In retrospect, I have been focusing too much on shooting new content, that I neglected the most important aspect to being an artist, which is to build with what you have and share your creation. And so I easily found myself stuck in my process, never satisfied (never living in a way) and never going as far as the shutter-click and the uploads of photos to my hard drive.
It took taking a break from photography last year altogether to clear myself from all this negativity. And so with the start of this new year, I have decided to go way back to 2010 and polish the work from my time in Japan. Though I did not shoot as much while in Japan, it was my first time shooting in the digital format with my first single lens camera, the Canon Rebel XSi, which was gifted to me during the Christmas of 2009.
Thinking back, I can still remember the excitement and joy I spent in photographing around my peers. Everywhere I went I always had my camera and I shyly used my lens to help control my anxiety with exploring and experiencing this country's culture and surrounding. Behind the lens, it was easy to forget where I was and it really helped keep me hidden and silent.
Before going to Japan, I had grown up watching anime at home and so it is hard to describe the feeling, but it felt strange and surreal to experience the culture of a country that I had only known through their cartoons. In a way I felt alive and in disbelief with bliss at times.
It is funny, but I had this idea of posting my work from Japan before, but I never got pass the editing of a few photos, before giving up and feeling overwhelmed. Taking a break from photography in 2020 really helped with my mental health and I have a greater appreciation for my body of work (and the space I occupy in this realm). This time around I feel more confident in my abilities and have a greater sense of self-worth with life. If anything I feel more structured and driven, but without being anxious-driven.
With that said, I will be posting once/twice a week and when I do post, the images I post will correlate with the same time of day/week of when I captured the images in 2010. And to start off, these first set of images showcase my first morning in Japan on 1/23/2010 and end with 1/25/2010, the first day of classes at Kansai Gaidai.
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Canon Rebel XSi || EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens || 201001232425
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Looking back at these images, I was all over the place with my sharpness, but I kept a strong focus in composition. And in editing these now, I am better at analyzing how the light was captured, i.e. with sharpness or graininess, and it should help with my work now.
As I sign-off, below is the playlist that helped with these edits and post. Check these albums out when you can!
Jaa ne, until the next outing. Night and keep creating!
Playlist:
Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell
Debut, Björk
Under The Table Dreaming, Dave Matthews Band
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© Sergio Terán Baldizón Photography. All rights reserved.
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