TAKIHIRO SATO

Takihiro Sato is a Japanese photographer born in 1857, who is well known for his experiments with light and nature. Originally trained as a sculptor,  Sato uses large format cameras with exposures of up to three hours at night, and uses mirrors and light pens to reflect light into the camera, creating these specks of light across the subject, often a tree trunk. In dark situations, he flashes a flashlight into the lens, and during the day he uses the mirror to reflect the sun's light into the lens.

Because of his intervention, the photos are no longer a simple record of nature, but also have a sense of unseen life and presence; with the long exposure we cannot see the photographer, however we can certainly see that these interruptions aren't the doing of mother nature, and so we assume he altered the image in some way.

At first, when I saw him images I presumes he was using very bright fairy lights around the trunk, and I think that because it' such an unconventional technique to use, it brings a certain magic to the picture. A magic which is caused by the viewer being in the unknown, but still able to appreciate it's beauty.

Photo Respiration Trees Shirakami #2, 2008

This image has very magical, ethereal feeling about it. We can tell there's a presence there but because of the long exposure we do not know that the photographer is causing these lights. This manipulation creates a feeling of space and depth, while also creating an image that breathes life and energy. The title of this series reflects that too; 'Photo Respiration Trees' would suggest that he is aware of this, stating his images have “a direct connection between my breath and the act of tracing out the light.”

I feel that as the artist was originally trained as a sculptor he really brings a three dimensional feel to the image vastly through the use of tones and textures, which allows the viewer to insert themselves into the scene.

When I first saw the images I first thought of fairies; the image has a very fairy tale, otherworldly feel about it. There's something in the movement and the fact that the light is coming from an unknown source that creates this feeling. The size of the lights make for a very elegant and soft feel, which makes me want to look at the image even more; it brings tranquillity and life and it's not harsh to look at.

#69, 1990

I was drawn to this image because of the composition; the black circular borders around the photograph reminded me of then I made the mistake of picking out a DX lens for a full frame camera. I dismissed the photos and cropped all evidence of the lens out, however I found it interesting that Sato actively went out and did this on purpose. He uses and embraces it's function to draw the viewer's eye into the image, while also making the viewer feel as if they are looking at something they shouldn't because it appears to be like through a telescope, actively seeking out the location. This also creates the sense that they're seeing something not many people have, as if us as the viewer are looking and the tree and the life in the light are unaware of this. This is emphasised by the amount of space from the lens to the tree, as it makes us feel quite far away from the subject, distanced and keeping our presence a good way away as to not be caught.

I really like this work by Takihiro Sato, and would love to try and use these techniques in my own work, perhaps my next shoot. I will have to experiment a lot, and perhaps stack the images instead of using a three hour timer, as it offers a lot more safety if things go wrong (the camera shakes, gets knocked etc).