Blown-up beauty by Jun de Leon

Camera phones have come a long way. Just ask ace photographer Jun de Leon, whom Sony Ericsson asked to create the first outdoor camera phone photo exhibit. The images for this show are backlit so people can really see how big and brilliant these huge, 47-inch images are. And all of them were taken with a camera phone. 

The small Japanese island of Naoshima is a Mecca for modern lovers of art and beauty, and Jun took wonderful pictures of it to take us there as well. It wasn’t an easy trip for him, but the results are nothing short of breathtaking. The outdoor exhibit will be on display at Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City throughout the season. It will be lit up this Monday and is free and open to the public. 

“The Road to Naoshima” exhibit promises to be a striking experience for visitors. The circular display of huge photos — half of them 47x35 inches in size — represent De Leon’s arduous but rewarding journey to a small Japanese island. His artistry is both anticipated and expected in every shot. For his weapon of choice, De Leon chose the 8.1-megapixel Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber-shot phone.

“The Road to Naoshima” is thus the first outdoor camera phone photography exhibit of some of the largest camera phone pictures ever printed.

Stretching the C905’s imaging capability even further, De Leon chose to print on Kodak Enduratrans Film. The material is used only for high-quality, durable backlit imaging, a more demanding choice than ordinary photo paper. The C905 more than just holds up to the challenge. The resulting photos are slick enough to be mistaken for digital camera shots.

 De Leon was thrilled to embark on a trip to Naoshima, location of Benesse House, a hotel art museum complex and the Chichu Art Museum. These structures were created by architect extraordinaire Tadao Ando, whom De Leon greatly admires.

 “He’s a master of light and shadow. I have his books,” De Leon notes, searching his bookcase to prove it. “Have you read about his life? He was a truck driver and boxer before he became all that.”

 The 60-something Ando is all that indeed, earning the title “world’s greatest living architect” for dynamic structures drawn from an understanding of light flow and reflection. The man has nearly all the major architecture and design accolades under his belt, despite never having formal training. His work in Naoshima has been hailed as among his finest, inspiring the coastal town to support more art projects. Installations throughout the island now abound from the shoreline and even mountainsides. But even with its devotion to art, Naoshima remains a serene natural retreat. Ando created buildings that blend in, rather than obscure the landscape.

 “I’ve been planning to visit Naoshima for two years now before Sony Ericsson approached me with the project,” says De Leon. He took his phone, his laptop and the best walking shoes he could find to start on the journey. Getting there meant a whole day of domestic flights, bullet trains, buses and boats. Walking is the norm on the island, and now De Leon wonders if he fully explored it all during his stay.

 “When you are immersed in the art, it becomes your reality,” he says. “It becomes your only focus.”   He found himself with about 600 camera phone images at the end of the five-day trip. The next challenge was to trim the collection down to photographs that would best embody what had become a pilgrimage to experience his hero’s art. Ando reportedly still visits the tiny island now and then. But with his genius in high demand, the architect’s trips were more for reference than rest.  Ando has several ongoing projects across the globe and typically works through his stay in Naoshima. 

 As for De Leon, the best part of the journey came with sharing his vision through this first-of-its-kind exhibit. He proves that camera phone photos have risen a notch higher with the C905.

 The phone was easy to use, he says, even with a one-hand grip. He was also especially happy with its exposure control, which he could adjust using the joystick. Aside from the high resolution camera, it also features auto focus with face detection, red-eye reduction, smart contrast and an image stabilizer for both still and video imaging. 

De Leon selected 30 of his favorite shots for “The Road to Naoshima” exhibit. The images will be on display starting tomorrow at Bonifacio High Street, Fort Bonifacio Global City until Jan. 15, 2009.