Landscape Photographer — Naoya Hatakeyama

 

by: Naoya Hatakeyama

Hatakeyama was born in Japan. That was about the extent of the information I could find about his life. Although I did read that his theme is usually the relationship between people and nature. One article said that his photos are a metaphor for the relationship between humans, nature and the city.

The first photo is from a collection entitled "Slow Glass." He created a box, put his camera in it and then put a piece of glass infront of the lens. Then he took photos on rainy days so the water would stick on the glass and obscure the view of the scene. This was very interesting. I have never seen an experiment like this.

The second photo, really struck me as interesting because of the color and the kind of mystery of whether you are looking at the photo upside down or right side up. The series is titled "Water + River Shadow." To me it looks as if he took the photo under water. However, if I turn the photo upside down, it could just show the reflection of the scenery in the water. Whatever the case, it is a very intriguing photo with the ripples in the water, the color in the sides, and the above scenery/buildings that are blurred by the water.

Photography can only... (#18)

“Photography can only represent the present. Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past.” Berenice Abbott

I'm a little confused by the first sentence of this quote when he goes on to say that photography then becomes part of the past. I do believe the send part, because once a photo is taken, it does become a part of history. The photographer will most likely keep the photo and look back on it several years later. I think that the subject becomes part of the past in a photograph as well. That is what makes family memories and other memories memorable. 

I don't think that the first sentence is correct though. Photography doesn't just represent the present, but it can represent both the past and photographers can also show their representation of the the future will be like.

Landscape photography is the supreme... (#17)

“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer—and often the supreme disappointment.” ~Ansel Adams

Portraiture is probably what most people would think is the hardest type of photography, however, landscape photography can be hard too. With portraiture, the photographer can tell the subject what to do/how to be positioned, and sometimes the subject will do stuff on their own that will produce a great photograph. However, which landscapes, that can't really happen. all the photographer has is what's in front of them. So, it is up to the photographer to come up with creative ways of photographing the landscape that will be interesting to others and will say something to them. I'm not sure if Ansel Adams is saying that it is the "supreme disappointment" to the photographer is their photos don't turn out, or if it is a disappointment to viewers. I could see it being upsetting to the photographer because it is normal to be upset when your own stuff doesn't turn out. I suppose if you were a really well known photographer and your stuff didn't turn out well, others would be disappointed.

I think photography should be provacative... (#16)

“I think photographs should be provocative and not tell you what you already know. It takes no great powers or magic to reproduce somebody's face in a photograph. The magic is in seeing people in new ways.” Duane Michals

I could not have said it better. I really do believe photography is about seeing something else than just what is on the surface. This is especially important in portraits. There should be meaning in a portrait; the audience should see some type of emotion or feeling in the photo. This can also go for landscapes; it should mean something to the audience and make them think about what the photo isn't saying right away. 


The last sentence, "The magic is in seeing people in new ways." This is definitely what makes a photo great; when it says something different than any other photograph. Not only will the photo say something about the subject, but it says something about the photographer too, because it takes creativity, and sometimes a lot of thought, to take a great photograph.

Recreate

 

I went home this weekend, and I was flipping through some family albums when I came across the photo of the day my brother came home from the hospital. I was almost 4 and I got to hold him for the first time. Its a pretty popular photo in our family, and since my brother and I are pretty close, I thought I would recreate this photo. Then, I scanned the old photo in and placed one on top of the other to show the change in the years of the photo.

Interpretation (from 1st assignment)

Image 1: berries
The class really liked that you could just see on branch with berries, then the rest of the tree and the background is blurred out. They suggested that I try to increase the contrast between the berries and the leaves in order to make the berries really pop.

Image 2: spoons
I received a lot of positive feedback on this photo. The lighting worked really well i, and it created a great reflection of me taking the photo in the spoons. Someone noted that with my reflection, this photograph really showed the meaning of photography and the different parts of photography. The only part to change might be the contrast again between the lighting on the silverware and the background.

Image 3: capitol
This was probably the weakest photo in my collection. Most people thought the framing could be different, maybe taking out the clock tower and the power line. Again, changing the contrast in the photo might improve the photo.

Image 4: dog
The class liked this photo as well. The expression on the dog's face was very expressive and really made the photo. I'm not sure the shadows worked well in this photo. Plus, this photo probably needed a little more contrast to it like the others.

Human-Made space (#13)

I'm not sure I completely understand the meaning of "topographics," however if I have to think of a project, I would build a mountain out of garbage and compost. I'm not sure if that is a correct example of topographics, but it is my interpretation of the way human's interact with nature and land. There is so much litter and trash that people don't seem to care about. I actually believe that Apple Mountain is man made mountain. I'm not sure if it is made out of trash (doubt it), but it would be interesting to make a mountain out of trash and then make it into an entertainment for the same people who made the trash.