Street photography is changing with the times. Today, when we think of street photography, we think of a world of light, shadow, composition, rhythm, reflection, and contrast created by buildings of various shapes in big cities. But the town I live in is small, with no big buildings, squares, or beautifully shaped architecture. There is also no modern, geometrically interesting architecture.
Life is beautiful
I just love human expressions. I want to capture the facial expressions of the people there, not the light and shadows of those buildings. Rather than taking pictures of special occasions, I would like to take casual scenes in everyday life. I especially like photos that make me feel positive, such as love and kindness. I would be happy if the person who saw the photo felt kindness and nostalgia from the photo. They are very peaceful and there is hope for the future.
Once, at my solo exhibition, I saw an elderly woman shed tears when she saw a photo I had taken. When I asked her why she cried, she said that seeing the photo made her feel nostalgic and warm. And she told me she was glad to see the photos. I am very happy that the photos touched the emotions of the people who saw them and made them happy.
In the field of street photography, I have many favorite photographers and I am influenced by many of them. Among them, the photographer I’m most interested in right now is Shoichi Kudo (1929-2014), who photographed Aomori, Japan in the 1950s. He is a photographer who, like Vivian Maier, was discovered posthumously. The photographs he took capture the vivid expressions of people at the time. When I look at his photographs, I feel that photographs have the power to transcend time and language barriers.
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