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"After using the E-1 in Mongolia...I now shoot exclusively with digital cameras."
Dust resistance is essential when taking photos in Mongolia, but for the conditions found inside those manholes, water resistance was important, too. While searching for suitable locations in September, I conducted a few test shoots using the E-1 and was amazed at how well it performed. Convinced that it was the ideal camera for the actual shoot, as soon as I arrived back in Japan I purchased all the lenses and accessories I thought I'd need. I'd previously worked with digital cameras on magazine shoots, but I'd always used film to capture the images I ultimately submitted. After using the E-1 in Mongolia, though, I now shoot exclusively with digital cameras. Without the E-1, the "Street Boys" project would never have come to fruition. It's not hard to understand why I'm looking forward to its successor model.
The photograph here shows one of the boys who spend their days singing on the streets in temperatures as low as -30°C. It wasn't easy for me to witness their plight every day. Of course, I talked to them and asked them if they minded having their photos taken. People around us, however, gave us some very cold looks because acknowledging the existence of these street kids is considered almost taboo. Since democratization in 1990, the negative effects of the change have become apparent in various areas of Mongolian society. As is often the case, it's the weak, namely the children, who suffer the most. That's why I entered their photos in the Yonosuke Natori Photography Award competition, because I wanted as many people as possible to understand the reality of the situation.
Rather than finishing the project with a single collection of photographs, I'd like to shoot the street kids again at a later date to see how their lives have unfolded, and compile a collection entitled "Down the Road." Meanwhile, in collaboration with Mongolian photographers, I've already started taking photographs of rare Mongolian wildlife for use in a Red Data Book of endangered species published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. There's no doubt that Mongolia will always feature in my work. I feel so comfortable and content there, sometimes I wonder if I may have been Mongolian in a former life. I'm even able to sing "Ho-Mi" style Mongolian folk songs in which two separate notes are sung simultaneously to create harmonies.
I believe that photography is a means of delivering a message and, at the same time, a medium that reflects who one is. Any given image shows what the photographer was thinking at the time it was taken, so photography really is a kind of personal history. I have the greatest respect for my subjects and feel deeply grateful when photographing them. And one of my favorite sayings when working is, "Be meticulous, be bold," because while I want to be thorough, I also want to have the courage to take chances. I believe that both of these traits are required to take good photographs.
Editor's Note
"I always maintain a sense of distance between myself and my subjects to avoid offending them, and never fail to feel grateful as I photograph them, even if they are only crows or rats," says Shimizu. In both in his words and attitude, I was struck by the deep affection and kind regard he has for his subjects. It's this caring humility - coupled with the bold audacity that led Shimizu to wander Mongolia - that enable him to take photographs that fascinate us all.
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