidence and resolution.

This photo of Minamizawa Hydrangea Mountain should be categorized as being similar to the illuminated sunflowers. As you can easily imagine, we cannot launch fireworks here. But we can challenge to design a visitor experience with new landscapes not available anywhere in the world since Hydrangea blossoms grow in very unique terrain here in Minamizawa Hydrangea Mountain. (If you want to see other photos, please check this article.)

Now we are in the off-season. We only could spare time maintaining the new management platform this year so there are lots to do towards next year!