_valerian

The director of the Konica Minolta gallery has been asking for the Statement of my show. What’s more, they asked me to re-work the one I originally had given them because it had already been published. Turns out that was not such a bad request after all and what I came up with in English matches my recent feelings/understanding towards the work.

These photographs are reference points to a further understanding of where I am, and how I relate to this place through photography. At the same time, they are pictures of what Japan can look like in photographs.

They are visual products of an ongoing investigation, but rather than answers, I am interested in the questions that they ask.

What else is there between myself and Japan, besides my camera?

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写真は　私にとって　手がかり

自分が　一体どこにいるかを知るための　手がかり

自分が　写真を通じてこの場所とどうつながっているか　理解を深めるための　手がかり

写真に映し出された日本は　どう見えるのか

撮影した写真は　探求の過程で得た　目に見える答えではある

しかし　私が求めるのは答えではなく　写真が与えてくれる　さらなる問いかけなのだ

私と日本　そこにカメラがなければ　その間には　一体他の何があるというのだろう

“Zero” as in rolls left to develop. I think 20 of these are from Nebraska this summer, and the other 100 or whatever be from the past couple of months.

I figure with a bit of effort 16 to 24 rolls could be done in an evening, and this is looking like a good week or so of standing at the sink with the TV on. My fridge has another 10 rolls of 120 film to soup— and once the 35mm is done I think I’ll concentrate more on medium format work. Hikari Camera in Matsudo has a Pentax 67II in the window for 160,000 yen and I am tempted to trade in some equipment towards taking it home. That or a Mamiya 7 is next on my list. It’s interesting how the past issues of Phat Photo and Photographica both devoted several pages about 6×7 cameras (the Mamiya being their darling), and had very, very little information or photos of 35mm film cameras. Instead, digital point and shoots / lower end DSLRs are what’s the deal. I suppose that’s how it is going to go. If film “dies” I imagine I’ll just shoot with a digital point and shoot for everything. Why bother with anything manual on a digital camera? (Note: If someone wants to give me an M8 I will take it). Unless Nikon makes a good (retro) looking digital SLR (DF-M3a please) I want nothing to do with a DSLR. It’s like there is a competition going on to make the ugliest plastic turd camera possible. Pentax got it half right with this. Are there more important issues in Photography than how a camera looks? YES.