Q: What first sparked your interest in photography, and how has your background shaped the way you approach your work today?
I became interested in photography when I saw photos taken in unexplored areas in Japan, and I realized that there are some beautiful landscapes in Japan, and I wanted to see such landscapes for myself and even take photos of them.
Q: What motivated you to participate in the IPA competition, and how has winning influenced your growth as an artist and photographer?
I entered my first photo competition, the Tokyo International Foto Awards, because I was curious to see how my photos would be evaluated.
I was then selected for the Honorable Mention, which motivated me to continue taking photographs, and I became interested in other competitions and decided to enter IPA as well.
Q: What were some of the most memorable or challenging moments you encountered while working on the image(s) that won?
It was a windy day when we took the photo, and it was difficult to find the right moment when the swaying of the branches of the autumn leaves stopped.
In addition, the award-winning work was shot using long exposures, and it was difficult to keep the hand holding the sword moving at a constant speed while the body needed to remain still during the exposure, so I had to take the picture many times.
Q: In your view, what key elements make for a truly impactful photograph, and how do you strive to incorporate those into your work?
Various elements are necessary to make a photograph sublime as a work of art, and we believe that composition, originality, contingency, and editing skills are all important.
Q: What aspects of photography push you the most, either creatively or technically, and how do you overcome those challenges?
Photography differs from painting in that, in many cases, it records scenes that actually occurred, which may then be elevated to art works.
Another attraction is that long exposures and high sensitivity photography can record scenes that cannot be seen by the human eye.
Q: What drives your passion for photography, and where do you draw inspiration from for your projects?
I want to photograph scenes that no one has ever seen before. I also want to preserve the splendor of the Japanese landscape in my work and share it with the world.
Q: Looking ahead, what goals or projects are you most excited to pursue in the next phase of your photography career?
In any case, I would like to continue shooting, of course, but I would also like to engage in activities to pass on my experience gained in photography to the next generation of photographers.