23rd: Osamu Wataya "Rumor/Pond" Photography Exhibition Interview (3)

Osamu Wataya's 23rd Photo Exhibition "Rumor/Pond" Interview (Part 3)

This is the final installment of our interview with Osamu Wataya. Continuing from last time, we delve into his photographic philosophy, returning to his current works. The conversation then shifts to "Pond," another series capturing the candid faces of children in Ukraine.

Photo by Jamandfixedit by TAKEUCHI Toranosuke(City Writes)

I Wanted to Disappear While Shooting

—Do you decide on the locations beforehand when you shoot?

Sometimes I do, but for this series, I didn't. That said, I didn't shoot in a vast number of places. I usually choose locations based on the time of day or my mood. I don't shoot for long stretches at a time, so I decide based on things like where the sun will be at a certain hour. I shot in more diverse locations for "Agenda."

—Are there any places you tend to return to, like a home ground?

Shinjuku, definitely. When I'm taking photos, I prefer not to be noticed, or rather, I want to disappear while I'm shooting, so I naturally end up in crowded places. Especially this time, I was using a Rolleiflex, and one of the reasons I decided on 6x6 was that I could shoot while keeping my head down.

—How do shutter opportunities present themselves?

If I haven't decided to shoot before I'm there, I can't take the picture. For the smaller photos (Agenda), I had decided I had to take 1,000 shots in a year, so I took action and captured the reaction, and the next reaction. With "Rumor," some were shot without any setup, making it more challenging to initiate action.

Photo Book "Rumor"

Ukrainian Landscapes That I Unconditionally Found Beautiful

—This time, you are also exhibiting photographs from Ukraine, "Pond." Was the fundamental approach the same as your Tokyo shoots?

No, that was completely different. I shot them more simply. But those kinds of moments are rare—when something is genuinely and unconditionally beautiful to me. However, in the sense that they capture everyday scenes and ordinary subjects, the street photography and the Ukrainian photos are similar. I plan to visit Ukraine again next summer. I hope to show you those photos someday, so please look forward to it.

—We certainly will. Thank you for your time today.

Thank you as well.

Osamu Wataya Photo Exhibition "Rumor/Pond"

Dates: On display until Sunday, December 9th
Hours: 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Closed Mondays)
Venue: RAT HOLE GALLERY
5-5-3 Minami-Aoyama

HYSTERIC GLAMOUR Aoyama Store B1F
Tel. 03-6419-3581

Catalog also available
To coincide with the exhibition, RAT HOLE will release limited editions of 500 copies each of the catalog "Rumor" and
"Agenda 2001," a reorganized version of "Agenda" originally published in 2002.