People taking pictures of you, 18 hours a day
Or even eight hours a day, or even two hours a day. I wonder, how does Arashi feel about this?
I guess I first became someone who could be called a "fan" of Arashi in 2009. How do I know? That's when I created a LiveJournal account in order to be able to join communities that subbed Arashi videos. Before that, I didn't really know who they were, and I had only watched Letters from Iwo Jima, two episodes of Bambino, and Yankee Bokou ni Kaeru-and I didn't even realize that Aiba was in that drama until this year. (-_-);
Because the first things I saw Arashi in were movies and dramas, when I found out they were a group I thought they were an acting troupe.
Since 2009, I've been feeling guilty for not having any posts in my journal. Every time I join a community, I think the moderators will check out my journal, see no posts since 2009, and think “Lame! Rejected!” I do think I'm a good community member: I always follow rules, try to be respectful, write comments to thank people, and even sometimes, write longer comments when I really feel expansive.
However, I haven't contributed anything to the fandom, because I can't translate, have no idea how to do subs, and don't even-two years later-really know what "shop photos" are or where you get them. So this post serves three functions: to put an end to the empty journal and post something (even if it's not something anyone would be interested in), to “talk” about these mysterious things known as shop photos, to ask a some questions I haven't seen an answer to in all of the journals and fan websites I've visited-not that no one's asked 'em, I just haven't seem 'em.
Which brings me back to the topic I decided to write about: shop photos and Arashi having their pictures taken.
Today, I noticed that a really nice person made a post sharing Arashi shop photos that she had scanned. About shop photos, I think I get the basics: whenever there's an event, like a PV shoot, some hired photographer will take a bunch of pictures throughout the event-some posed, some candid-and JE will make these little prints. I have no idea if they're done like cards or actual photos, but they are official products of the management company. I also don't know where you'd buy them, officially, but maybe at those JE shops they have in Japan? And I guess you could probably find them on Ebay or other auction sites, too.
When I first saw the post, I was really happy, because normally I wouldn't get to see these photos. Then when I saw how many there were, I felt really thankful, because someone had taken the time to scan so many of them. Then I started to wonder . . . if there were so many photos available for purchase from one event, how many photos do they take of Arashi at any given time, anyway?
I mean, I sometimes take photos for work, and of the dozens I take, maybe one will be used in a publication. They must be taking hundreds-no, thousands of pictures a year, just for the shop photo market. I started to feel a little funny about it. Like what does it feel like to have someone snapping away at you the whole time you're at work? And do you always have to watch out so that they don't catch you doing something weird, but perfectly natural, like constantly wiping sweat off your forehead (which Aiba always gets caught on video doing.) Is Arashi not even bothered by the constant taking of photos, or does it irritate them sometimes? (Aside: my own imagined photo-taking irritation ranking from most easily irritated to least: Nino, Sakurai, Ohno, Matsumoto, Aiba.)
When I said I felt funny, I meant-fans want and want and want, right? Because we like our idols we want more . . . something. Product, or merchandise, or just a chance to see them in a different way. Idols understand that and their management understands that, and that's what makes money. But maybe I should just be happy with seeing a group like Arashi in their concert DVD, or hear them on their CD, and watch a couple of TV shows? Is it fair to want to see a candid photo of them between takes of a scene in their newest PV? (I do want to see it.) Would it make a difference if there were no demand for this stuff? Then JE would try to drum up interest, maybe.
Ah. I think I had a point to make, but never mind. I'll try to find a better topic next time. Sometimes for me Arashi fandom is like “Amai! Karai! Amai!” Except it’s “More! Guilt! More!”
I guess I first became someone who could be called a "fan" of Arashi in 2009. How do I know? That's when I created a LiveJournal account in order to be able to join communities that subbed Arashi videos. Before that, I didn't really know who they were, and I had only watched Letters from Iwo Jima, two episodes of Bambino, and Yankee Bokou ni Kaeru-and I didn't even realize that Aiba was in that drama until this year. (-_-);
Because the first things I saw Arashi in were movies and dramas, when I found out they were a group I thought they were an acting troupe.
Since 2009, I've been feeling guilty for not having any posts in my journal. Every time I join a community, I think the moderators will check out my journal, see no posts since 2009, and think “Lame! Rejected!” I do think I'm a good community member: I always follow rules, try to be respectful, write comments to thank people, and even sometimes, write longer comments when I really feel expansive.
However, I haven't contributed anything to the fandom, because I can't translate, have no idea how to do subs, and don't even-two years later-really know what "shop photos" are or where you get them. So this post serves three functions: to put an end to the empty journal and post something (even if it's not something anyone would be interested in), to “talk” about these mysterious things known as shop photos, to ask a some questions I haven't seen an answer to in all of the journals and fan websites I've visited-not that no one's asked 'em, I just haven't seem 'em.
Which brings me back to the topic I decided to write about: shop photos and Arashi having their pictures taken.
Today, I noticed that a really nice person made a post sharing Arashi shop photos that she had scanned. About shop photos, I think I get the basics: whenever there's an event, like a PV shoot, some hired photographer will take a bunch of pictures throughout the event-some posed, some candid-and JE will make these little prints. I have no idea if they're done like cards or actual photos, but they are official products of the management company. I also don't know where you'd buy them, officially, but maybe at those JE shops they have in Japan? And I guess you could probably find them on Ebay or other auction sites, too.
When I first saw the post, I was really happy, because normally I wouldn't get to see these photos. Then when I saw how many there were, I felt really thankful, because someone had taken the time to scan so many of them. Then I started to wonder . . . if there were so many photos available for purchase from one event, how many photos do they take of Arashi at any given time, anyway?
I mean, I sometimes take photos for work, and of the dozens I take, maybe one will be used in a publication. They must be taking hundreds-no, thousands of pictures a year, just for the shop photo market. I started to feel a little funny about it. Like what does it feel like to have someone snapping away at you the whole time you're at work? And do you always have to watch out so that they don't catch you doing something weird, but perfectly natural, like constantly wiping sweat off your forehead (which Aiba always gets caught on video doing.) Is Arashi not even bothered by the constant taking of photos, or does it irritate them sometimes? (Aside: my own imagined photo-taking irritation ranking from most easily irritated to least: Nino, Sakurai, Ohno, Matsumoto, Aiba.)
When I said I felt funny, I meant-fans want and want and want, right? Because we like our idols we want more . . . something. Product, or merchandise, or just a chance to see them in a different way. Idols understand that and their management understands that, and that's what makes money. But maybe I should just be happy with seeing a group like Arashi in their concert DVD, or hear them on their CD, and watch a couple of TV shows? Is it fair to want to see a candid photo of them between takes of a scene in their newest PV? (I do want to see it.) Would it make a difference if there were no demand for this stuff? Then JE would try to drum up interest, maybe.
Ah. I think I had a point to make, but never mind. I'll try to find a better topic next time. Sometimes for me Arashi fandom is like “Amai! Karai! Amai!” Except it’s “More! Guilt! More!”