2024, let's get it!

Hi everyone!

It’s been quite a while! Hope all of you guys are doing great.

First of all I would like to wish a Happy New Year to anyone reading this. I hope that 2024 will be a year filled with success, happiness and of course good health. Stay safe and enjoy your life even if there are hard times to go through, and may all of you be able see your favorite artists on stage this year!

The end of 2023 has been quite difficult for me, which is why I haven’t been updating this blog in a while. That said I still do have some good news to bring to the table!

I joined a media team called « ab(CDE) » in last November. This media has been co-created by Emma, a friend of mine (and her friends). Emma is also a concert photographer based in Los Angeles, capturing a ton of asian and KPOP concerts/festivals through her camera. We actually met on instagram and she offered me to join the team to cover KPOP concerts in France under the media name.

I immediately accepted, as I not only already loved their work, but requesting concerts&events production companies for press accreditation on my own (as freelance photographer) has proven itself to be very difficult, with my frustration only growing bigger with each and every rejected request.

The first KPOP show that I’ve been shooting as ab(CDE)’s photographer was GEMINI on December 1st. He was accompanied by his friends DJ POOL and Blasé for this world tour. The concert was held at the Bataclan and they actually had a space between the crash barrier and the stage which was made shooting much more comfortable. To top it off, I was allowed to shoot the whole show!

That said, GEMINI and his crew are all DJs and rappers, and as such there weren’t that many lights on stage which posed quite a challenge – but one I wasn’t averse to, and I think I did a pretty good job in the end. 🙂

Two days later, the group PIXY was heading to La Maroquinerie in Paris as the final part of their stay in France during their Europe tour (they went to Strasbourg and Bordeaux prior to that). La Maroquinerie is a rather small venue, but it means even there is that much less distance between the fans and the artists. Once again, I was allowed to photograph the entire show! The girls were cute and performed many of their iconic songs, alternating from their darker tone ones to some sweet ballads.

I initially got the press accred on my own for this concert, but I eventually decided to share it with ab(CDE)!

In late November, I had the opportunity to be part of the official photographer team for WOODZ’s concert in Paris. It was not my first experience as an official staff, but it was the first one being staff for a production (Onion Production) of a Korean artist concert. Despite some issues and misunderstandings, I am very glad that I got this opportunity to work not only for the fans, but for the production and the artist himself all at the same time.

2023 was a great year with a lot of opportunities. Despite many rejections, I did get to shoot a ton of concerts, my favorites ones this year being ODD EYE CIRCLE and WOODZ! Moreover, the opportunity to work with BANZAI JAPAN during Japan Expo in July and Paris Manga in October was a truly beautiful experience. I even had the chance to attend a fashion show of the Paris Fashion Week 2023-2024!

For 2024, my first wish would be to photograph more KPOP concerts but also other music genres. I would like to be more productive and get more contracts as an event photographer, meet more concert photographers around the world and pursue my studies of Korean and then try to pass the TOPIK 1-2. I also would like to start saving money for my project of going to South Korea for a year in a Working Holiday, sometimes around next year.

But the first and the most important thing I have to do is to get out of the depression I’ve been through since 2020. I do see a psychologist/therapist and it helps a lot, but even to this day, I still can’t fully move on from my life in Tokyo. Any memories are heartbreaking and I feel like I’ve lost so much by leaving Japan four years ago. I need to keep working on it and overcome it.

Anyway, thanks for your support! The new year will soon open for me with Rolling Quartz and Everglow in Paris! Feel free to come and talk to me if you happen to see me at any events, by the way. 🙂

Let’s have fun and be happy during 2024!