What I value in photography.

In photography,
there is a mindset I have always valued.

It is that
I want to choose "I can do it but I won't," rather than "I don't do it because I can't."
I want to choose "I can do it but I won't."
That is what I mean.

I am conscious of this mindset
not just in photography,
but in many situations.

For example, I do retouching.
But I also sometimes post photos straight out of the camera.

What I often think at those times is,
not "because I like straight out of the camera," but
the feeling of "I can retouch, but this time I intentionally chose straight out of the camera."
These two things may seem similar, but they are actually completely different.

Straight out of the camera because I can't retouch.
Straight out of the camera even though I can retouch.
Even for the same single photo,
the mindset behind it is vastly different.

Landscape photography is the same.
I have been taking a lot of snapshots lately.
That doesn't mean I can't take landscapes.

I can take landscapes too.
I take photos of flowers.
I take photos of people.

After experiencing many genres,
I now find snapshots interesting.
That is why I choose them.

If I had never taken a landscape photo,
it might not be a "choice," but
just "not knowing."

I value that difference very much.

Photoshop is the same.
"Photoshop is not photography."
I sometimes hear that said.

But I believe the weight of the words is different between someone who has never touched it
and someone who has actually used it and decided "I won't use it."
That is why I

value experiencing things at least once.

Try using it. Try testing it. Try understanding it.
After that, if you think it's not necessary for you, you don't have to use it.

But I want to avoid, as much as possible,
denying something from the start without knowing it.

This is the same for choosing equipment.
I have used cameras from various manufacturers.
I also use film cameras.
I also use GFX.
I have also used full-frame.
I also use APS-C.
That is why I can say, "I like this."

If I had only ever used one camera,
I don't think I would have known myself
whether I truly liked it,
or if I just had nothing to compare it to.

Photography is a series of choices.
Open the aperture? Stop it down?
Color or monochrome?
Retouch or straight out of the camera?
It is more interesting if there is a reason for each and every one of those choices.
That is what I think.

So lately, rather than increasing what I can do,
I have come to want to increase what I can choose from.

I can do slow shutter. I can do high-speed shutter.
I can retouch. I can do straight out of the camera.
I can use Photoshop.
But this time, I won't use it.

That is how
I want to create a state where I can choose with my own will.

Of course, there is no need to learn everything perfectly.
But there is great meaning in experiencing it once.
There are things you understand because you tried them.
You also learn what you are not suited for.
Conversely, you might realize it is more interesting than you thought.

That experience, even if you don't use it in the future,
becomes the foundation of your photography.

That is why, when I teach photography,
I don't often say, "You don't have to do this."
Let's try it once first.
After that, let's think about whether it suits you.
That is what I often tell people.

You cannot choose without knowing the options.
But if you have experienced it once, you can choose with your own will.
And I think that feeling of "I chose it myself"
is very important for enjoying photography for a long time.

So today, too, I
don't say I won't do it because I can't,
but I can do it, but I won't do it this time.
I am enjoying photography while accumulating choices like that.