Q. Sakamaki graduated with the Master degree of International Affaires from Columbia University, concentrating Conflict Resolution and Human Rights. He is a Japanese photographer based in New York. Since the late 80s, he has photographed New York's political, social landscape, such as issues of AIDS, homelessness, and street crimes, focusing on people suffering their human rights violation in the related poverty, discrimination, and violence. At the same time, he has explored international issues, especially on deadly conflict since the early 90s. He has covered the war-stories of Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine, Algeria, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Liberia, Sri Lanka, etc. The main objective of such coverage is always the same, focusing on people: how war affects ordinary civilians, particularly children. His photographs have been appeared in books and magazines worldwide including Time, Newsweek, Life, Stern, and L'espresso, and have been the subject of solo shows in New York and Tokyo. He received numerous outstanding awards, including World Press Photo (1st Prize of People in News Story - 2007), Overseas Press Club (Olivier Rebbot - 2006), Pictures of The Year International (double 1st Prizes of General News Reporting for single and story - 2007), Days International Photojournalism Award (2nd Prize in 2005 and Special Prize by Jury in 2007), etc. He is also a writer, contributing to Japanese media, and a videographer. He has published three books, including "Palestine." The footage of the Liberian war used in the film, "Liberia: An Uncivil War", was nominated on the 26th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards in 2005. Currently he is represented by photo agency Redux Pictures.
1. Americans we: photographs and notes 1st ed
by Eugene Richards Aperture 1994 閉架
2. Cocaine true, cocaine blue 1st ed
photographs and text by Eugene Richards/additional reporting by Edward Barnes/afterword by Stephen W. Nicholas/poem by Danny J. Aperture 1994 閉架
3. Cocaine true, cocaine blue 1st ed
photographs and text by Eugene Richards/additional reporting by Edward Barnes/afterword by Stephen W. Nicholas/poem by Danny J. Aperture 1994 閉架
4. Dorchester days
Eugene Richards/introduction by Dorothea Lynch Phaidon 2000 閉架
5. Eugene Richards 55
Charles Bowden Phaidon 2001 閉架
6. Eugene Richards Collection photo poche; 68
introduction par Eric Pooley Nathan 1997 開架
7. Stepping through the ashes: 1st ed
[photographs by] Eugene Richards/[interviews by] Janine Altongy
On shooting style
Kind of put together the thought what, where my style of working came from, and I think part of it came from people accu... one of the things that defines it I guess is being particularly close, to people. And that comes, that's pretty obvious, that comes from being profoundly shy. Especially as a person.
I found out, this is going to sound strange to people, that I can never photograph people at a distance, with a long lens, I was more self conscious about that, than I was being up very close to individuals, and but I can photograph anybody I can actually touch or get that close to. Even with people I don't like, somehow being in close makes it, if you don't like them you can really do a job at a close angle.
The angle, the actual visual element to the style, wide lenses I think were probably.. may be influenced by film. I grew up in a world of movies, I think as a kind of isolated child, I had been immersed in films and, and the film that came to mind, and you know I remember them, perhaps, they were seen in later life, citizen k? a great sense of depth and motion, being in love with black and white. Black and white movies till this day still moves me, in fact with the colour goes out on the TV, it doesn't look so bad..
Place in the world
With the wide angle lens, does give you complexity or discordance where everything isn't totally stable and that's the way I feel about the world, my place in it. I am a little afraid of the iconic image where everything is settle and final because I don't think that's the way the world I live in is and there is thing that comes before, there is thing that comes after but picture that I feel are transitory moments and not the final moments, I think that has affected my so called, style. That they are a little bit fractured, they are a little bit incomplete.
What about your assignment work?
People hired me initially shocked at the shot? They saw the drug work, they wanted someone with an attitude, called an attitude, and the attitude again is the "fractured" quality we were talking about, and they wanted their advertising to feel spontaneous, and that's why I first got hired to do advertising. I thought it was very funny at first, this is ridiculous, it was also something I came to love, I was blasted, I had a lot of fun in advertising, vs real life. And I know the difference, one pays the bills, one is fun. Stop I go around the world, and it's serious, so in some way it's a relief, a joyful relief.
Advice for New Photographers
I always think the best thing you can do is don't listen to anyone. Find out the few mentors, the people that when you look at their work, they just kills you, I remember seeing Robert Frank for the first time, and his work just killed me. I remember some of Eugene Smith at a very early age. I thought God, how did they do this? Why did they do this? I remember seeing Minor White's nude in his class, they just made me, they emotionally unsettled me. and I, so I went on my own way, and.. People had told me to do things differently, I went on my own way, I followed my way, still trying and, thats' what I mean, it sounds presumcious to say "don't listen to people", you listen to them to get their critique, but then you have to find out who you are, and once you find out who you are you stay with it.
>サムソンさん
transcript非常に助かりました。"don't listen to anyone""I went on my own way"ということばは、eugene richardsがいかに自分の感性に自信をもってキャリアを積んできたかということが表れているものですね。youmeさんが前記している、2つのエージェンシーを経てまたインディペンデントになったという彼の経歴も照らし合わせて、非常に興味深かったです。
それにしても、「ジャーナリズムをやるなら日本を出ようってことになってしまう」、というのはかなりcriticalな指摘ですね。拠点を海外に置くかどうかはさておいても、海外のメディアでの発表を常に視野に入れないと井の中の蛙で終わってしまうというのは事実であると思います。
pdfx12に寄稿しているMasaru Goto, Kosuke Okahara, Shiho Fukada、いずれも瞼に焼きつく写真を撮る日本人が海外メディアで活躍しているというのがなによりの裏づけでしょうし。
ただ、この3名は現在海外を拠点にされており、また、ワークショップ講師だったサカマキ氏もNYを拠点に活動されています。ということは、海外のメディアを相手にしていくと、必然的に拠点も海外に移っていく…ということになるのでしょうか。