In a recent opinion piece on the limitations of access to crowdfunding projects, we made an argument for taking the initiative to explore sites that promote photographers from countries and cultures less frequently seen. We're following that post with a series of short profiles that will collectively provide a starting point for an exploration of international blogs, online magazines, and pages. We began by looking at Kilele, We Take Pictures Too, Arab Image Foundation, Greater Middle East Photo, and Space Cadet. Today we take a snapshot look at Street Level Japan.
Street Level Japan is run by Dan Abbe. He writes in a recent post that his prime motivation for running the blog is the amount of work that remains trapped in Japan. Posts frequently cross-reference other links and sites making it a good entryway into the country's online photography world. His posts range widely - as a sample, recent entries cover a Japanese photo award, a show on emerging female Japanese photographers at an Indiana gallery, a look at the recently deceased Yasuhiro Ishimoto, and the question of a whether there is a bright "future" for Japanese photography. This diversity helps give a sense of the overall contemporary photographic landscape of the country.
On the left sidebar, towards the bottom, is a link to a very well laid out Google map of Tokyo photography sites, a screenshot of which is below. On the right sidebar are links for exploring more Japanese and Chinese sites as well as a handful of his favorites from other areas of the world.
