Scott

A friend of mine, Scott Tsumura, was here in Tokyo for a one man photo show at Yodobashi Camera's Gallery Instance this month. I wanted to see it and since I happen to be in Tokyo on Wednesdays, I decided to stop in, say hello and look at his work.

I've known Scott for about about 15 years. He and I originally made acquaintance through our wives, a common occurrence for me. He is very much the gentlemen, well spoken, kind and generous. He was nice enough to order a calligraphy piece from me a while ago and I was honored to do it. Over the years we have invited each over for dinner at each other's houses. I have thus had the chance to get a glimpse of his interests which have included sharpshooting, music and now photography.

I have the distinct impression that his other interests have had a direct impact on his photography. Sharpshooting requires great technical skill, attention to detail, patience, breathing, waiting for the right moment and focus. Scott also enjoys classical music. Classical music appreciation trains our ears to listen for themes, tempo, emotional tone, sub-themes and how the parts fit together. The bridge to photography is fairly evident.

On the day I went to see his show I was looking forward to seeing his works up close. Here is what I observed. First there was a naturalness in the faces shot. There is a certain serendipity in getting a great shot, but one also has to be ready to take it. This requires a vigilance, an ability to see or anticipate a moment in time. None of his subjects looked "posed", a difficult accomplishment. There was a story in each shot. Of course this story or drama is supplied by the observer, however there was an emotional impact in each shot that went beyond the beauty of the composition itself. There is an expression in Japan, "One gets tired of a beauty
in three days". I can't imagine getting tired of looking at his photos. This element bridges the gap from craft to art. It gives the piece soul. Next was the composition. This requires an astute eye to edit out the unnecessary and keep only the essential. A good editor leaves in enough detail to provide context while taking out enough to let our imaginations supply our own narrative so that the piece becomes ours. Leave in too much and the piece is dull. Edit too much and it becomes opaque. A cipher.

Scott has a real genius for the snapshot. I look forward to his next show.