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"I felt that monochrome photography was a language
I could use to express myself."
As a boy I was crazy about swimming and never really came into contact with photography
until I graduated from high school. I remember that even when a school friend
who was a member of the photography club showed me some slides he had taken,
my first impression was, "So what?" I just simply wasn't interested.
I had always wanted to make things, so when the time came to decide what to do
after high school, I thought I would enroll in cooking school and study to become
a chef. My parents, however, were completely against the idea. Then, by chance,
I happened to come across an ad for a photography college. Since I did have an
interest in mechanical things, and my parents clearly thought photography was
a better career choice than cooking, I went ahead and enrolled.
At college, I majored in advertising photography. One day, the teacher in one
class showed us some black & white photos, and I was immediately struck by
them. "Wow!" I thought. I became increasingly engrossed in monochrome
photography after that, and never missed a chance to see exhibitions by Eugene
Smith and other overseas photographers who worked in black & white.
I also got to visit New York as part of my studies, and I was able to see exhibitions
featuring the work of Ansel Adams and my favorite photographer, Edward Weston.
It was an exceptionally valuable learning experience. The great thing about Weston's
monochrome works is the subtle balance he achieves. When I saw his work, I realized
that black & white photography is a language unto itself. Color photos communicate
a lot of visual information, whereas the vocabulary of monochrome photography
is limited to light and shadow.
So you have to use your imagination when viewing black & white photos. That
is the 'language' of monochrome photography, and I realized I could use that
language to express myself. It was a kind of epiphany for me, the moment when
I was awakened to the wonder of photography. Since then, photography has continued
to be an important means of expressing my ideas.
When people look at my work, I want them to understand what I'm trying to express,
and respond to it in a way that is relevant to their own lives. Naturally, everyone
has their own point of view, so my photos mean something different to everyone
who sees them, which is the way it should be. I believe that by leaving more
room for the viewer's imagination to play a role, monochrome photographs offer
much more potential for expression than color photographs.
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| The Four Thirds System ― A Global Standard in Digital Imaging Performance
and Mobility |
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| The Four Thirds System is a global open standard for the design
of all-digital SLR camera bodies and lenses. Conceived to realize the highest
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