-Your career in photography is not very long, is it?

I was a bank clerk until August 2006. But, my desire to work to make something for myself became stronger, and after thinking it over, I decided to be a photographer. One of my acquaintances once praised a photo that I took during a trip, and I thought, “I can get by taking pictures.” I was too confident though.
After I made up my mind, I bought a camera and asked a professional photographer for tips on how to take photographs. At the same time, I sometimes visited Tsukiji fish market to take pictures. Gradually I got work as a photographer and learned skills one at a time on the job, for instance, what kind of lighting or reflection board is desirable to take a beautiful portrait.

-When did you begin to photograph your entry?

When I got the hang of the general workflow, I wanted to do my own work. So, I went to Asakusa to take a photo of the Cock Fair in November 2006. I thought that I would learn a lot from taking pictures of a place where many people gather. There, I found a group of transvestites. The most dignified and shining of all was Nanako-san who became the model for this work of mine.
At the beginning, I simply thought that I would be able to take a good picture because she had a strong impact as a subject. But, after meeting her frequently and talking with her, I came to know her better as a friend and got interested in her background. That’s why I took a photo of her as a man, and there are two different figures put side by side in my work.
I also told her a lot about myself. I said to her that I began to take photographs on my own. Because it probably worried her, she was totally absorbed in working as a model to help me. I collected all the photos that I took from autumn to winter and organized them in book form to enter the competition. It was of course my first time I had entered, but strangely I had confidence. I was sure that there was something that would appeal to people in my work if they had an opportunity to see it.

-Were you able to talk well at the selection open-committee meeting?

Someone pointed out that I talked only of the subject and didn’t say anything about the photos. That’s true. In the case of my work, I thought that viewers would get interested in her first of all, so I had planned to talk about her before being asked. In fact, I had Nanako-san be present to watch me practice my presentation. I felt secure because I was not alone. I feel a little disappointed with the result of winning a co-grand prize because it means that I have fallen a step behind. But it is so encouraging that I feel motivated to create better work.

-Is there any comment by a judge that you remember?

Nobuyoshi Araki who selected my work said something very impressive. It is impossible to make a good picture when the subject is not good enough. Before thinking about a concept, you should look around closely and react frankly to everything that you think to be attractive. That’s what he meant to say.

-What kind of photos do you plan to take after this?

I’ll continue photographing people from now on. An attractive person has a strong presence whether that person becomes a photographic subject or not. I’d like to look for such a person. I haven’t experienced much yet in my life, so if I forced myself to conceptualize things, the ideas would be limited to my small world. Rather, I’d like to walk around different places and get surprised, and experience a kind of situation in which my ideas would be overturned.

-Is there any artist who’s influenced you?

Nobuyoshi Araki has influenced me, though I am not always aware of it. And “Satellites,” a photo book that I found the other day impressed me. It is a collection of works that a photographer called Jonas Bendiksen(*1) photographed while traveling around the world. I also like the film director Tran Anh Hung(*2). Women are photographed beautifully, and I can feel sexual attraction in the film. That’s what attracts me.

*1 : Jonas Bendiksen
Born in Norway in 1977, he currently lives in New York. The projects he took up include a series of Russia-based photos on the lives of people, and that shows the present conditions of slums in urban areas. He became a member of Magnum Photos in 2004. His photo books include “Satellites.”

*2 : Tran Anh Hung
Film director. Born in Vietnam in 1962. His film “The Scent of Green Papaya” won La Camera d’Or of Cannes Film Festival. His other works include “Cyclo” and “The Vertical Ray of the Sun.”