Yo Imae about:

Photo© Yo Imae

Recently I had the pleasure to invite the talented photographer Yo Imae. I wanted to know more about this young photographer living in Brooklyn, New York. So I wrote him a letter with some questions that he was kind enough to answer./Ulf

Yo Imae about Yo Imae: "I was born in 1980 in a city called Yokohama in Japan. I had my formal education in photography at the International Center of Photography in New York after attending a university in Japan."

About the portraits recently presented on the F Blog: "For the series of portraits which I have sent to you, I photographed those people on the street. I have some spots to find people who I want to photograph, and I go there and wait until I find people who appear attractive to me. When I find someone who I want to photograph, I simply approach him or her. I try to avoid directing my subjects as much as possible when I photograph them. I normally tell them where to stand, but nothing more than that."

About street photographers interfering in a situation: "For the type of portrait that I want to make, it is necessary to have direct interactions. I think it is sort of nonsense to discuss about how much or little street photographers should interfere in a situation because people should have different approaches towards reality in order to show what they want to show. One time I was watching the interview of William Klein and he was explaining how he photographed one of his most famous photographs of NY children (the picture from his book 'New York' on which two kids look like almost ghost because of the blur). He said he encountered the two kids on the street one day, and he told them to dance. He photographed them while they were dancing."

Photo© Yo Imae

About participating in PhotoEspaña 2008 in Madrid: "I enjoyed the city of Madrid more than the event itself to be honest. Just kidding. It was great opportunity to present my work to the people from Europe and also to know the work of photographers all over the world.

About current projects: I am interested in cities (I am sorry it is broad) right now, and that's what I have been focusing on recently."

About inspiration: "I cannot say what my inspiration is, but I think it is important to observe your everyday life and try to be conscious about how things are."

Please have a look at Yo Imae's site presenting the series Subtle Perception.