Well, that escalated quickly. After deleting a video featuring Tatsuo Suzuki and his intrusive shooting style, Fujifilm has decided to drop the photographer as the company’s ambassador, too.
In case you haven’t followed the story, here’s a quick recap. After the release of the Fujifilm X100V, the company published a series of promotional videos. One of them, featuring Tatsuo, caused a strong backlash from the community. People found his style too intrusive and “rude,” and the company soon decided to take the video down. The copy of it is still on YouTube, so you can watch it below and see for yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy2YzUvHDq0
According to Fuji Rumors, after removing the video, Fujifilm appears to have removed Tatsuo Suzuki from the Fujifilm X Photographers program as well. A Google cached page shows the photographer on the website. However, if you visit the official Fujifilm X photographer website, you won’t find Tatsuo there.
Just like after Fujifilm’s removal of the video, reactions to dropping Tatsuo Suzuki as a brand ambassador are mixed. Some claim that this is legit street photography (no matter how obnoxious we perceive it). Others find his style intrusive, disrespectful and rude, and they support Fujifilm’s decision.
Although there are street photographers who shoot like this, I know that I wouldn’t like to be their subject. I would feel very uncomfortable, but that’s just me. When it comes to Fujifilm, I believe that they knew Tatsuo’s style when they chose him as an ambassador. So maybe all of this could have been avoided or done differently.
The official statement from Fujifilm is yet to come, and we’ll update the article when/if it is announced. In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts. Do you think this was a good decision on Fujifilm’s side?
[via FStoppers]
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