Daido Moriyama in the NY Times :)

Thank you, David. Always great to see his work. And the prose is so expressive. In a similar way to how he describes his relationship to Shinjuku, I find his photography both disturbing and appealing.

John
 
Thank You

Thank You

A little odd, something I would kind of expect out of the NY Times, but a very good read nonetheless. It seems to be a little peek into how Mr. Moriyama views himself.
 
I lived in Okubo, Shinjuku from 2007 to 2009; I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, my company was effectively transitioning to new ownership, and I had to return to the states.

I did pick up a number of Moriyama books while there, and although I spent hours upon hours walking through Shinjuku, I never had the pleasure of bumping into him (though I kept a lookout).

It was during my time in Tokyo that I switched from digital to film, and while my want for an affordable rangefinder was perhaps the primary factor, Moriyama’s wonderfully grainy shots also influenced my decision.
 
I'm glad to read something recent from Moriyama. You can tell he isn't living in his past.

I must say, however, I do prefer his B&W work over the color...personal preference.
 
I lived in Okubo, Shinjuku from 2007 to 2009; I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, my company was effectively transitioning to new ownership, and I had to return to the states.

I did pick up a number of Moriyama books while there, and although I spent hours upon hours walking through Shinjuku, I never had the pleasure of bumping into him (though I kept a lookout).

It was during my time in Tokyo that I switched from digital to film, and while my want for an affordable rangefinder was perhaps the primary factor, Moriyama’s wonderfully grainy shots also influenced my decision.

Rather ironic then that all his grainy b&w now has been shot digitally and processed in Silver Efex for about 5 years plus. He's been using a Nikon point and shoot that only uses jpg...no raw for his work. Proof simple that the camera often doesn't matter.

I saw a show of his in Tokyo earlier this year. Stunning is all I can say.
 
totally dig the guy. this selection of work felt very disjointed though. like the picture editor just threw together a 'sampling' of his work without much thought. also a fan of Estrin and the NYT crew so maybe it's just me.
 
Thanks for the heads up! I'm a fan of Daido Moriyama so I enjoyed reading this and viewing the accompanying photos.
 
Rather ironic then that all his grainy b&w now has been shot digitally and processed in Silver Efex for about 5 years plus. He's been using a Nikon point and shoot that only uses jpg...no raw for his work. Proof simple that the camera often doesn't matter.

I saw a shoe of his in Tokyo earlier this year. Stinning is all I can say.

I know what you're saying, but not really that ironic, since my switch occurred before his. And in early 2008, while the quality of film emulating software was ever improving, it was still a bit shaky. Plus, I was getting tired of chasing the next best thing...going to the organic source put a pleasant end to that. And again, there were other reasons for switching.

Actually, I haven't seen a lot of his digital stuff; the initial photos were pretty clean looking if I recall. Anyway, like what I saw in this article, so I'll have to do some digging for his more recent work.
 
Rather ironic then that all his grainy b&w now has been shot digitally and processed in Silver Efex for about 5 years plus. He's been using a Nikon point and shoot that only uses jpg...no raw for his work. Proof simple that the camera often doesn't matter.

I saw a shoe of his in Tokyo earlier this year. Stinning is all I can say.

He did change to Nikon, but found it did not equal his work with the Ricoh. Reduced his use the Nikon to color and returned to Ricoh for B/W. Fascinating.

It appears that he may be using the Nikon for his color work, but the Nikon does not give him the grain, tonal range and low light capacity of his Ricoh. So he may be using both, but the biggest portion of his B/W work is still with the Ricoh.
 
Rather ironic then that all his grainy b&w now has been shot digitally and processed in Silver Efex for about 5 years plus. He's been using a Nikon point and shoot that only uses jpg...no raw for his work. Proof simple that the camera often doesn't matter.

I saw a shoe of his in Tokyo earlier this year. Stinning is all I can say.

That turns out not to be the case. He doens not like the Nikon for the work he was doing with his Ricoh. He has relegated the Nikon primarily to his color work and still prefers the Ricoh for his grainy, low light, B/W work.

I've been following this transition for the last few years. The Ricoh still gets the nod for most of the work he is noted for producing.
 
He did change to Nikon, but found it did not equal his work with the Ricoh. Reduced his use the Nikon to color and returned to Ricoh for B/W. Fascinating.

It appears that he may be using the Nikon for his color work, but the Nikon does not give him the grain, tonal range and low light capacity of his Ricoh. So he may be using both, but the biggest portion of his B/W work is still with the Ricoh.

Which Ricoh are we talking about?
 
Which Ricoh are we talking about?

Here is one link, noting his use of the GR 1 film model. then references to various GR-D models, and in fairness a mention of the Nikon. He used the GRD-2 for some time and has ranged up as high as the GR-DIV.

http://filmphotographyschool.com/what-camera-does-daido-moriyama-use/

More info here:

https://ledesmaphotography.com/2013/05/24/daido-moriyama-now-uses-the-ricoh-gr/

You get more of the gist of this by viewing many of his videos on You Tube. Do a search.
 
I previously posted links like the one below, because I'm both a Moriyama fan and a Ricoh GR fan. Ricoh trumpeted that Moriyama was now back to his traditional GR-type camera...even Daido himself helped introduce the camera. As an owner, I have to say it's probably my favorite camera. If Ricoh could ever change physics and shoehorn a FF sensor in there, I'd probably end up selling everything else I owned...especially if they offered a 35mm model (or even a 23mm APS-C model, the equivalent).

Daido and his Ricoh GR
 
I previously posted links like the one below, because I'm both a Moriyama fan and a Ricoh GR fan. Ricoh trumpeted that Moriyama was now back to his traditional GR-type camera...even Daido himself helped introduce the camera. As an owner, I have to say it's probably my favorite camera. If Ricoh could ever change physics and shoehorn a FF sensor in there, I'd probably end up selling everything else I owned...especially if they offered a 35mm model (or even a 23mm APS-C model, the equivalent).

Daido and his Ricoh GR

I'm with you on much of what you write. However, I like the 28mm and APSC format. I'm almost always in TAV and snap focus, so appreciate the DOF of the lens length and sensor size.

I also shoot with an X-Pro1 and MM1, but I'm always on the verge of selling everything except the GR. I enjoy them all but feel my best work has defeintely come from the GR. The spontaneity it offers suits me. In that regard, watching Moriyama work is always inspiring.

John
 
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