Finding Inspiration: My Journey with Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Minimalist Photography

[@danncorbit3623]

Time after time, you show us interesting concepts that make us think. That's art.

[@nev.catalyst7478]

while playing Time after time on his piano 🙂

[@ShootOnFilm]

I love the Miles Davis version :-)

[@BRUNO-cj9wd]

FANTASTIC!

[@oldfilmguy9413]

Very interesting!! That had to be quite an experience finding his work! Cheers!

[@justindavisphotography]

Ari, as an admirer of Sugimoto’s work, I was quite pleased to see you would be talking about it in your video. On top of that you specifically talked about my two favorite subjects, his seascapes and theaters. I was lucky enough to see an exhibit of his work in Washington DC many years ago. I too was struck by the beauty of his work and his use of time in the theater images. Glad to see you talking about his work and I say please do compare your work to whoever you find inspiration in. Thanks as always for sharing.

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thanks thanks. Unfortunately, I have never seen his work in books or on the screen. But, hopefully in the future ....

[@patricketp8356]

I find it very inspiring, when you say, you want to create your own reality.

[@pippetera]

i got recommended to one of your videos when i started reading an edward weston photobook. my phone‘s mic must have picked that up. but i shouldn’t be angry in this case. beautiful piano playing by the way! i‘m a professional pianist and discovered my passion for photography in recent years. also i’ve always been drawn to a minimalist style. so we definitely have a few things in common!

[@damianward]

Great comparisons, I really like your seascapes and the long exposures of the boat trip is a great idea.

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thank you, thanks!

[@RomanRogner]

Thank you!

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thank YOU! 🙂

[@pauleverett1628]

Thanks for another great video Ari. I have long been a fan of Sugimoto-san's work. There are elements of his style that I have used, and continue, to influence my style. I really appreciate you talking about your feelings towards his work.

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thanks thanks. yeah, and he is not only a magnificent artist, but based on these videos, he is also a very interesting individual.

[@darrelltheriault5793]

Great video and something worth considering.Thanks!

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thanks, and thanks for watching!!

[@thomashall1267]

Ari you are completely CRAZY. Pull up a chair, have a beer, and join the club!!!

[@ShootOnFilm]

Yes

[@ejorbe]

This is very interesting, the seascape pictures I would not be able to tell which artist took which picture. The theater pictures are very cool in the thought of you have a whole movie recorded on one frame. The boat pictures I really loved! I am not sure exactly why, but they made me happy and excited to try that. Maybe that is why I loved them? Thanks for the happiness and inspiration!!

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thank you, thank you. I'm really happy if I managed to inspire and maybe even motivate to go and try. That's great.

[@tedphillips2951]

IMHO your work is every bit as good!

[@ShootOnFilm]

Oh, thank you! I'm on a journey. I'm not a total beginner, but I have a long way to go. But I'm enjoying the journey!!!!

[@Wpoolesf]

Thanks, Ari -- interesting. I was familiar with his theater photos, but not the seascapes. Both lovely, although the theater work seems to have more resonance on the human condition, at least for me And I do love your the boat work. Thanks again.

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thanks!! And thanks for watching!

[@davidottman9501]

Thanks Ari. Yes it can be educational to explore how other photographers might have created their artwork, or to use tools they've developed. That's part of what makes photography so interesting. Fun stuff!

[@ShootOnFilm]

I agree. It's like you are not alone as a photographer but a part of a larger community.

[@oldcoldwarrior]

Great advise!

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thanks for watching!

[@kenschwarz8057]

I had a similar experience when I “discovered” the landscape photography of Maeda Shinzo. Every picture (there are many) was like poetry to me-exciting and humbling and inspiring all at once. I wasn’t aware of Sugimoto, but I can get why you would respond as you do. To me, he contrasts textures with amorphous areas to communicate the feeling of time and in particular eternity that is paradoxically quiet yet dazzling. They are entrancing. On the other hand, I think your pictures are more playful where his might be dour, so the effect is quite different.

[@ShootOnFilm]

I find it fascinating to recognize my own reactions when studying somebody else's work. Exactly what you've done here. Even analyze the source of those reactions. When somebody's work goes beyond "nice" and reaches emotions and even purpose, that is so cool. Seems Maeda Shinzo did that to you -- and Hiroshi Sugimoto did that to me :-)

[@jimphilpott902]

Partially crazy or partially sane, you keep us exploring the goals behind our shutters. Thanks.

[@ShootOnFilm]

Haa -- mostly the former. Thanks for watching!

[@darrelletter8016]

We all have a fascination with time, as we seem not able to control it in life. But at least we can control it through photography! Love your long exposure boat work! Mercury should use your photographs in their advertisements!

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thanks, thanks. I actually offered them to Mercury. No reply :-)

[@darrelletter8016]

@@ShootOnFilm They are fools! :) Mercury is a classic, like your photographs!

[@volkerkrause170]

It is very good that I found your Chanel! First of all I understand your English. Listening to British or American posters It is often very hard for me to understand them! Then! Your thematic is very interessant! Especially today. I`m 80 years old and I think there was enough color, nature an happening in my pictures! Since a time I try to find stillte and less trouble in my pictures. I'll will follow you! Best wishes Volker

[@ShootOnFilm]

Volker!! I'm happy that you found me! And thank you for your kind words!

[@petergoodrum1607]

Flow State. The 10 or 12 photos that resonate the most with me from my back catalogue over 35 years I have no idea how they came about because I was in the moment and just took the.The Zen Archer also springs to mind in this context.

[@ShootOnFilm]

Flow state is a thing. I agree! A good point.

[@2112zone]

Great shots with the boat. Would very much like to see the same without the boat in shot.

[@stephenm103]

While our styles, intention and outcomes from our photography are polar opposites - yours very creative and with an emphasis on "art" - mine very much documentary - "snapshots" you would say - exactly as you suggest today, I have found considerable inspiration in your work and words. Your preoccupation with minimalism, a willingness to explore motion, intention, steep contrasts, experimentation - for example - have increasingly found their way into MY work - as a result of your examples. In addition to our shared passion for the basics of this craft, the desire to draw from your example is one of the primary reasons that - despite our differences - I return week after week. While, for ME, much of you work waxes very cold - the artist does not and is full of life and creativity and therein lays a reason for me to listen and learn. Heading over to my grandson's second birthday this afternoon and will certainly have one of my cameras in tow. Your voice will be in the back of my head someplace, as I select film for the day, choose my glass and set a shutter and aperture. Thank you!!

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thank YOU!! Very very nice to hear!

[@fotticelli]

I'm glad I found your channel Ari. I've been called a minimalist many times but I don't really understand what that word means. Where is the borderline between minimalism and ... what, justrightism? I have a website that is a picture blog. It includes samples from two decades of photographing so it's a mishmash of pictures showing different subject matter and attempts to show them in different ways but, I think, my approach to keep things simple and down to the point shows in all of them. I have thousands of pictures that I took compelled by something subconscious in my brain and can't decide if there is enough in them to call them photographs. I can't decide if the feelings and thoughts they evoke in me come from them reminding me of the moment of taking them or if they stand on their own and have something besides my own memories of that moment that would be recognized by others. Listening to you having similar thoughts and looking at the work of other artists gives me a reason to go back and look at them again. Many of them would not make much sense online as flashes of light on the screen, they would have to be physical objects in the form of a photograph. My influences were many. Eugène Atget is probably my constant and ever present inspiration. Walker Evans, Joel Meyerowitz from within that genre of that straight, uninterfered with photography. But I do like to interfere with what I'm photographing so from that end would be the non-fashion work of Irving Penn, I'm talking about his still lifes. Manuel Alvarez Bravo ... I'm going to stop because this is like choosing which one of your parents or children you like best. Thanks for giving me that little assurance to continue going where the road takes me and not get unnecessarily distracted. I would like to do the same, for whatever it's worth, let me say that I honestly like what you are doing and look forward to seeing more.

[@ShootOnFilm]

Gregory, first, thank you so much for your kind words. To me "me" always comer before "them". It may be selfish, but that's how it is. I photograph for myself and if that interests somebody else, then that's great. But, I also have similar doubts: are my images contaminated in my head by the experiences while shooting or othervise. Or is the feeling captured in the image itself. And I do not know. But, if it speaks for me, then that's enough. Then, I took a look at your website at gregorygarecki.com/ . It is one of the most elegant galleries I've seen in a long time. All the pictures -- models, street, things -- have something unique in them, something that is clearly YOU. An extremely interesting an beautiful collection of pictures! I'm honored that you commented my video!!!!

[@peterwhelan9157]

Just came across your channel. How refreshing to see the content and thought process you demonstrate. Great channel. I’m guessing you play the accompanying piano music? I like that as well.

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thanks for finding me :-). And yes, it's me playing alright ...

[@markdodsworth5439]

Honestly Ari I can get on board with your images more than his. Particularly the boat ones obviously

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thank you!! I'm biased, of course, but I respectfully disagree. Especially his theater series is absolutely amazing. But, thank you :-)

[@marioherrero-c8q]

Sugimoto es ya un clásico, pero tus fotos me han parecido también maravillosas!! Y la cámara...increíble!! Siempre blanco y negro?

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thank you thank you. 95% black and white. I do not understand colors :-)

[@marioherrero-c8q]

@@ShootOnFilm Pues todavía no he visto todo lo que has publicado, pero he visto al menos una foto genial de un barco!!!! Me gusta el blanco y negro, pero como uso cámara digital por comodidad, me parece algo falso. Es diferente cuando usas película tradicional, creo...

[@simonarmstrong3125]

Another great exponent of long exposures is Alexey Titerenko. His City of Shadows work, makes me think that maybe pinholing in Downtown could be interesting. Slow-motion Street Photography. 🤔

[@vaino534]

Yes!

[@ShootOnFilm]

Absolutely!! he is a master of time!!!

[@davidwalsh566]

I enjoy your seascapes - they have a very tranquil, dream-like quality and are thought-provoking in a way that high-res documentary images never are as they leave no room for interpretation by the viewer. I noticed the piles of books on top of the piano are gone this week: voluntary or enforced tidiness? If you don't already know him, Adrian Vila's work may be of interest - 'aows' is his YT channel. I find his work inspiring, second to yours of course!

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thanks thanks!! I follow him. He is great!!!! As for the books, I was in my dark room this week and printed fibre-based prints. My books are now used as a weight to straighten them.

[@AustenGoldsmithPhotography]

Very interesting . I too found myself drawn to blank seascapes then discovered Sugimoto thereafter , I think his cinema Project is gorgeous , the tones in the prints , the 10x8 detail and choice of buildings . Im not bothered if it was a 2 hour or 2 min exposure in his work as the screen image does not actually convey the long passage of time . Im realising it's dangerous to over obsess with one artist . Im having to try to DE Kenna my photos and find my own voice . My instagram feed is a wash of Kenna influenced images and some people even visit the same locations he went too and copy them . Im taking my hasselblad to Venice this spring , Im going to have to try to avoid creating borrowed images and find my own perception of the place

[@ShootOnFilm]

I totally agree that one artist fixation is terrible. In music and photography. But these things go in phases. They come and go :-)

[@windynotes]

Hi Ari, just wondering do you have a library of photo books? If so which is your favourite? Thks.

[@ShootOnFilm]

I have a few. Not enough. My new favorite is this: www.stephensmith.ch/store

[@vaino534]

Some very interesting photographers: - Ari Jaaksi - Hiroshi Sugimoto - Adrian Vila - Michael Kenna - Alexey Titarenko - Ando Fuchs - Jeff Bridges - Trent Parke

[@ShootOnFilm]

Wow! It's almost like "who doesn't belong". But I salute and thank you!! :-)

[@chriscard6544]

I stay in my narcissic trip, sorry. So I've built my lens as you did with 2 magnifiers. It works fine for macro on 8x10. But it works mainly for 4x5 to get full coverage. I love japanese photography: specially NOBUYUKI KOBAYASHI

[@ShootOnFilm]

I also love many Japanese photographers. Something very cool about their way of seeing the world!

[@brankobelfranin8815]

what in the world is that camera and lens? Love it

[@ShootOnFilm]

It is a Frankenstein's monster I made by putting together a Graflex Speed Graphic camera and an enlarger condenser lens. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYLChaeonNxshNUsi=hf1kus_iwmiFjNxs

[@brankobelfranin8815]

@@ShootOnFilm Oh wow great info , love the graflex also. I also shoot BW and print my own, mostly on 35mm (various cameras film cameras) and TLR Mamiya C330. I thought that condenser looked familiar, Great work. You are in Finland right?

[@paullacotta5645]

Beautiful video. Check out Daido Moriyama, especially the NYC work of early 70s. It’s orgasmic.

[@ShootOnFilm]

Thanks thanks! Yeah, Daido is awesome. It's dark but not depressing. Powerful!

[@paullacotta5645]

@ precisely Ari-San!😘😂

[@TristanColgate]

Ted Forbes did a couple of video on Sugimoto about 9 years ago (back in his awkward, angry, fast talking and interesting Ted Forbes days), they are worth a look

[@ShootOnFilm]

Ted is always worth watching!

[@stuartbaines2843]

I think your images are inspired by Sugimoto but more Textured. Which is a Nice difference 👍

[@ShootOnFilm]

Yeah, there is a difference. Looking at his work pushes me more towards being dreamlike. Let's see :-)

[@gregneymeyer5220]

Have you done a second book yet?

[@ShootOnFilm]

Working on it :-)

[@MarcoRoepers]

It is not a photographer bur photos that iinspire me. In a café I saw a picture of Achillea millefolium in the snow. The plant was already dead and the leaves and the stems were braun. There was snow on the plant. Is studied the photograph many times and I wondered why it was not shot in black and white. No snow today but it was foggy and the temperature was around freezing. I saw some dead Achillea millefolium with some rime ice which reminded of that photograph. The stem and leaves were black. Even better, I thought. So I stopped and took a picture with my 35 mm camera with black and white film. I don't know if the picture did become what I hope for beacause my film is far from full.

[@ShootOnFilm]

I also like to shoot plants. They are great models :-)

[@KerryJapan1]

I was just wondering if there is a common place where the followers of Ari can share and comment on each others images. It seems we are all more or less kindred spirits in the photographic ethos expoused by Ari so maybe we could all benefit from sharing.

[@ShootOnFilm]

That is interesting, actually. I'm a software engineer, so theoretically, we could think about something. ... but there is already so much competition online and instagrams and stuff ....

[@KerryJapan1]

@ Well, this could be as simple as creating a Facebook group and posting the link on all your videos to build a place for us all to post and comment on. I’m thinking of a place where you could introduce a concept or technique in a video and then post the images onto the FB group and invite others to post similar images. Photographs and photography for the vast majority becomes alive with they are shared to others..

[@ShootOnFilm]

@@KerryJapan1 True. Not a bad idea at all!

[@stuartflipflops]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZ-uiIGYi8SDl9U Hiroshi Sugimoto in “Memory”

[@MarcoRoepers]

Thank you for the link

[@chloegilbert4261]

You're selling yourself short. Your photos are much better than Sugimoto’s

[@ShootOnFilm]

I'm just this kid :-). But thank you!!!

[@jasongold6751]

You are wrong! I really like your photos! I not like Sugi's blanks.. The square images of your Rollei, snow images, bridge, boat are totally you! Friends compared me to Daido Moriyama! Thanks but no thanks. He shoots like somebody posesed. Great work! I do make use of negative space. Eack episode of new facts.All worth thinking about.. I notice my simple snaps, get many likes in media! My special work is ignored..My only thought! Shoot for self! You do good! Not good English..Bravo!

[@ShootOnFilm]

Yeah -- you gotta shoot for yourself, not for the likes and clicks. Then it makes it unique and valuable!! And thanks for your kind words!

[@46metube]

don't 'learn' anything. teach yourself how.

[@ShootOnFilm]

If only cows could fly!