What does photographer Nagase Sayo's photographs show? Photography may be a civilization born from the human desire to capture fleeting moments, but her photographs reveal something more.

Nagase Sayo was born in 1978 in Hyogo Prefecture as the youngest of three siblings. At the age of 19, she moved to Tokyo with the goal of becoming a photographer. Since she began taking photographs at the age of 13, Nagase has been doing her friends' makeup and even planning their outfits and poses. What does she see through the viewfinder of her camera? We visited her studio in the spring, when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.





■From the girl who aspired to become Madame Curie to becoming a photographer

Born the youngest of three siblings, what kind of childhood did Nagase have? Nagase, who grew up hearing her father say, "I hope you become like Madame Curie," enjoyed studying science. As a teenager, she began to seriously consider what she wanted to do with her life. Her curiosity extended beyond science. She also tried her hand at playing guitar, singing, modeling, acting, drawing, filming, and photography. Of all the things she tried, photography was the one that resonated with her the most. While it may seem like a cliché, when I asked Nagase about the appeal of photography, she replied, "The more you work at photography, the more precise it becomes. Photography is both art and skill." It seems she has a desire to challenge herself with the skills she has developed, rather than relying solely on what her parents have bestowed upon her.

With this desire in mind, the eternal youngest child moved to Tokyo at the age of 19, seeking a place where "there were no one to support me." Looking back on that time, Nagase says, "I wanted to gain the confidence to live independently." Although she has built a career as a photographer, she says of herself, "I still feel like I'm a blank slate. However, I have been able to stand in a blank slate and create something from scratch."



When you stand in front of her work, you feel as if you are capturing the dazzling sunlight shining through it, the feeling of the wind caressing your hair, and even sounds both far away and close by. Nagase's photography style has a set look, but she decides the detailed composition on location. "Keywords are easier to photograph than rough sketches. I always try to go to the location with zero senses. I have to be able to use my five senses well and become a receiver of what's there," she says, talking about her thoughts when heading out to shoot.

In the second part, we'll explore the messages embedded in Nagase's work in his own words.