This Adorable Japanese Photographer Hands Out Disposable Cameras to Total Strangers
A photographer in Japan has found viral success by handing out disposable cameras to strangers and making videos out of the photos they take.
Yusa Film, as he is known on TikTok and Instagram, hands out cameras to random couples, families with children, and groups of friends.
In a sure sign of Japan’s high-trust society, Yusa approaches the strangers on the street and gives them either an old digital compact camera or a disposable film camera. He asks that they give the cameras back once they’re finished taking photos.
@yusa.film カメラ渡すので日常撮ってきてもらえませんか？ with @大久保たもつ If I give you a camera, can you capture your everyday life? #写ルンです #フィルムカメラ #saucydog #スパイス #collab ♬ spice – Saucy Dog
At the beginning of each video, Yusa asks each subject how they know each other, how long they have been together, et cetera. Sometimes he approaches young couples making their way to Disneyland Tokyo, or at an airport as they’re about to jet off on holiday.
Upworthy reports that in one video, where Yusa approaches a couple with a young child, he also gets each parent to pen a heartfelt letter to their son, which he includes in the final video.
@yusa.film カメラ渡すので日常を撮ってきてもらえませんか？ 動画制作のご依頼はプロフィールのリンクから。結婚式や記念日に。 #写ルンです #フィルムカメラ #日常 #カメラ渡すので写真撮ってきてもらえませんか？ #disposablecamera #everydaylife #優里 #DiNA #幸せも寂しさも半分こ #collab ♬ DiNA – Yuuri
Upworthy draws parallels to the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, which is described as the appreciation of beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.” And disposable cameras, a medium that delivers flawed images with a certain charm, definitely fits into that category.
@yusa.film カメラ渡すので写真撮ってきてもらえませんか？inディズニーランド👸🏼🏰 @オバマ さん #写ルンです #ディズニー #カップル #カメラ渡すので写真撮ってきてもらえませんか？ #disposablecamera #disneyland ♬ Mix – Marcy
Cheap disposable cameras are certainly having a moment: just look at the popularity of the Camp Snap. And earlier this month, PetaPixel featured the work of motorsports photographer Jamey Price, who shot Formula 1 races with a NASCAR-themed disposable camera for a fun book project.
Yusa’s day job also involves couples finding love. He operates Match Film, a profile photo service for people on dating apps. He worked at a dating app for nine years where he took many profile photos of the app’s users before setting up Match Film.
Image credits: Photographs via Yusa Film
