June 2024

​

■ Membership system

 

To become a member of the Association, you must apply to
and be approved by the Representative Director.

​

We are not currently accepting new members

 

Membership category

(1) Regular member : Individuals or organizations that have joined the Association in order to endorse the Association's objectives.

​

(2) Supporting member : Individuals or organizations that have joined the Association in order to endorse and support the Association's activities.

​

(3) Advanced member : Individuals or organizations that have made meritorious service to the Association or have made special achievements and are recommended and approved by the general meeting of members.

​

Annual membership fee

​

・Member, Advanced member 12,000 yen 

・Supporting member 10,000 yen 

​

​

■ Member list

​

Akemi Yamamoto

Junji Yoshikawa

MIHARU †

Mikio Hirata

Setsuko Sunada

Takayasu Hayakawa

Katsuyuki Miyabe

Shigeo Katsuki

Takayuki Nakatsuka / Director

Osamu Hayashi         / Representative Director

​

​

■ What we think of photography / For prospective members

​

 I have been involved in photography since I was in junior high school, belonging to the photography club.

But no matter how many times I said, "I am in the photography club and doing photography," I was almost always introduced as "He is in the camera club and doing cameras".
 

 I had no awareness of being a camera person, as a camera is simply a tool for taking pictures, but even today, many people confuse photography with a camera, so it seems that "photography = camera" is the majority perception in Japan.

​

 Also, although already discontinued, there used to be camera magazines in Japan (Nippon Camera, Asahi Camera, Camera Mainichi, etc.), and it was a strange sight to see people who liked photography buying camera magazines.

​

 In Japan, this way of thinking still remains strong, and I feel that there are still many people who think that "buying a good and expensive camera" is the shortest way to become a good photographer. I understand that Japan is a unique country with a large concentration of camera manufacturers, and that this has had a great influence on the Japanese people, but is it possible to compete on an equal footing with foreign photographers with this kind of thinking?

 

 Photography is an art. At the very least, foreign photographers and the photography scene are in art, and photographers are artists. Recognizing this fact, which is commonplace in the world, we should not aim for a photography that is accepted only in Japan or for a photography industry unique to Japan, but for a photography that is an art that is accepted worldwide.

​

 In addition, now that prominent camera magazines have ceased publication, many people are aiming for photo contests sponsored by camera manufacturers. Some of these contests require "the data as it is stored in the memory by the camera" (so-called "Photoshopped-out" data). I also feel uncomfortable with this "photoshopped-out" supremacy that is peculiar to Japan.

​

 Photography is an art form, so it is a prerequisite that the photographer properly convey his or her intentions to the viewer. To this end, it is important, as all foreign photographers do, to carefully finish the photos they take, add their own photographic expression that makes the most of their photographic intentions, and deliver them to the viewer as works of art. It is the same idea that our great predecessors in the past, in the era of film photography, placed great importance on darkroom work.

　

 Thus, we believe that the technique of finishing a photograph is also a very important element, and we strive to improve it in our daily activities.

 

 If you agree with our aims and wish to become a photographer of art, we invite you to join us and take a new step toward the same goal.

​

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  Osamu Hayashi