City lights.
Photo series “Seascapes” by Hiroshi Sugimoto inspired me to create my own series “City Lights” with a similar framework, but one that essentially presents a contrast. The idea behind “Seascapes” is to depict how the land appeared before the development of humanity, much like how early humans would have seen it thousands of years ago. The sea and the sky, dividing the frame of a large-format camera into two halves, exude a profound sense of minimalism and tranquility, conveying a feeling of eternity. The “City Lights” series I conceptualized is the complete opposite. It aims to showcase the unmistakable presence of humans—cars, buildings, and, above all, a multitude of different lights polluting the sky. The primary objective was to depict the bright city lights from above. But how could all the lights be captured in a single shot while adhering to the composition advocated by Hiroshi Sugimoto? The long exposure time and camera movement allowed me to capture multiple perspectives from the same vantage point in a single frame, aiding in conveying the speed, hustle, and saturation of the nocturnal city.
