Atsumi Takemoto, a photographer based in Tokyo, delves into themes of death and time through her work. Utilizing collage, multiple exposure, and shutter speed manipulation, she juxtaposes past and present, creating a layered narrative that reflects life’s inevitable changes and the fragility of the human experience. Each piece evokes a sense of nostalgia while celebrating the deep gratitude of simply being alive.

Thank you for sharing your work with us, Atsumi. Can you tell us a little about you?

First of all, I would like to say thank you for this wonderful opportunity. Thank you so much!

Nice to meet you. My name is Atsumi Takemoto. I’m Japanese. I was blessed with a wonderful family and grew up bright, energetic and active in the countryside during my childhood. I spent my college years in Kyoto and the Republic of Korea, And I studied fine arts (mainly arts management) and tourism. Since 2007, I have worked in the travel industry (tour conductor), a cultural complex (arts management), customer service in the restaurant industry, sales in the human resources industry (both B to B and B to C), and also as a producer in the advertising production industry, and I have worked as a marketing assistant and executive secretary in a foreign-affiliated company.

I experienced various ways of working.

Finally, I realized that I was wasting my time if I just kept working and drinking every day, so I started studying photography school that I could attend at night and on weekends for one year from 2014 (when I was 29!)

Why I chose “photography” at that time is still a mystery to me.

I used to take street snapshots every day, but there was a period of time when I could not take snapshots due to a request from the government to refrain from going out due to the pandemic. During that time, I began to collage street corner snaps I had taken in the past with current indoor photos of flowers, people, and really really various things.

I never wanted to stop taking pictures and my dancer friend (Mika Ikeda) never wanted to stop dancing, too. We talked remotely every day and continued to take remote pictures together every day.

I have been collaborating with her for more than 10 years since we first met at a photography school. I am also working on a series of collages using her as material.

The pandemic taught me that I have not lived this far alone and many other things.

Since 2023, I have been actively exhibiting and selling my collage works mainly overseas.

What ideas are you exploring in your practice? How has your practice changed during the past few years?

Since the beginning of my career as a photographer, I have been confident in my ability to capture “Sunlight”. Finding light and shadow.

Since about 2021, I think I have repeatedly trained intensively to create “light”. The habit of finding light on the street has been supplemented by an accumulation of training in making light in dark and confined indoor (spaces). Strangely enough, the act of “waiting” becomes enjoyable. The leisurely flow of time becomes comfortable. I have recently come to think that I used to be in a bit of a hurry to live.

After 2025, I want to resume street snapping in earnest. I am sure that some people will see it and notice my internal and technical changes.

Where are you currently based? As a photographer, what do you find the most attractive in your city?

I am currently based in Tokyo. Currently, I often visit two places: the first is Asakusa, and the second is Shibuya. Asakusa is a popular tourists spot where they can enjoy Japan with all five senses. It is a place that attracts tourists from all over the world, so recently I have been going there every weekday for just one hour to take pictures. It also serves as a hands-on learning experience for English conversation! ^-^

Asian people are relatively wary of me, but I feel like they relax their guard when I am in Asakusa. ^-^ Many people give me a peace sign when I ask them “Can I take your picture?”

People from Western countries approach my camera without saying a word. ^-^

Shibuya is a place where I have done my homework since I was in school for photography. I have a series in the making where I talk to girls in Shibuya and ask them to let me take their pictures, and I visit continuously. I don’t really like crowds, but I really enjoy hearing from young people who come to Shibuya from the countryside with some sort of purpose or goal in mind.

I wonder how my communication skills, which allow me to charge headlong to talk to people I have never met before without hesitation or hesitation, were nurtured in my personality. I can only thank my parents.

What is the most exciting project you’ve worked on so far?

The “Cactus” series mentioned above.

For the past 10 years, I have always photographed girls I met in “Shibuya,” but I am planning to expand the locations (both in Japan and abroad).

Is there any advice you would offer to others?

Words have souls. Words have magnificent power. That is why I never say, “I quit photography.”

In the past few years, many of my friends have made the decision to quit photography. The reasons are varied, but I am deeply moved by them.

Words have a soul.

Many of my friends who have decided to quit photography have resumed it in a very short time. Please don’t play with me!

Words have a soul, and I am very weak.

“Words” and “photograph” can captivate people’s hearts and minds, but at the same time, they can also hurt people. The power of a “photograph” to condense emotions that words cannot express is magnificent. There are moments when I even feel fear.

First of all, we need to solidify the foundation to continue to be who we are without blurring. Everything depends on you. The reason you fell down was that you were trying to move forward. Even if you keep getting hurt in the same place, human beings are wonderful creatures, so you have a defensive response, or something like that, and you will be able to fend it off. And then you get hurt again in another place. That is me. The cycle repeats itself.

Humans are stronger than you can imagine. It is in times of pain that we remember to smile!

If you change, those around you will change. Believe in yourself.

And since we’re at it, I share quotes from photographers I admire that raise me to the next level on a daily basis. I wish you all the best in your life.

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“If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” -Robert Capa

“A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” -Ansel Adams

“The eye should learn to listen before it looks.” -Robert Frank

“Which of my works is your favorite? The one I’m shooting tomorrow.” -Imogen Cunningham

“You just have to take the pictures. You don’t know what’s good and what’s bad until you take the pictures.” -Osamu Kanamura

“The world is always a defining moment.” “The past is always new; the future is always nostalgic.” -Daido Moriyama

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What are you working on right now?

① Bystander

The historic bridge, built in 1929, is to be demolished due to its age. This is the story of the interaction with the people who met on this bridge and the 10 years of photographing the bridge, which has already become unclimbable. I have not yet decided where I will set the endpoint in my mind.

② This isn’t the first time I’ve been to this road

A compilation of my work to date. I think I want to put an end to the way I deal with photographs (collages) that appeared irresistibly during the pandemic. I want to compile my work in order to clear up the blurring that has persisted since the pandemic.

I plan to cross the ocean once this series has settled down. I am preparing to leave Japan and walk in many places. I am very excited.

Photography has magnificent power. Photography teaches us and reminds us of many things. I want to take a compelling picture. One photo that doesn’t need a title or words. It would be great to take one such photo in my life! 

Wouldn’t that be a very dreamy thing to do? 

I will continue to pursue photographs that can only be taken by going there and continuing to go there. For the first time in a long time, I was able to have a long and deliberate dialogue with myself. Thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I had a wonderful time.

Text & photo courtesy of Atsumi Takemoto

Website: https://atsumitakemoto.com/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/takeatsu_photo/