August 17th, 2011
Following the March 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami on the northeast coast of Japan, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant began to fail. These equipment failures led to a nuclear meltdown and the release of toxic radioactive particles into the area. A nuclear emergency was declared and the world watched with bated breath as the area was evacuated. Over a month after the initial incident, the Japanese government declared that the evacuation zone be expanded to 20km (around 12 miles). No one is allowed into this area without police permission.
Photographer Max Hodges, undaunted by radiation levels, decided he wanted to document the disaster area. Finding it hard to to obtain police permission, he set out on his own on a bicycle tour across the exclusion zone,
I road up to the area with a Dutch writer who was hoping to sneak in, but we found it impossible to gain access by car. I had my bike in the car, so when they returned to Tokyo, I cycled across Iitate — an area heavily-affected by radiation (and spent a night sleeping in a farmer’s greenhouse) — then proceeded to Minamisoma, a town just outside the 20km exclusion zone’s northern perimeter. I managed to sneak in by carrying my bicycle across some farmland, and road across the entire 40km diameter to the south.
"During my bicycle ride across the exclusion zone, I found this dead cow. Many cows have free rein over gardens and access to fresh water from mountain springs, but this one appears less fortunate and likely died of dehydration."
Once inside the exclusion zone Max began to take in his surroundings,
As soon as you enter the zone you feel something is not quite right. The lack of people is somehow palpable. Homes and stores have been shuttered, and properties are being overtaken by weeds and wild flowers. The experience was especially intense because my senses were in heightened state of alert out of concern for being discovered. Just when I thought I was deep enough inside the zone to relax a little, I heard a car approaching and had to dive for cover as a convoy of Japanese Self-Defense Force vehicles drove by. The situation was pretty stressful at times.
SDF workers search flooded rice fields for bodies—nearly two months after the tsunami.
Max’s initial idea was to document the stories of the thousands of abandoned homes, pets and livestock, but soon met Shoji Kobayashi who had remained in the exclusion zone since the initial disaster, and the project focus became about this man who refused to leave his home.
Kobayashi has been taking over this wife's gardening since the disaster. Here he removes some cabbage for dinner.
Max told me more about Kobayashi,
Shoji Kobayashi worked as a maintenance man at a high-tech electronics manufacturing facility. Although the town of Odaka is only about 15 kilometers from the Daiichi reactor, it was only lighly-affected by radiation because of it’s location and how the wind was blowing at the time of the leaks. Kobayashi doesn’t believe it was necessary to evacuate the town at all, so he simply remained living in his home for a couple months until he was eventually forced out.
I first bumped into him while taking photos in Odaka and trying to find a dog that I heard barking. He invited me to come to his home for a hot meal, a shower and a place to sleep for the night. I stayed with him for a couple nights and have returned and stayed with him at his current apartment. I’ve known him for three months now, and plan to continue staying with this story as his life unfolds within this great tragedy.
He seemed to really enjoy living in his home, more than in the small apartment where he now stays. But he seems to be adjusting well. Kobayashi has a great sense of humor, which his probably of the best survival skills one could have in these circumstances.
Max spent five days in the exclusion zone, photographing his surroundings and learning more through his time with Kobayashi. You can view more of Max’s images here.
- Maria Luci
August 5th, 2011
I would ‘move’ too if I didn’t, you know, have a job.
Wherever you travel, do so in in the center of the frame. Photo by Justin Mott/Vietnam
Bad day? Make it better.
Just go ahead and tattoo your social security number on your head now.
My super sweet Facebook birthdays.
It’s raining MC Escher.
Your daily coyote.
Not your second grader’s shoebox diorama.
Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
If he's got a camera, they're gonna need backup. Photo by James Quantz Jr/Charlotte
Rock stars wearing swimsuits.
Photographers Update:
- Maria
July 14th, 2011
Few can say that their work has inspired an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Our photographer Vincent Ricardel is one of these select few. Vincent’s photographs — displayed beautifully in the new coffee table book Archtop Guitars: The Journey from Cremona to New York — recently caught the eye of Met curators. The book celebrates the work of master guitar craftsmen, John D’Angelico, Jimmy D’Aquisto and John Monteleone through a stunning collection of photos. These dazzling photos and the interesting story lead to the Met’s recent exhibit Guitar Heroes, which further examined the work of these legendary Italian American guitar makers. Several of Vincent’s photographs were also featured throughout the exhibit.
©Vincent Ricardel
According to Vincent this was a, “once in a lifetime journey,” that took him throughout America and Europe. Five years and thousands of frames later, Vincent was able to edit his images into a unique 432 page book. Every shot was carefully compiled to highlight something special about each instrument. A lot of thought went into these photos. According to Vincent, “When I began this project, I decided to use a black background for most of the instruments and portraits. It isolates the subjects and forces the viewers to concentrate on the images.” He also wanted a unique perspective to keep the book from coming across as a catalog. To do this, Vincent began compositing the layouts which added depth and a unique perspective to the final photos. Each guitar was photographed from numerous angles, then the images were layered together in post processing. “Each one was a puzzle, if you look through the book you’ll discover many solved puzzles.”
As for lighting the instruments, this was a bit of a challenge, mostly due to their glossy surfaces. Vincent filled me in on some of his techniques,
The images of the these blue guitars were made with a large light source. The shiny lacquer on the instruments was a constant nuisance. By keeping the light off axis with the camera and instrument, I was able to avoid those catch lights that distracted from the wood grain and vibrant color in the guitar.
I also asked Vincent how he became involved with this project in the first place,
In 2005 I was approached by Rudy Pensa of Rudy’s Music in New York. He presented this wonderful idea about doing a book about the guitars of John D’Angelico, James D’Aquisto and John Monteleone — all renowned for making magnificent archtop guitars. The archtop guitar is unique because the top of the instrument is carved like a violin and has a slight arch just under the strings of the instrument. Rudy shared with me his passion for these instruments and being a guitar player myself, I was hooked. We began to search for these instruments in private collections and also identified musicians who play and appreciate these guitars. It took us almost three years to find one particular guitar, which we learned was in Germany.
©Vincent Ricardel
Through the creation of this project, Vincent was able to meet and photograph some very interesting subjects,
The musicians whom I photographed were extremely pleased to participate and they all share a love for these exquisite archtop guitars. In particular, the portrait sessions with George Benson, Steve Miller, Paul Simon, Mark Knopfler, Pat Martino, Bucky Pizzarelli, Emmylou Harris, Kevin Bacon and the late Les Paul were especially memorable.
I was particularly struck by Vincent’s Kevin Bacon image so I asked him to tell me a little about that shoot,
The Kevin shoot was seamless and brief. He is a great guy and a pro in every sense of the word. I enjoy working with actors and musicians. They just know how to “turn it on” during a shoot. Since time was limited, my goal was to capture a candid moment and something more structured. My lighting was designed to mimic something similar to what one would see on a stage. I was very careful to emphasize my back lighting which separates him from the black background. It’s very important to have a plan in place when a photo shoot is scheduled with limited time. Always be ready for the unexpected and think fast…you just may be surprised at the outcome.
©Vincent Ricardel
For Vincent this project, “has been an immensely rewarding experience throughout which I could blend my passion for music and guitars with my photography.”
You can read more about Vincent’s guitar photo journey over on WWD Eye Scoop, Nikon World and CBS News.
- Maria
