-Tell me how you came to enter the competition New Cosmos of Photography.

Photography is my job, but in my mind, taking a photo as a job is totally different from producing a work of photography. While doing my job everyday, I often tend to neglect to compile my photos into a piece of work. So, I thought that taking part in the competition would give me a good chance to produce a work.
I once participated in New Cosmos of Photography, but I did not win. Recalling it now, I think that it was a natural outcome. My work was not properly organized. Unlike this prize winning work, comprised all black-and-white photos. I wanted to speak about this and that, and all my ideas were mixed up and surging in my mind.

-Your prize-winning work looks refreshing and gives a simple impression.

I usually spend a lot of time thinking or worrying about something. I know that I have something to say, but sometimes it is difficult even for me to know what it is. Then, who could understand what I am trying to convey? This work of mine shows that I could successfully get out of this worrywart. Anyway, I could finish dealing with the process from taking photos to arranging them into a work quickly. Everything went without a hitch. The method of presentation and composition also worked out smoothly. I must have had a clear picture of how my work should be.

-Were you confident that your work would win?

Rather, I really wanted people to see this work. I was satisfied with having completed the work. I was delighted to know that Fumio Nanjo selected it. I want to go on working as a photographer, so it is really encouraging that my work caught a curator’s eye.

-Tell me how you produced your prize winning work.

I took photos at a salt lake in Bolivia. I took a paid vacation only to create this work. First, I saw a small photo of the lake in a travel magazine. Immediately I thought, “I have to go there. It’s calling me.” It was a great inspiration. But I was anxious. Of course, I had not been there, and it was a solitary journey of seventeen days. I visualized what I would see, but I feared that there might be nothing of the sort.
At such an altitude, one might suffer from altitude sickness by trying too much. So, I advanced slowly, taking my time. Lots of things happened. I was stranded because a river rose in the rainy season; I suffered from food poisoning; and, as there was a strike in the town where I was staying, So, I couldn’t travel ahead for a while. Somehow, I reached the target lake, and could take photos.
In a photo of my work two people standing are alone at the lake. When I had my camera at the ready, two people came walking towards me with perfect timing. I don’t set things up. I usually look forward to having “a chance of inevitability.” When the two people approached me, I raised my fist in triumph in my mind pressing the shutter button.
Many people seem to think that this work of mine is a composite photo. I don’t do such things at all. I believe that straight photos alone can have meaning to communicate. Photographs are very honest, I think. If a photographer gets nervous, it is reflected in the photo. If you love the subject, the photo will show it. Photos reveal the photographer’s feelings as well as the subject’s true character. That attracts me, so I make works through photography as a medium.

-This is my last question. Who is your favorite artist?

I like Pablo Picasso(*1). What is amazing about his work is that the powerful intensity of the original does not fade even when printed on something like a flyer. Of photographers, I like Diane Arbus(*2). Her unique portraits are deeply impressive.

*1 : Pablo Picasso
Painter and sculptor (1881–1973). Pablo Picasso was born in Spain. He showed artistic talent from childhood, moved to France, and produced a lot of work there. He kept changing his painting style, and was at the forefront of trends of art throughout the 20th century. His works include “Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon” and “Guernica.”

*2 : Diane Arbus
Photographer (1923–1971). Born in New York City. While working actively as a professional photographer in the fields of fashion and advertising, she produced her own work . Her work is known for portraits of mentally or physically hurt people as seen in a straightforward fashion.