Photos of Photography (or...catching the male gaze in action)

So as I've mentioned, I have a new camera.  I bought it in Tokyo's well known electronics district of Akihabara (or "Akiba" as it is referred to by the otaku geeks who spend all of their time and money there).   Akihabara is definitely weird, but I've taken a curious liking to the place lately despite the prevalence of cartoon pornography posted in the shop windows.  It is a subculture in itself.  On every street corner, there are young women dressed up like french maids or video game characters in order to promote respective establishments (which I hope pay them LOTS of money for this service).  Seeing these women as I happily waltzed out of the shop where I'd just acquired the camera, I did not intend to waste any time. Yet it wasn't the women specifically whom I wanted to capture in the shot.  I found the demographic of my fellow photographers far more compelling:

Then I walked over to the other side of the train station, where the street performers were trying to kindle a fan base.  It was the same drill. 

Some days later, I found myself outside of Harajuku station.  Harajuku is known for its grown women who dress up like bo-peep dolls, clowns, gothic princes, gothic lolitas or any combination thereof in order to get their pictures taken with tourists every weekend.  Naturally, I can't help but zoom in on the invariable middle-aged man who is playing artist for the day .

You'd think the dude in red should have noticed me following him.  But in Harajuku there are 10 people with cameras for every object of a photograph, so I wasn't too conspicuous.  That said, everything about this trendy district feels incredibly fake somehow.  Yet I hang out there anyway.  And I take photographs even.

I'm posting this collection of photos now in hopes that I will get over this silly compulsion of mine to take pictures of people taking pictures.  I do hope that I can move on to a platform more pleasing to the eye than the squinted faces of ugly old men.  Wish me luck.

Comments

[Scout]

middle aged Caucasian fat men +
a camera +
a young Asian woman (and these dressed as little kids)
=
uff da

[VicariousRising]

Male gaze is a misnomer and too kind. Should be male gawk.