As a photographer, I regularly talk about snaps as if it were perfectly natural, but as soon as I come to myself and think about what exactly a “snap” actually is, I’m usually at a loss for an answer. Well, I have been thinking of snaps as offhand photographs shot in the street, or pictures taken in the manner of sneaky snaps, but while complacently calling myself a “street snapper”, I never quite understood the original meaning of the word as it seems.
This issue of “Kiroku”, by the way, features mostly snaps taken in Southern France, in cities including Arles, Avignon, Marseille, and Paris. It was a hot summer trip in July. My schedule was crammed with the usual dates — solo exhibitions, talk events, autographing sessions and workshops – in between which I always found the time for a snap or two. The sparkling Mediterranean Sea, endless fields of sunflowers, and my very first meeting with the extremely attractive photographer Sarah Moon are among the great memories I have of my summer journey across the Provence region.
-DAIDO MORIYAMA
Akio Nagasawa Publishing, Moriyama Daido Photo Foundation