Why do people take pictures? From the time George Eastman invented the hand-held camera and roll film, until the present day with the proliferation of digital cameras, taking pictures seems to be universal. But, why?
One obvious answer is that pictures are a way to preserve memories – of people, events, places. People pass on. Events are transient. Places sometimes change, too. Pictures are a way to remember.
So, why do I take photographs? For me, photography is a visual diary. I carry a camera every day, wherever I go. Often, I do not have a clear goal, but rather I just wait until something grabs my imagination.
The photographs in this exhibit are images I have taken over the last 20 years. I lived in New York. Now I live in Tokyo. I travel often. Wherever I am, my camera is always with me, ready to capture the next image.
Are these images, then, my collective memories? No. For each of them, I have a clear recollection of the exact moment when I pressed the shutter. I estimate that I have taken over 75,000 frames in the last 20 years. Yet, for the images in this exhibit, I remember that exact moment, I remember where I was, what was happening. But no, the images do not represent my memories of those particular moments.
Why, then, do I take photographs? Why do I print the images and show them at exhibitions such as this one?
These photographs are proof of my existence. The philosopher René Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” For me, I take photographs, therefore I am.