This issue I’d like to introduce Ito Eiichi, whom we affectionately call Te’chan (“steel boy” for his love of “steel locomotives”).
When I asked to see his portfolio, it was full of train photos, as I had expected. He talked passionately about the boiler of a special steam train among them. He wasn’t talking about the merits of the picture, but was going on about the subject of the train. When he talks about pictures, he becomes shy and is at a loss for words. That’s just how he is.
It was trains, of course, that drew him into the world of photography in high school. But times changed, electric trains replaced locomotives and his interest in railroads waned. He got a job that took him to the mountains and he started taking shots of the scenery. It was there that he marveled at frozen waterfalls.
There are several key points in taking photos: the location, understanding the subject, possessing the requisite technique to actually photograph what makes the subject alluring and waiting for the right moment to shoot. During his obsession with shooting steam trains, he developed considerable technique without realizing it. He’s now able to actually capture the mysterious beauty of a frozen waterfall. Subject matter and distance, shutter speed and depth of field–all of these are careful choices.
When I asked him to talk about his waterfall pictures, he unfortunately didn’t have the same passion as with locomotives. It seems that he may still be transitioning to a scenery photographer. But those waterfall shots have an eloquence all their own and need no words, really.
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but maybe he has a knack for unconsciously choosing photos that somehow need no explanation. He did say that he wants to go shooting in the Oze highland region. There are countless photographers that have devoted themselves to shooting in Oze. But Oze through the filter of his eyes will likely be something very different, which heightens my anticipation. He’s a photographer of mysterious appeal.