This is a new project that FRAME TOKYO members interview each other to find out who they are which they don't usually talk about. This time, Kyosuke Hamao interviews Takumi Sekiguchi, who has his own unique perspective.
Kyosuke：
I want to ask you many things !! First of all, can you tell me when you start taking photography ?
Takumi：
I started to think how photography was interesting when I was around 13years old.
Kyosuke：
13!? What was the trigger of that ?
Takumi：
I was early to use digital devices, and I have had an iPhone since middle school. At that time, it was quite rare, and I tried various apps. One of which was Instagram, and I was honestly surprised whenI looked at various pictures on Instagram because I have never thought about how the culture of photography grew widely.
Then I became more interested in them, and naturally started taking pictures with my iPhone camera.
Kyosuke：
Wow,that is a cool story! When did you start having your first camera ?
Takumi：
14 years old.
Kyosuke：
You met on Instagram when you were 13 and had your camera from next yera.. that sounds really early!! More specifically, which camera did you have at that time?
Takumi：
My first camera was EOSKissX5. It was Canon's APS-C introductory camera about 10 years ago, and it seems that you can buy it for less than ¥10,000 even if you have all the kits.
Kyosuke：
Cool! Do you remember how you felt when you got it?
Takumi：
Anyway, I was super excited. I was just a second year junior high school student.
Kyosuke：
I think it's amazing that you started to take photos when you were a junior high school student. When I was in junior high school, all I could think about was playing around, so I had no interest in cameras or anything like that.lol
What did you first take photos with your camera at that time?
Takumi：
The first was beautiful scenery. At first, I liked landscapes, especially sunsets.
Kyosuke：
You liked sunsets in the beginning.
Takumi：
Yes. Anyway, I was seeking to take photos of beautiful scenery, and it wasn't a street snap at all.
Kyosuke：
That is ineresting. What was the trigger to change to street photography?
Takumi：
It's a bit strange, but around the end of my third year of middle school, I went to a hamburger shop with my family, and there was a picture of Daido Moriyama on display. My parents told me, "This photo is cool. It was taken by Daido Moriyama."
Kyosuke：
Daido Moriyama!!
Takumi：
As I researched more about him, I learned that there was an interesting world called "street photography", and since then I have been photographing it all the time.
Kyosuke：
I see. I also love him and he is a great photographer.
What I found interesting when I heard about it was that Daido Moriyama is a monochrome photographer right ? Takumi often takes color photography, and I don't think I've ever seen your black-and-white photo...
Takumi：
Yeah I do not take black and white photos.
Kyosuke：
Can you tell me why ?
Takumi：
I honestly don't want to take monochrome photos. From the time I started street snaps, it's already been in color. When I first started, I really thought like, "It's a shame it's not colored." Even now, I still feel that way...
More to say, I like to use Lightroom to develop RAW images and create even more intense colors. I enjoy not only taking pictures but also editing them afterwards. And if you want to pursue the beauty of what you see through editing, then I think color is the way to go.
Kyosuke：
I got it ! I always think your color photos are so beautiful.
Takumi：
Thank you so much!
Kyosuke：
Lastly, I want to ask you about what you are into something outside of photography.
Takumi：
Design. I'm a designer by profession, so I'm interested in visual arts.
"Visual art" is a broad world, but I like flat graphics, especially those that are expressed using only simple figures. I really like the kind of things called Bauhaus, Structuralism, and Modernism.
Kyosuke：
I see. For example, when you look at your own photos, do you often feel that they are connected to your own interests?
Takumi：
Yes I do. I think that it is quite important for photography to decide what to put where and how to balance it on a single screen.
Kyosuke：
Yeah taht is true.
Takumi：
I sometimes think that the reason why I became involved in design is because I have used that kind of intuition.
Kyosuke：
Do you think that kind of intuition is an advantage when you're shooting a lot?
Takumi：
Yes I do! For example, I don't shoot something just because I think there was an interesting moment. I often shoot after deciding the composition. Stop and think about the composition and layout, then wait for the subject to come in front of you before taking the shot.
Kyosuke：
You are the fishing type! Thank you so much for such an interesting talk!!
Takumi：
Of couce! Tkank you so much Kyosuke!
Both :
Thank you so much everyone who read this article, and see you soon!
The next time, Takumi Sekiguchi will interview Kyosuke Hamao. Look forward to it!