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"I had focused so much on subjects overseas... I began this new project to enjoy myself, and find out more about my own country."
I used the Olympus E-1 to take the photographs for the Silk Road collection entitled "The Tianshan Southern Route - Around the Taklamakan Desert". Naturally, I took film cameras with me too, but I became more interested in digital each day, and from about half way through the trip I mainly used the E-1. Shooting with digital, light seems to move in different ways. By taking advantage of this, I was able to achieve quite different results than is possible with a film camera. And I liked the ability to capture the transparent blue color of the sky so beautifully, and found digital as comfortable to work with as film. Even though most of the photos were shot in arid desert conditions, the E-1's dust reduction kept problems to a negligible level.
As my next project, I'm currently working on a series of photographs, tentatively entitled, "Amusement Japan." Because I had focused so much on subjects overseas, I found I was having trouble understanding what was going on in Japan. So I began this new project to enjoy myself, and find out more about my own country. I've mainly been shooting ceremonial events, both personal and public, to discover new things about Japan.
I think that photography is something that lets one live life happily. Through photographs, one can meet people and learn a great deal - they are a constant source of discovery. When facing a subject, I try to get as close as possible. Actually, I think it would be great if I could get so close to the subject that he or she becomes part of me. When I'm looking through the camera, the subject is looking at me, so there's a kind of collaboration between us. Then, when the photo is viewed, it generates an emotional response that links viewer, subject, and photographer in a three-way relationship. To me, this interaction is extremely important. In fact, it's the motivating force behind my work as a photographer.
Editor's Note
Ms. Imaoka told us that while working in the medical research laboratory of a leading chemical manufacturer, she used to use Olympus microscopes. She also mentioned that since she was a primary school student, she has loved the mechanism of cameras as much as she loves taking photographs. I think it's this inquisitive, introspective nature that enables her to work freely in the field of photography. I sensed in her a beautiful combination of audacity and delicacy.
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