I can’t believe it has been more than a half year since my last post.

It doesn’t mean nothing is going on my life or me hiding in a cave. Actually, many things have happened. I have started new projects at my work and I have traveled to different places. It just I have allowed myself to neglect my blog posts all together because I have become a habitual inhabitant of the instant wold of Instagram.

Instagram is easy and quick, and I can see why it is popular. After each of my photo outing, I pick up a couple of photos, do quick editing on my iPad Pro, and upload images to Instagram. My work is done, fast and instant. I have however got sucked into its super convenient and instant process, which I believe, made me think less about my photo work.

Unlike writing blog posts, making diary entries, or printing my work, I don’t reflective about what I upload on Instagram. Putting something up, and get some likes, and that is about it. I don’t even remember what I uploaded last week. I have been becoming quite lazy and complacent over the past few months. This is bad, at least for my photography work.

I see photography as a process of philosophical inquiry. It is meant to make me think deeper not think less about the world and universe. I felt like being a character, Deep Thought in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy“. The second greatest computer ever, forgetting about the ultimate question because it is busy watching a stupid TV show.

I had an instant noodle called, Nissin Cup Noodle for lunch on Sunday. It was my favourite when I was a school kid in Japan. We found it in a local shop a few days ago, and since I haven’t tried for years, I was looking forward to try it.

Well, the noodle didn’t taste as nice as it used to be for some reason. My mentor of photography, who was shooting with wet plates on a monstrously big camera, once said, “Nothing good will come out from what is convenient and instant”. May be he was right.

ブログの更新を半年以上もしていなかった。理由はインスタグラム。

インスタグラムのワークフローは非常に簡単。撮って、ちょこっと加工して、アップするだけ。この簡単で即席な段取りにすっかり浸かってしまい、気づいたらとんだナマケモノになっていた。

写真をアップして、いくつかの”イイね”をもらって、はい終わり。撮った写真について深く考えたり、プリントする前に紙を選んだり何度もプルーフをする作業もない。ブログのように写真から何か自分の考えを書くという行為もしない。

適当なアプローチでは良い写真は撮れないし、やはり写真を撮るという行為から思考のプロセスが薄れては面白くもなんともない。Slow Down and Think Deep。それに、そもそも”イイね”なんてのは、自分が決めること。いくら他人が良いと思っても、自分が納得しなければ、その一枚の価値はゼロ。

日曜日の昼にカップヌードルを食べた。中に入っている卵が輸入規制の対象とかなんとかで、今までオーストラリアの店で見たことがなかったが、店頭に並んでいるのを先週発見。数日間食べるのを楽しみにしていたが、食べて見てがっかり。子供の頃はおいしいと思っていたけど、今になって食べてみると全くおいしくない薄っぺらフード。そりゃそうさ、お湯を注いで３分だもの。

写真のことをたくさん教えてくれた友人がいた。このデジタルの世の中で、わざわざガラス板に薬剤を塗って大判カメラで撮っていた、その彼がある時言っていたのを覚えている。「便利で簡単な物からは、何も良い物は生まれないよ」。彼の言っていたことは正しいと思う。