IPC Honors Olympus Corporation’s Toshiro Shimoyama with Hall of Fame Award
Annual Luncheon Hosts White House News Photographers
NEW YORK CITY, January 25, 2005—The International Photographic Council (IPC), a non-governmental organization of the United Nations, today began its 31st year of dedication to the photo industry with the organization’s annual New Year’s Luncheon in the Delegate’s Dining Room at the United Nations in New York. The event featured a keynote address and narrated slide shows by representatives from the White House News Photographer’s Association, and was highlighted by a presentation of the IPC’s annual Hall of Fame award to Mr. Toshiro Shimoyama, Chairman Emeritus and Supreme Advisor, Olympus Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. The award, consisting of a soaring silver eagle and a gold medal, honors legendary contributors to the worldwide photographic and imaging communities.
White House News Photographers Share Experiences
Photographing the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election Campaign.
IPC vice president Kathy Schneider introduced keynote speaker, Susan Walsh, president of the White House News Photographers Association. Along with Walsh, White House photojournalists Mary F. Calvert and Luke Frazza entertained the 80-plus luncheon attendees with images taken during the recent Presidential campaign and their unique viewpoint into life at the White House.
During the photographic presentation, Walsh described the hectic work schedule of photographers covering the President of the United States and the White House, “There’s a lot going on and when it happens, you’ve got to be on — you’ve got to get it [the photograph].”
In some instances, the photojournalists are given mere seconds in which to capture a compelling photograph. “You have to learn to work with what you have at the time,” added Calvert. Frazza noted that along with the hours and hurried pace, “The best part of doing this job is being a witness to history, shooting people that are larger than life.”
Mr. Shimoyama’s Distinguished Career
“Mr. Toshiro Shimoyama’s vision and leadership have been major factors in Olympus Corporation’s emergence as a major company in the dynamic worldwide imaging industry,” remarked IPC’s president James Chung. Mr. Shimoyama was one of three young executives who, in 1955, helped to establish the Japan Camera and Information Service Center in the United States, and began positioning Japanese photographic products as being innovative and of top quality. He returned to Olympus Japan in 1957 to assume the position of export manager, subsequently becoming president of Olympus USA in 1977; he returned to Japan to assume the title of president of Olympus, Japan in 1993; and he was named chairman of the company in 2001. Today he is chairman emeritus and supreme advisor.
Among his many distinctions, Mr. Shimoyama has served as the president of the Japan Camera Industry (JCIA); and has received numerous industry recognitions. He was awarded the Medal of the Blue Ribbon from the Japanese Government, the PMDA “Person of the Year” Award in 1988, The Order of the Rising Sun from the Emperor of Japan in 1994, and the PMA Hall of Fame Award in 2000.
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About the IPC
The International Photographic Council (IPC) is a multinational non-governmental organization of the United Nations, composed of representatives from every major sector of the photographic industry. Founded in 1974, it is dedicated to increasing worldwide recognition of photography as a universal means of communication through the adoption of a motto, “Peace through understanding, Understanding through Photography, the Universal Language.”