Today a solo exhibition of one of Japan’s foremost photographers is opened at the Reflex Art gallery in Amsterdam. For Journey to Something, Daido Moriyama has pulled shots from his archive as well as new images. We were very honoured to do a short interview with the man himself. 

BLEND\: You started out as a graphic designer. What made you want to become a photographer?
Moriyama: When I was very young, I was a graphic designer.  When I was working as a graphic designer, it was very related to the work of photographers. I would go to the studios and see the photographers working. It looked as if the job was very active and very fashionable. I didn’t like  sitting in the office that much, I wanted to change my lifestyle. That’s one of the reasons  I wanted to turn away from graphic design.  For graphic design the visual is very important, so when I was very young I loved to draw, I was always drawing. Photography is a very important visual in graphic design, that is another reason.

You tend to shoot a lot of snapshots. Do you think, as a photographer, it is important to have your camera with you at all times? Do you always look around you for the possibility of a good shot?
I will make sure I have a camera that is very small and very light, and I will always carry a camera in the pocket of my pants or my coat, and take photographs everywhere.

A lot of your images are very gritty, shot analogue. What do you think of the analog revival nowadays? How do you feel about digital photography?
Since three years I am using either film or digital. So I am not much concerned about the ways of the digital camera. Depending on the theme of what I would shoot.. if I feel like I want to shoot in film, I shoot in film. If I want to shoot digitally, I will do that. It just has to be transferred to a screen. It is not so much about the medium, as it is about the message.

So the exhibition with William Klein is coming up soon. He is one of your biggest influences. What is it like for you to do a dual exhibition in Tate later this year?
The encounter with William Klein’s work was when I was still working as a graphic designer, and I was just changing into photography. For me, William Klein’s work has been an inspiration. So from the beginning, I would do these street snapshots I have been doing. So I am really happy that I can do a show together with him.

Obviously you started shooting in Japan, and then you went to New York like Klein did. When you shoot outside of Japan, do you look differently at the world around you? Or do you tend to look for similarities? How is shooting in other parts of the world different from shooting in Japan?
Shooting in Japan and shooting in Europe is basically the same. Of course there are different cities, but the way I shoot or the way I approach it is the same. Even though I go to Buenos Aires, San Paolo, Hawaii, New York, I will shoot with my five senses, so it’s the same.

You tend to speak a lot of the importance of a certain desire that is displayed in good photography. Why is that? Is desire parallel to life, you believe?
Of course my way of living and the human life have a close relationship. Every human being has a different way, a different level of desire. All the photographers, and all the people that are active in making something, all the artists, they have a very strong desire, a passion. It’s like being at the core of desire.

When speaking of your influences, you state the names of several photographers very clearly. Are you influenced by any other artists (other than photographers) at all?
I have been influenced by many different artists from different media, but the artists that have had the biggest impact on me are Andy Warhol and Peter Brueghel.

Since you have been shooting for a very long time now, and the world around you changes, Japan has changed a lot. Do you feel like your way of approaching, or your style, has gradually changed over the years?
Definitely my style has not changed, even though the streets have changed over the years. I think the outside world has changed, but I have remained the same. The photographs I take are my daily life. The way I am walking, the way I stand, the way I approach things are all very personal.

You still look very you and vibrant. Obviously you are very passionate about your work. Do you think you will ever retire, and be able to put your camera down?
As long as my legs, my back and my stomach are well, I will take photographs in the street forever. I do not have the intention to leave the camera.

Thank you very much!

A Journey to Something is on display until July 28 2012 at Reflex Art.

William Klein/Daido Moriyama is on display from October 10 2012 to January 13 2013 at Tate Modern.

images Daido Moriyama, courtesy Reflex Gallery