A story about how invisible shadows are important.
Hello.
I am a photographer at Studio Summit, a photo studio in Hiratsuka City.
This may be sudden, but everyone.
Have you ever heard the saying,
"Where there is light, there is shadow"?
It is an old saying, but lately, it has been resonating with me strangely.
Well, perhaps it is just my age.
When I was young, I lived with the intensity of someone staring directly at the sun, thinking things like, "Light! Radiance! Success! The best!"
Looking back now, I was staring at the sun so much that not only my eyes, but my life was a bit too dazzling.
"Am I actually doing pretty well?"
Life has a way of teaching you just when you think that, at the most exquisite timing.
"Yes, that is enough. Why don't you take a look at your feet?"
It says.
The teacher of life is quite Spartan (laughs).
However, I truly feel that this sense of "looking at the shadows" is important when working in photography.
When you think of photography, what do you imagine?
Smiles.
Beautiful costumes.
Happy family moments.
Sparkling moments.
Of course, that is an important part of a photograph.
But I don't think that's all there is to it.
Because a person's charm is not created solely by the bright parts.
For example, a coming-of-age ceremony photo.
Wearing a gorgeous kimono and taking a picture with the best smile.
Looking only at that moment, it looks like a 'fun day' or a 'happy day'.
But behind that smile, there is nearly 20 years of time that the family has spent raising them.
The days of crying at night.
The period when conversations decreased due to the rebellious phase.
The days when you couldn't sleep from worry.
The days when parent and child clashed.
All that time accumulates to become the smile of that day.
What is captured in a photo is not just that moment.
I believe that even the time that person has walked is reflected in it, just a little.
This is the same for family photos.
When I am photographing small children, I often think,
'This smile probably wasn't made easily.'
I think that.
Fathers and mothers.
You are probably doing something amazing every day.
Make dinner.
Do your work.
Put the kids to bed while rubbing your sleepy eyes.
Before you know it, you have no idea where your own time has gone.
Your own energy runs out before your phone's battery does.
I think there are days like that, too (laughs).
But those accumulated moments become the happiness in a photograph.
I want to cherish those shadow parts.
When you hear the word "shadow," it has a somewhat dark image, doesn't it?
But because there are shadows, we can understand light.
If you take a picture in a pure white room, wearing pure white clothes, against a pure white background...
It would probably be less about happiness and more about "Where are you?" (laughs).
You wouldn't know if it was a photo, above the clouds, or at the reception desk of heaven.
After all, life needs a little shadow.
And I believe this way of thinking is important not just for photography, but for oneself as well.
People are most at risk when things are going well.
Being praised.
Being evaluated.
Work increasing.
Getting results.
At such times, a small tengu is born within a person.
At first, it is small.
"Did I do a good job?"
Just about that much.
But if you leave it alone, it grows.
It has a huge appetite.
Before you know it, your nose has grown long.
It reaches the level where your nose enters the frame before the camera during a shoot (lol).
That is why I think about it all the more when I have done a good job.
"This is not just my own strength."
I say.
There are people who come to the shoot.
They trust me and entrust me with their precious time.
I am allowed to capture one page of that person's life.
This is not something to be taken for granted.
And when I am in the spotlight, there is always someone's effort or support behind it.
It is the same in love.
When two people are united, there might be someone else feeling sad somewhere else.
It is the same in work.
When someone succeeds, there might be someone else feeling frustrated in their shadow.
This is not to say that you shouldn't succeed or shouldn't be happy.
Quite the opposite.
It is okay to be happy.
It is okay to be joyful.
It is okay to laugh with all your might.
However, do not forget that this happiness was not created by you alone.
I feel that for those who have that sense, happiness lasts a long time.
Photography is the same.
I don't just want to take beautiful pictures.
The light and shadow in a person's life.
The time spent working hard.
The struggles shown to no one.
And the strength to smile despite it all.
I want to leave behind photos that allow one to feel those things.
I believe that photographs are letters to one's future self.
Ten years from now, twenty years from now.
When you look at that photo,
You might be able to laugh and say,
"Things were tough back then."
"I was so loved back then."
You might realize that.
At that moment, I think you will realize that the shadow in the photograph was actually a warm light.
There is light in life.
But light alone is a bit too dazzling.
Because there are shadows, the light looks gentle.
Today, too, I am searching for the light that only that person possesses while holding my camera.
And I am pressing the shutter with proper respect for the shadows that have created that light.
Photography is a truly interesting job.
It seems like I am capturing a single moment, but in reality, I am being entrusted with a little bit of that person's life.
That is why today, too, while being careful not to let my nose grow (laugh), I am taking each and every photo with care.
May the "now" of everyone who comes to Studio Summit in Hiratsuka City become a treasure for the future.
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