Nigh Magazine

Piczo
Interview (2021)

First, I would like to ask about your background. Could you tell us about what cultures or individuals strongly influenced you?

What to say…I read a lot of comics. Also, when I was around twenty, seishun punk(Japanese pop-punk) as a genre was really popular, and I was rather influenced by that sort of music and the musicians who played it. Bands like Maximum the Hormone or 10-FEET who didn’t sell well at the time but who were doing brilliant things. One guy in a band asked me to take their photos since I was an art-school student, and for entire the time I was attending school, I was always taking photos of bands and their members. That was my chance to get friendly with the bands. From them, I feel that I learned something like the way to live or that conviction and passion. On the other hand, it was the heyday for advertising, the art director Kosugi Koichi and Ikezawa Tatsuki were among my classmates, and Nagashima Rikako was in the year above me; there were many students working towards getting into the advertising industry at the time, and I was also influenced by that. School was exactly like the world in the manga Hidarikiki no Eren(Left-Handed Eren); outside of school, I was hanging out with the band members, and each of these different worlds were interesting.

Was there no photography major at Musashino University of Art?

That’s correct. At the time I had entered the Department of Design Informatics only English, Japanese, and mathematics were subjects for academic examinations. I entered the school without even having sketching experience, so I struggled because I couldn’t draw. The days I where I was made to work on group drawings or sculptures were like hell, but I carried on through it all without missing class. The biggest thing that made me interested in photography was probably that my girlfriend who I was dating in my first year of university took photos. My inability to draw is probably another reason why I chose photography, too—since all you need to do to get the shot is to push the shutter.

What was your reason for choosing to go to school in London after that?

I thought to myself upon graduating from Mushashino University of Art that I really wanted to be a photographer, but I didn’t know how to become one since I had been in the design department. So, I figured that it would be best for me to attend a photography school. I spoke with my parents, and they told me that if I were to go back to school that I should study abroad. Lucky for me, that’s exactly what I did. I had the rough idea that New York or London would be the place to go to study art.

How was the situation when you first started to work as a photographer in London?

A photographer has a lot of upfront costs to cover. I first started from tests, then little by little I started to get editorial work. But, when these jobs come from magazines, not only are the production costs for the photoshoot are the photographer’s responsibility, the photographer, also has to cover the fees to rent the studio, transportation costs for the team, and even provide food on set. I had to take so many part-time jobs to cover all these expenses, and then I would spend my earnings all on the magazine work—it was a negative cycle. After I had built up my name through the magazines to a certain point, that was when the commercial work finally started to come in. I had to first work through that negative cycle, and then I needed to build up my connections and strengthen my English skills to get magazine work, so this took several years to achieve. So, the work needed to survive is much harder than photography. Working overseas the return doesn’t match the amount of effort put into it, so you need to have the patience to enjoy living without thinking of the effort spent as labor.

Even now, are you still in that negative cycle?

Even today, I have to pay from my own pocket for magazine work, so it really hasn’t changed much. But, as the amount of money that I can use for production has increased, the scale of the commercial work has also gradually increased, so I am compensated accordingly. So, it feels like the size of the cycle has gotten larger, and I’m still living frantically. Every year, I wonder if I was able to get the food on my plate from my photography work during the year. (laughs)

The circumstances are quite different from Japan, aren’t they?

The fashion magazines and the commercial system are completely different at the most fundamental level. You could say that London is kind to newcomers—there’s this impression that magazines and media are proficient at seeking out new talent. Since magazine work is essentially taking photographs on my own dime to begin with, I really feel that if I don’t do my own thing, I’m losing out. Of course, there is some direction from the editorial department on what sort of feeling they want, but they yield to the photographer’s or artist’s creativity, so there is some degree of flexibility. I can’t make money with magazine work, but it sparks my creativity, and I think it’s easier to show off my own colors here as a photographer when compared to other countries.

Does this background also account for the differences in quality of photographs and covers when compared to Japan?

First of all, the degree of motivation behind everyone’s work is different here. This isn’t limited just to photography, but the stylists and make-up artists are the same; since they have to cover all the costs for what they want to do, they take everything seriously. This earnestness is what connects to the high level of creativity in my opinion. That being said, I can’t really say that either Japan or Great Britain is better. The quality is higher here and it’s also interesting, but the stakes are always so high and it’s quite hard to keep at it, and I question if this is a happy life when I think about it. In Japan, I could earn the bare minimum needed for daily life through photography alone; it all depends on what values you are going after.

I’m sure that each project is different, but do you visualize the composition or imagery before shooting begins?

It’s more fun when it’s a spontaneous and unpredictable shoot, but as the scale of the project increases, getting approval and preparation becomes necessary, so I have to approach it in these situations with a certain amount of the details decided in advance. But, I want to stand out, and when on location I approach the shoot keeping in mind how to get that spontaneity out in the process. Without that feeling or that drive, it’s hard to be compelled to press the shutter, you know—I want to feel that wow! When you work to approach a predecided image, you can never get to the next level beyond that. Though I might decide the overall mood and such, I never decide down to the angles and composition. Also, most of the times I will be on-location, and since things hardly ever go as planned, I feels like I am responding to the situation in front of me.

When shooting, do you pay attention to the relationship and distance you have with the subject?

Yes, I keep in mind to take my photos from as close a distance as possible. When the subject is a person, I take particular care to communicate with them, in the hopes that movement will cause something to happen. Otherwise, the photo will be as stiff as a board.

Do you ever have the feeling of “this is the one!” when you’ve pressed the shutter?

There are certain times where I get this feeling, but even if I think I’ve taken a good enough photo, I try to push a bit further from there. Approaching from a completely different angle, having the model move in another way, I open up the possibilities by trying to make interesting things happen. Afterward, when the film is finished and before I roll everything up, I open the lid and intentionally expose the last three frames to light. While anticipating the result to a certain extent, I go a bit further and give myself a challenge, you could say. I think that the top photographers of the world also break through by challenging themselves. They are successful by making interesting creations while also responding to their client’s needs. Their imagination and guts are exceptional, and I feel that photography is really an awe-inspiring world.

As a photographer, what is a skill that cannot be gained through experience?

Perhaps it’s something like the resourcefulness that moves people around you. I don’t think having a very commanding presence is necessary, but it’s that ability to inspire the people involved to work hard for my sake. Also, since it’s pretty much guaranteed that things will not go according to plan and unexpected things happen all the time, it’s good to have the power to pull everyone along even when things aren’t going well. (laughs)

What part of yourself have you imbued unconsciously into your photographs?

I’m not sure, this is really difficult to say. Maybe that somewhat slack feeling?

What projects were turning points in your career?

Of course, the biggest would have to be when I was picked up by i-D. It was also great that I had been working on the campaigns for Wooyoungmi over the course of several seasons. Beyond that, I was quite surprised when I was approached for the V&A campaign.

From Polaroids to iPhones, the range of tools available for photography today is quite broad, but do you naturally find that film is the most suitable for expressing yourself?

Recently, I’ve taken to printing scanned film on inkjet or photographic paper, and scanning that once more. Digital always has these sharp edges that stand out, and retouching the photos to soften them takes considerable time. It’s hard work brushing up both film and digital photos but with film the colors come out more beautifully right away, and it’s faster in the end.

It only takes one moment to take the shot, but the work after shooting ends is certainly no laughing matter.

It’s not just the work after, but the preparation beforehand as well. This is where it’s different from Japan: here, each project needs to have something called a treatment created for it, which functions much like a mood board. The look and casting, the characterization, the setting, and props, and then in lighting what sort of cuts will be made, and so forth. Preparing all these reference documents and the proposal is the work of the photographer, and then the team works based on this information. Including research, a tremendous amount of time is necessary for the making the treatment.

In Japan, that would be the work of the director, right?

Correct. In Japan, in advertising and everything else, graphics have a strong impression. In meetings, the discussions are about the graphics in the image, but never touch upon the story of the characters. But, when shooting, the character is the most important, and if the composition cannot be built from developing that character, there will be trouble during the shoot. On the other hand, as long as the character has been firmly decided and shared with the team, should anything happen during the shoot it can generally be taken care of.

That’s truth spoken from your lived experience working in Japan and overseas.

First of all, when working in Japan, it’s often unclear who the project is actually for. Is it for the editorial division? For me? For the client? It’s vague and in spite of the sheer number of meetings, there’s so much that is left undecided. I think it’s probably due to where the money is coming from, and since I am getting paid, it’s of course different from my work in London and I work hard to respond to their needs, suggesting that doing this or that would be good for the piece. Although I can propose options, I ultimately don’t have the authority to make the final decision. Even so, I need to be able to see the direction of the project otherwise it’s difficult to work and depending on the circumstances I will even make mood boards for proposals for work in Japan as well. Regardless, if it’s a yes or no, I get some sort of reaction from them, and this helps me get a clearer idea of the direction of the project.

Do you have any specific goals for projects you would like to work on in the future?

I wonder…I would like to work with a strong magazine once each season, but that barrier is tremendous. I was speaking about this with a friend the other day, and we feel we were surely something like bugs in our previous lives, and this is our first go at living as humans. For example, a photographer who has shot world-class campaigns in their early twenties has already been born as a person five times. And surely, one of those lifetimes was close with art, and for people like us who are only on their first human lifetime, there’s no way we can compete with them! That’s how much of a gap I feel. (laughs)

What are the times that you feel the real appeal of being a photographer?

Quite frankly, I’m happy the moment when I’ve taken a brilliant photo. Also, it feels like I’ve finally done it when photos of mine that don’t have clothes in them are used for fashion work, or when my photos taken on 35mm are used in a major job. When there’s a big enough budget and are well prepared, anyone can make something that’s good enough. But, I find photos which aren’t prepared like that, the ones which make use of coincidence are photographically interesting, and I feel the real charm unique to photography in those moments.

So, what would be the biggest conflict you have faced since you started work as a photographer?

If only I could speak English better… Also, there isn’t much reason for a Japanese person to work overseas—if anything, there’s nothing but disadvantages. For example, there’s this brilliant photographer who I have been into recently, Rafael Pavarotti. His sense of color was born from an African base, and for someone like me who was born in Japan, I can’t ever attain it. When I think about it, I wonder what is it that I have, and it feels paradoxical that I came to London to work. Japanese photographers such as Nobuyoshi Araki, Daido Moriyama, Keizo Kitajima are highly regarded in Europe. That high regard wasn’t earned because they’ve catered to western culture but due to their unique works taken in Japan. Reflecting on that, I wonder if it would have been better to stay in Japan taking photos of Japanese subjects because I’m Japanese myself. If I were to take photos over here aiming for that Japanese essence then the final product would be only an imitation of it, and vice versa. So, I want to do things in Japan that are unique to Japan and do things here that could only be done here.

You regularly take photos in your private life as well. What moments or subject matter catch your eye and compel you to take action?

No matter how far I’ve come, work is work. The photos I like the most are not always chosen, and work photos are all taken for some sort of purpose. Since in commercial work how you approach the product to show it is fundamental, I usually take photos of things unlike that. Naturally, the people I love, my friends, scenery, etc. (laughs)

The photo story you shared with us was composed of photos from your private life. How did you interpret “The Days till Now”?

It’s the story from when I arrived in Japan for work in March this year until I returned to London. When I left, London was still in lockdown, and during my week in quarantine after my arrival in Japan, a state of emergency was announced for Tokyo. It was interesting that I had gone so far out of my way to only be restricted once again. After that, I returned to London in April where the lockdown was already lifted, the shops and restaurants were open, and daily life had gotten quite back to normal. In Great Britain, people weren’t wearing masks outdoors, and it was completely different visually from Japan when walking around on the street. So, I interpreted it as a story of sorts about the days until the return to the ordinary.

Could you tell us about your plans for the future?

Next month, I’m publishing my first photobook, entitled nikki, and it’s a journal of the photos I’ve taken in normal life. From July 8th, it will be offered on pre-sale along with the exhibition being held at Maison Kitsuné Filles du Calvaire, and after that, around the end of August or start of September, I plan to launch the book again in Japan. Additionally, talks on having another photobook of my portraits published are proceeding well, and I’m looking forward to sharing these with the world.