Interviews with Takeo Hirose

Ⅰ started studying photography by myself, in earnest in 2011. Since then, I have attended many international exhibitions and won prizes at international contests, as follows;

Exhibition

2015 New York Art Fair (USA).

2015 Stockholm Art Book Fair (Sweden)

2015 Seoul Art Book Fair (South Korea)

2016 Art Book Fair Basel (Switzerland)

2017 Quoz Arts Fest and GPP Photo Week (Dubai)

2019 “Japan Photo Award Exhibition” of KYOTOGRAPHIE KG+ 2019

2019 Solo Exhibition at Gallery 25N

2019 Praxis Gallery "Mono - Kromatik"

Prize

2013 JPS (Japan professional photographers association prize), honorable mention

2014 JPS (Japan professional photographers association prize), honorable mention

2017 International Photography Awards, honorable mention (2 works)

2018 International Photography Awards, honorable mention

2018 National Geographic, Photo of the Day, September 19

2019 5th Fine art Photography Awards, fine art category, Nominee

2019 “B&W” competition of AAP Magazine #6, 3rd prize

2019 Moscow International Foto Awards, 1 Silver award, 1 honorable mention

2019 Call for Solo exhibition at Gallery 25N, Winner. The Christopher E. Burke Fine Art Grant

2019 Mono - Kromatik by Praxis Gallery, Director's choice award

2019 International Photography Awards, honorable mention (2 works)

2019 ND Awards, honorable mention (2 works)

2020 6th Fine art Photography Awards, fine art, landscape, conceptional, Nominee (3 works)

In 2011, Japan suffered from the huge earthquake disaster. Through the earthquake I understood that the beautiful sceneries are not eternal but actually very fragile, and noticed the importance of taking photos of the Japanese beauty. That is the main reason to become a photographer.

My production concept is to express the beauty of Japan using traditional motifs of Japanese painting, using the current camera and development technology.

I think my style is design-oriented, simple and quiet.

When I create ny works, I feel quiet excitement.

I have been working for a food company for a long time, during which I have visited and stationed in many countries such as Latin America, Africa and China. As my experience abroad increased, I became aware of the beauty of Japan and its rarity, and the desire to introduce the beauty of Japan to the world has become stronger.

The next future plan is to hold a solo exhibition at galleries in the US and Europe. Eventually, my dream is to have my works stored in famous museums around the world and added to the collections of overseas collectors.

I think that taking a lot of pictures, developing them, seeing various art works of various genres and getting various inspirations will be useful for future creative activities.

I suggest to apply for more photo contests around the world. If you do so, you will be aware of the level of photography in the world, and if you can win the prize, your perspective will broaden so much.

Meanwhile, in today's era when everybody is taking photos and instantly uploading them to SNS, it is an important task for professionals to think about how to add value to their works.

I usually commute to the office for work, and develop and print my work at night. On weekends, I spend time shooting and developing.

I can see trends by looking at popular works on photo sharing sites. You can also see such trends in photo contests. I will use trends as a reference, but I avoid imitating them as they are. I think I should value originality.

I feel good when I see the works that I did well.

No matter how many times I see a well-made work, there is no feeling of strangeness or catching.

I usually review the developed works again the next day and fix the parts I noticed. It is complete when there is no place to repeat this for several days.

The first monochrome work of bamboo forest is the most important work for me. This work inflated my imagination and gave me a chance to create a series.

Among the photographers, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Andreas Gursky, and old famaous Japanese painters such as Hokusai, Hasegawa Tohaku, Ogata Korin, Ito Jakuchu are the source of my inspirations.

I was born in Kyoto, so Kyoto is my favorite place.

There are many beautiful places of bamboo forests all over Japan, and I am looking forward to visiting them. Also I can meet various beautiful sceneries of night festivals that light up the bamboo forest in various places in Japan.

I believe creating works of the beautiful bamboo forests of the country would help to tourism of its location.

The main advantage is that my work can be seen by so many people in the design industry. Also, I think that my business level is improving by responding to various requests by the competition office through applications and winnings.

All my works are based on Japanese beauty. I aim to create works that are quiet, do not interfere with others, and make the surrounding air fresh.

I created works in search of the beauty of bamboo forests. As a result, I found that the characteristic shape of bamboo is more important than color, and I pursued a style that can express it more strongly.

I plan to express the beauty of Japan that I feel in various ways with the bamboo forests as a motif.

It took about 3 years from the time I first took photos of the bamboo forests until I reached this work.

Ⅰ started studying photography by myself, in earnest in 2011 when Japan suffered from the huge earthquake disaster.　 Through the earthquake I understood that the beautiful sceneries are not eternal but actually very fragile, and noticed the importance of taking photos of the Japanese beauty.

I wish to express the world of traditional Japanese paintings and ink paintings with modern Japanese sensibility and the photo technology. For the past few years I’ve produced the works in the motif of bamboo, which can be associated with Japan.

The chinese character used in my first name “Takeo” means “bamboo man”, and that is one of the reason why I chose the motif.

The soaring stalks and regular joints are really beautiful. Moreover, bamboo is considered to be an auspicious plant because it grows very fast and straight upwards. So it has been the traditional subject of paintings in Japan.

I think the distinctive characteristics of bamboo are even more attractive in monochrome images using the modern techniques of photography.

I plan to sell the works by myself.

I wish to express the world of traditional Japanese paintings and ink paintings with modern Japanese sensibility and the photo technology.

My works are influenced by famous Japanese painters of centuries ago, such as Hokusai, Hasegawa Tohaku, Ogata Korin, Ito Jakuchu etc.

I wish to deliver my works to foreign people who love Japanese culture and lifestyle.

I wish to have my works displayed at Japanese cuisine restaurants, hotels, and Japanese style living rooms.

There are many photos of Japanese bamboo forests. It is beautiful, but my works try to concentrate on expressing immortal Japanese beauty.

The subtitle of the works is “Skyscrapers”. The scenery reminds me of ancient skyscrapers in Japan.

I used Sony’s α99 mk2, photoshop, and Dell’s 8k display monitor.

Expressing traditional Japanese beauty with simple colors and designs.

I create these works by myself.

High resolution using a state-of-the-art camera, width of expression by Photoshop, expression of resolution and perspective by 8K monitor, all of these are utilized in these works creation.

My works is not influenced by data or analytical research.

The most challenging point was how to bring the photographed landscape of the bamboo forest closer to the image I wanted to create.

I wanted many overseas people to see my works, so I chose international and large-scale photo contests and submitted my works.

Through the creation, I was able to reaffirm the beauty of bamboo forests. In addition, I was able to acquire the effort to expand the range of my photo expressions.

Ⅰ started studying photography by myself, in earnest in 2011 when Japan suffered from the huge earthquake disaster.

Through the earthquake I understood that the beautiful sceneries are not eternal but actually very fragile, and noticed the importance of taking photos of the Japanese beauty.

I wish to express the world of traditional Japanese paintings and ink paintings with modern Japanese sensibility and the photo technology.

It was my choice.

I create works with motifs of Japanese scenery and materials.

I think it's important to take a lot of photos and develop them, and to see many art works other than photography and get inspired by them.

I think great designers are those who can influence people outside their area of expertise.

I evaluate whether the work has novelty and intelligence. In the case of art work, I evaluate by the impact, concept, and layer.

The value of design is that you can feel happy with it. I think it's important to look and feel good.

I would like to create works of cherry blossoms and wisteria, which are traditional Japanese motifs. Their blooming times are so short that I'm rarely lucky to shoot at the best timing.

I would like to take photos of the famous Kyoto Arashiyama bamboo forest illumination in an unattended situation. Since it is a very famous tourist spot, it is always crowded with many tourists and I can't calmly shoot there.

I think the way of developing is different from usual.

I use cyanotype tone to make a little difference from traditional Japanese ink painting, which is another characteristic of mine.

Among the photographers, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Andreas Gursky, and old famaous Japanese painters such as Hokusai, Hasegawa Tohaku, Ogata Korin, Ito Jakuchu are the source of my inspirations.

One of the most favorite works is "Theaters" series by Sugimoto Hiroshi. The idea of recording time by the long-exposure shot of movies made me so surprised and impressed. I love works which have layers of thought, or interpretation.

My best work so far is awarded one in the A' Design award. The title is "Skyscrapers NO.1". I think it is wholly well-balanced, bold yet intricate.

I recommend to see many art works in the museum. I feel that first-class arts have something in common.

Design enrich my life, make me happy and comfortable.

My most reliable supporter is my wife, who has often given hints and advices to me.

To keep creating my works.

I have found that I have red-green color vision deficiency and it is difficult to distinguish a certain color gamut. After that, I have been working on creating monochrome works and works that are not affected by such color blindness.

Photographers have many opportunities to present their works in the current SNS era, so I think that basically you should actively present your works and increase your fans.

When you reach a certain level, it is also important not to present a work that you are not confident about and may not be evaluated.

I would like to continue creating bamboo forest works. In the future, I would like to create works with other Japanese motifs.

To be stored in a famous museum in the world. Delivering my works to collectors around the world.

There are still many things I can express with a motif of bamboo, and I would like to meet beautiful bamboo forests all over Japan.

Improving the status of photography in the art industry.

In the photography art, the manipulation and collage fields that emphasize the creativity of the artist will become popular.

I want to continue the current bamboo forest series for the rest of my life.

The quality of my works greatly rely on technological advances in cameras, development software, and displays. I became able to create works at a level that I could not do a few years ago.

The developing software is Photoshop and the developing display is DELL's 8K display.

When developed with an 8K display, the resolution and perspective of the works become clear and more detailed developments become possible.

I wish people to ask about my intention to create the works.

When I walk with my dog, I often come up with a new idea.

I create my work by myself.

Mr. Kent Shiraishi, who is famous for the blue pond in Hokkaido, is my mentor. His online courses have taught me not only technically but also mentally, and my creative activities greatly influenced by him.

I was trained in books and online, and taught by Mr. Kent Shiraishi's online course.

I would like to meet with the famous Japanese painters of centuries ago, such as Hokusai, Ogata Korin, Tohaku, and Jakuchu.

Yes, I think it is very hard to be famous. However, I wish not to be famous, but to deliver my works to specific people who loves and cherish them.

My motivation is winning the contest and making the fans.

No, when I was young, I wasn't very good at art, but I was more interested in music.

I think that most of what humans can imagine now will be realized in future. We may begin to live on other planets or have contact with aliens.

Ⅰ started studying photography in earnest in 2011 when Japan suffered from the huge earthquake disaster.

Through the earthquake I understood that the beautiful sceneries are not eternal but actually very fragile, and noticed the importance of taking photos of the Japanese beauty.

Design enrich my life, make me happy and comfortable.

I like to create works of sceneries and motifs that make you feel Japan.

I like my series of works of Japanese bamboo forests that I'm currently working on. The shape of bamboo is very characteristic and reminds me of Japan, which makes me so cool and feel tranquil.

My favorite materials are Sony’s α99 mk2, photoshop, and Dell’s 8k display monitor.

When I am developing my photo raw data, I feel the most creative.

At the time of art-making, I mainly focus on the beauty of composition and shape.

When I create ny works, I feel quiet excitement.

I feel very satisfied and wish to show my work to others when the image in my head can be expressed in it.

As a matter of fact, I really don’t know. Works based on theory are not always good.

I consider the most important aspect of design is novelty.

I think artists are responsible for presenting new concepts and making an impact on society.

Last year, a solo exhibition was held at Praxis Gallery, the online gallery in NY. I'm looking forward to holding a solo exhibition at a real (not virtual) gallery in the US or Europe, in the near future.

The paintings of old Japanese painters such as Hokusai, Tohaku, Jakuchu, and Korin are the source of my work ideas. I like to go to photography exhibitions, but I more often get inspired by exhibitions of contemporary art and old Japanese paintings.

I think I apply traditional Japanese painting style to my photos. I think my style is design-oriented, simple and quiet.

I live in Chiba, the metropolitan area of Japan. My motivation is to introduce Japanese culture and aesthetics to the world.

I think that Japan has both tradition and new technology and is very suitable for making contemporary art works. However, since it is an island nation, I think that Japanese people lack the sense of competition and challenge with the world.

Usually, I create an image of work I want to make, and then go back and think about the how to shoot photo, shooting location, time, development, printing etc.

However, one of the merit of camera is that you can quickly record a scene when you encounter an unexpected one, and sometimes I take a photo without making any preparations and then consider creating a work.

I usually commute to the office for work, and develop and print my work at night. On weekends, I spend time shooting and developing.

I think that modern photographers seriously need to consider marketing of differentiation from so-called SNS photos.

In recent years, it has been difficult to add more value to photos than just beautiful, and it becomes tougher to live only as a photographer.

I think that the advantage of being a photographer is that there is a superiority in presenting yourself through SNS today.

The disadvantage is that it's very difficult to add value to your work because anyone can take photos　right away, sometimes greatly beautiful ones by accident.

Always be aware of concept, impact and layers.

I think that it is creativity and sense of balance.

I use Sony’s α99 mk2, photoshop, and Dell’s 8k display monitor.

I'm thinking about making new works and ideas for future works in my spare time. I come up with a nice idea often when I'm taking a walk with my dog.

It takes at least a week from shooting to the final work. I often make more trial and error.

To hold a solo exhibition at a gallery in the US and Europe.

I always create works by myself.

I continue to create a series of photo manipulation works with a bamboo forest motif.

Please contact me from my HP contact page.