TAKEO HIROSE

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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