02 The photographer's eye for people, things, and landscapes.
PROFILE
. Born in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. While a student at the Kuwasawa Design School, his private photographs won the Canon New Cosmos of Photography Excellence Award (selected by Masashi Sanai) in 2014. Since then, he has been active in various media. He is energetic in publishing photography collections and exhibiting his works.
instagram@yoko.kusano
PROFILE
. Born in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. While a student at the Kuwasawa Design School, his private photographs won the Canon New Cosmos of Photography Excellence Award (selected by Masashi Sanai) in 2014. Since then, he has been active in various media. He is energetic in publishing photography collections and exhibiting his works.
instagram@yoko.kusano
I want to take pictures in a place where the subject will fit casually.
. Today, I was able to accompany you for the photo shoot and photo selection. Are there different modes for both?
Kusano: No, I don't. . . I tend to take pictures when I happen to be in the right place, rather than taking pictures with a predetermined set up. . I don't set up the light and take pictures, but use natural light. . When I am taking pictures in the city, I am taking pictures based on a conditioned reflex. . Therefore, I often use a compact camera that I can use when I feel like taking a picture.
How are the selections coming along?
Kusano: I make selections on the computer or on paper, but in the selection process, I repeatedly look at the photos over and over again and select those that are close to the view I was looking at when I was taking the picture. It is not necessarily a process of matching the answers, but it is a process of remembering where I was trying to go when I was taking the pictures. Also, it is not the same as selecting, but when I rearrange the photos many times in order to compose a photo book, the correctness of the arrangement falls apart at some point. . But there is a moment when I can land on the right place again.
Do you notice the meaning when you select your shots after you have taken many different ones?
Kusano: Yes, there is. I shoot with film because I feel that it is easy to include coincidences . For example, if I take three photos in a stream, and if I take a photo that is out of focus between two photos that are in focus, I feel that one of the photos expresses that time. That's one of the interesting things about it.
Lightweight Pocketable Collarless Down Vest ¥2,990 in TAX, ,Jersey turtleneck sweater with reduced neck tingle ¥3,990 in TAXOther personal effects of the stylist
Do you have a particular preference for where you shoot?
Kusano: I wonder what it is ...... , I like to have the subject casually settled in the place. I like both alleys and main streets because it depends on the subject. I think of it as a place where it is not unnatural for the subject to be there. Of course, I know it is fake.
You said that you combine the power of coincidence in your filming, but did you also do things that you didn't get to film?
Kusano: There are times when I can't shoot, or rather, don't want to shoot anything. At the beginning of Corona, I had no work and no plans. I guess there were things that I could really only produce at that time, but I didn't feel like it. So I didn't want to have to shoot anything.
Do you have any particular camera equipment?
Kusano: Yes, I do. I have a lot of compact cameras. Also, for the October exhibit, I used 110 (one-ten) film to take pictures. It's called a spy camera, and it makes no sound, has coarse grains, and takes low-resolution pictures. Nowadays, the photos and videos we see in our eyes are high-resolution. No matter what I do, I see Instagram and Netflix. I chose 110 film because I like to look at something coarse and imagine something from it.
Do you have a favorite outfit to wear?
Kusano: There are a lot of old clothes. I feel like it's circulating, and I sometimes imagine that someone used to wear this.
What do you think of the lightweight MUJI down I'm wearing this time?
Kusano: I was in Akita for a long time in January and March this year , and it was cold. . at that time I borrowed a down coat from a friend. This time I tried it on and found it light and warm, and since I put my film in the pockets, I thought it would be nice to have deep pockets so it wouldn't fall out. 2,990 yen for this? That's cheap. Also, in Tokyo, it is hot inside stores and other indoor places. It is good to wear such an inner down coat and take it off indoors. . I don't like to wear warm underwear or something because I get sweaty quickly indoors.
What about knitwear?
Kusano: It was cute in a rough way. I wore it over short sleeves today , and it felt nice and not prickly. Also, I can wear it with slacks like today and it will be beautiful, and with jeans it will be casual, so I can wear it anytime.
It's true that you don't have to choose what to wear with it.
Kusano: If it is something functional like down or something warm like knitwear, it would go well with my old clothes. As with MUJI's general merchandise, I think it's typical of MUJI that it doesn't follow any particular design or style.
Yak-infused wool ribbed crew-neck sweater ¥6,990 in TAXOther personal effects of the stylist
