Thank you very much for many applications.
After a strict examination, we selected the winning works.
Masao Torii: Photographer / Kayo Aoyama: Free Announcer / Yoshihito Miyaike: President of NEXCO CENTRAL (in no particular order and titles omitted)
Masao Torii: Photographer
This year, when the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics were postponed due to the corona disaster, this photo contest also celebrated its 13th anniversary.
Despite our initial concerns, the number of entries has exceeded the previous number. The appearance of the judges going back and forth between the oversized tables lined with seasonal works such as colorful flowers in the fresh green and the bridge that emerges in the golden sunset is the same as the usual judging scene, but everyone It is a mask that has become quite familiar. Looking at the works of the four seasons made me feel relieved, and although it was a moment, it became a judging committee where I could forget the suffocation.
■ Theme 1 "Expressway and landscape section of the four seasons"
In "Expressway and landscape section of four seasons"< Grand Prize> "Asagiri springs" by Kazuo Kikuchi.
In telephoto lens photography, the landscape, which tends to be flat, is captured with the morning mist under backlight conditions to express an exquisite sense of depth. The high-contrast image processing is also elaborate, and the depiction of the road is a powerful and impressive work.
< Outstanding performance award> (Summer) "Triton that shines in the setting sun" by Isamu Futabahata. "Meiko Triton" is a popular spot where many people try to shoot every time. This work captures the beauty and strength of the structure well in the short time before sunset. The selection of lenses is also skillful, and the silhouette of the industrial area and cargo ship in the background is also effective in a highly complete composition.
< Outstanding performance award> (Autumn) Mr. Yasuo Kinoshita's "Brightness at Twilight". In the darkness, it creates a mysterious atmosphere reminiscent of a nightless castle that never sleeps. Technically, I have to wait for the author's explanation, but it is an interesting expression reminiscent of multiple exposure in the silver salt era.
< Outstanding performance award>Chubu Odan Expressway river fog" by Tatsumi Yamashita. Works such as "Japanese landscape". It is a landscape that makes you feel like you are watching a lofty Japanese painting. It must have been taken with very detailed calculations. Expressway crosses the mountainous area, below which the town lights and the snow-capped Mt. Fuji. The scenery is too luxurious. The whole is sharp and the image processing is also skillful. It may have been good to suppress the condition of the road a little.
< Honorable Mention> Naoto Fukuda's "Straddling the Fresh Green". Vivid colors are obtained by giving a long exposure in the absence of light. The screen composition with the trajectory of the stars, the red of the bridge, and the green in the foreground against the background of ultramarine is interesting. It seems that he is watching an abstract painting reminiscent of a time tunnel.
< Honorable Mention> Mr. Kojio Nakamura's "Scenery just before rice planting". Hokuriku Expwy runs vertically over water-filled rice fields. Even so, the stars are pouring down on the sky, and it is projected even on the surface of the water. It is a rural landscape that seems to be a picture even in the daytime, but by taking a picture at night, it creates a fantastic world.
< Honorable Mention> "Mugiaki no Kaze" by Yoshimi Muto. The dry sound of the tips rubbing against each other in the silence in the fruitful autumn. It is a peaceful landscape where such a pleasant breeze blows through the entire wheat field.
< Winning> "Tateyama with snow makeup floating at night" by Yuki Miyawaki. Mr. Yoshito Matsuura's "Unmanned Station Tradition" was selected.
■ Theme 2 About "Your Special Landscape Division"
As in the previous year, there are many works in the "Your Special Landscape Division", and all the judges were very worried.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tatsuya Fukano's "Road in the Sky" won the <Best Award>. Perhaps it is the scenery at the foot of Mt. Yatsugatake, in the clear air, a wooden path that continues straight while receiving the intense west sun that heralds autumn.
Mt. Fuji is enshrined with the Southern Alps in the distance. Although it is a casual composition in which the strength of the shoulders is relaxed, I feel a mysterious force.
<Excellence Award> (Spring) "Rise and Fall" by Mr. Kotaro Kato. An old plum blossom that has been staring at the long history, which seems to have been taken at a famous plum blossom spot in the Suzuka region. Shooting at the historic sites of famous places tends to be like a picture postcard, but I think I was fascinated by the petals that had bloomed and scattered. The natural feeling at an angle of view close to the human eye is comfortable.
<Excellence Award> (Summer) Yuji Ueno's "Spring Summer". Is it a scene from midsummer in Shinshu? The contrast between the cold water flowing from the mountains and the hot air is well reflected in the children's facial expressions. The proper shutter speed also captures the trajectory of the water well, and it seems that you can hear the sound of the flowing water and the cheers of the children.
<Excellence Award> (Autumn) Hisashi Kawai 's "Sanmon Shining Time". Probably the scenery at the temple around Sanage Mountain. It's interesting to see a picture drawn in black on a canvas of colorful autumn leaves. I was surprised that the autumn leaves are made up of so many different colors.
<Excellence Award> (Winter) Atsushi Ogasawara's "Towards the Sunset". Perhaps it is a group of seagulls that live around Lake Hamana, shooting at a close distance creates a sense of dynamism, and it is a powerful work. It is interesting that the seagulls are accustomed to people and are about to take off toward the camera.
<Honorable Mention> "To the Sky" by Toshifumi Kobe. It is interesting that the paraglider, which is shaped like a bright red lips, looks like it is covering the top of Mt. Fuji with a photo opportunity and the top of Mt. Fuji with a cheek. It's a work with a sense of scale, but it's regrettable that the facial expressions under the feet of the person are cut off. It's a kale-like work, but it's regrettable that the facial expressions under the feet of the person are cut off.
<Honorable Mention> "Mt. Tsurugi that shines in the moonlight" by Takao Mizuno. Is it the light in the moon? Under the ultramarine sky studded with many stars, a steep Mt. Tsurugi is enshrined. A photograph of an adult whose heart is filled with the sound of murmuring in the silence.
<Honorable Mention> Mr. Yoshie Ike's "Suruma Shinto ritual". A figure that runs as one with a human horse. If you look closely, you can see that the limbs are separated from the horse. Although it is a traditional Shinto ritual, it is truly acrobatics. It's not easy to shoot the subject at high speed, but it's the perfect timing.
<Honorable Mention> Masayuki Tanaka's "Golden Township of Hubei (El Dorado)". In the afternoon, people relax quietly by the lake with the light in the background. Although it is an achromatic world, it has a fairy tale atmosphere like watching a paper cutout.
<Selected> Tsutomu Morishita's "Spring View". "Events of Totsuzen" by Keishi Hakata. Seiji Nakamura's "Blooming well at night". "Beauty in return for autumn" by Katsuya Suzuki. Five points of "Future Driver" by Masami Murakami were selected.
We are grateful to all the judges for submitting many works from many people in this Korona-ka, where we cannot go out.
I pray for the end as soon as possible and will not stop.
Masao Torii
Kayo Aoyama: Free Announcer
After the 2020 photo contest
There are only two calendars left for this year, and when I judged last year, I never imagined that I would actually live at home looking at this calendar for a long time. How much healed by the beautiful landscape photography.
Meanwhile, the day of judging this year's photo contest was approaching, and I was wondering what would happen. Even if the meeting can be held remotely, the judging of the work of the photo contest can only be decided by seeing the real thing and exchanging opinions with multiple judges.
I was worried that everyone who was filmed would continue to refrain from corona and would go out to shoot, or would the works be gathered, but what? We received more applications than last year. In many cases, the place where you can get a good view is not in "Three Cs", and the number of people working from home has increased, so some people may have more time to take pictures. While imagining such things, I looked at the works one by one.
It may be analog, but I put a lot of pictures on a big table and compare them ... I realized again that the human eye can intuitively feel something that is called from the work in an instant. .. Whether it's the true feelings of the photographer or not.
In the judging, the photographer's name will be hidden and the selection will be made based only on the first impression. Excellent works are something that will resonate with anyone, and the works will be narrowed down naturally. There are many works by regulars, and good works are good works, but it was extremely difficult to select them so that there was no bias.
Great works for each season, works that touched my heart when I made a calendar, this time was also a difficult examination. There were some wonderful vertical works, and I definitely wanted to put them on the calendar, but when I made the calendar, it didn't fit well due to the layout, and there were some works that made me cry. Although it is not the purpose of being posted on the calendar, I hope you will enjoy it with a lot of people.
Especially for the first piece, which is the beginning of the year, I chose a powerful work with the word "flapping". I hope that next year will be a year that will shine until 2020 and take off.
As you all know, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has joined the "GoTo Travel" business since October, and it has expanded nationwide in earnest. Expressway tour passes that are discounted for the "GoTo Travel" business. There are various opinions about taxing personal travel, but if the project has already started, it will contribute to the exhausted area and industry as much as possible, so make sure to take measures against corona such as masks and disinfection. , I want you to go out more and more to the hidden shooting points that are not "Three Cs". And please use the regional coupons to buy things that will inspire you, such as local shops and local souvenirs. I believe that when you make a trip that pleases the locals and you feel relaxed, you can press the one-frame shutter to create a good work.
I've heard that the number of "camera girls" who travel around the world with a single-lens reflex camera is increasing recently. The technical hurdles for those who apply for this contest are quite high, but all the judges will have a flexible sensibility. I am also looking forward to works that make use of the sensibilities of women.
We hope that the coming year will be a good year with wonderful and crisp photos, and we are looking forward to receiving applications from a large number of people.