Canon global

-How did you photograph your entry?

I collected photos that I’ve taken over the past three years. It was three years ago that I began to use a digital camera, so most of them are digital photos. What I photographed is a kind of a collection of fragments from around the world. I hope to be able to build a new world through those fragments. If you look at each photo, it might appear to have no meaning, or that any kind of interpretation is possible. That’s more fun, I think.

-When did you start taking a photo?

I entered Kobe Design University because I wanted to be a graphic designer. But, design didn’t suit me. It was unbearable for me to sit still in front of a personal computer. I knew it wasn’t for me. At the same time, I was a member of a photography club, and a teacher who was the adviser to the club said, “You should continue to do only what you like to do.” Then I realized that photography was what I liked to do. Even if I took a photo every day, it would not bother me. I hadn’t experienced such a feeling before. That’s why I came to Tokyo just after graduation. I wanted to work taking photos, but at present I mostly take photographs to produce my work.
The site where I photograph changes according to my mood on the day. If I decide to make it a photography day, I get up in the morning and go to a place where I feel like going. If it falls on a Sunday, I’ll go to a place where many people gather, or go in whatever direction I think it’s likely that there is something interesting.

-What made you enter New Cosmos of Photography?

This is the second time that I have entered. When I first entered two years ago, I won an honorable mention. I aimed at a better result than that this time, and wanted to take part in the exhibition. My entry was a book containing about 150 photos, but at the exhibition I narrowed them down to 16. First, I thought of putting up a lot of photos all over the wall, but I knew that the way of arranging a large quantity of digital photos was already used by prize winners during the last several years, so I decided to use a different approach.

-Your presentation at the selection open-committee meeting was unique.

Do you mean that I did not project my work but sentences enlarged on a screen? When I was a college student, I took a class in which everyone gave a presentation each time we submitted an assignment. I tried to use that method, though I’m not sure if it was effective.
At the selection open-committee meeting, and before and after it, the judges gave me advice in various ways. Koo Bohnchang who selected my work told me that there were still unnecessary pieces included in it, and I should narrow them down further. Daido Moriyama’s suggestion was that I should provide a scene that was most suitable for the finish. Otherwise, I would be stuck in “the hell of quantity.” Because my work is in a thick book form, I have to be sure of the meaning of showing the quantity. I really appreciate that I will be able to choose my direction in the future.

-Is there a photographer you think influenced you?

Kiyoshi Suzuki(*). I like his photos as well as his style of being a photographer. For instance, he continued to publish his photo books at his own expense. It is also my wish to publish my collection of photos at my own expense. He is my guide.

*Kiyoshi Suzuki (1943 - 2000)
Born in Fukushima Prefecture. He continued photography while working as a signboard painter. He published photo books such as “Soul and Soul” and “DURASIA” privately. He won the 14th Domon Ken Award in 1994.