As I mentionned, Yanagisawa did not published many books in his life. This one is a retrospective of his work. The concept is interesting, basically we follow him as he goes through Japan starting from the North then going step by step to the South.
We have mostly landscapes here, sometimes urban landscapes when he goes to big cities throug his journey but also everyday scenes of human life. We could almost call it street photography in the documenting aspect of it; not the funny one (even some of his pictures are made with humor).
He's shooting black and white, like many of his fellow compatriots. Hence they are creating this kind of traditionnal school of Japanese photographers (e.g. please see the the work of Shunji Dodo, Horizon Far and Away 1968-1977). This school had a strong influence on my own works. As since from then I decided to only shoot mostly black and white, trying to depict sometimes the life here of japanese people, but I am more portrait oriented; that's may be the big difference, but I am not sure as they are so many japanese photographers from the 50s/60s/70s that I don't know yet still properly the work (e.g. Issei Suda).
As mentionned, his journey brings him form the north of Japan (Hokkaido) to the south (Okinawa), passing through the major cities, Tokyo, Osaka. But most of his portraits of documenting the life of people during his trip are the most significant. Frankly put together, you can feel a real consistency in his approach/view of the lives of the people he met during his trip. And they are very interesting, you can feel the love this guy has for his country of course not everything is perfect in this/his world, but he just show everything so we can also fall in love with these people he has met or this lansscapes he has seen.
The atmosphere of the book is really magical to me; a mix between nostalagia, and documentation, for which the flavor is really simple but never simplistic. Many pictures are iconic to me and makes the book even more classical in its genre. A really true "must-have" for anyone interested into Japanese photographic culture and even for the others as it is a great way to enter in the world of the photographer of his era.
Todd Hido My favorite book from my favorite photographer. Everything in there is very cinematic. I just don't know how to describe his work apart from this word, cinematic, the images are so much talking to me, from an emotional perspective, not a specific one, but just the one that moves your guts, blow your […]
BRUCE GILDEN: ANOTHER JAPAN, UNTOLD & AGITATED Bruce Gilden went to Japan at the end of the nineties bringing with him his recognizable style: black and white (at that time), sometimes really up close, and flash; as well as his interest for the alternative, the different. Gilden is a close-up artist. He is in the […]
Ten photo books that I love Here is my list of my favorites 10 photo books. I will try to explain them but from the perspective on how they are different from each other, what make them so special compared with others. Later I will make a more detail and special review of each one […]
Shinya Arimoto One of my favorite book. The book is huge and it is protected with a cover that make it even more impressive. But the good thing, apart being a beautiful object, is that the photos are huge also; so it deserves the medium format of the cameras that Arimoto have used (Rolleiflex 2.8F […]
Trent Parke One of my first book I bought. Hence maybe one of the influence on my work, specially nowadays. Minutes to Midnight His book is made after a road trip of about 90.000 km in two years. So in a way it has a bit a road trip atmosphere and pictures related. The photos […]