A few days ago, I happened to see a book titled August 32, created by Toshibo. The title itself carries a certain symbolic meaning. The date “August 32” obviously does not exist, giving a sense of time being shifted and memory being distorted. It also reflects Toshibo’s exploration of the space between reality and unreality.

His whole work is filled with a dreamy atmosphere. Toshibo uses a lot of natural light, but it is not the bright light we often see in midsummer. Instead, it feels soft and blurred, as if time has paused, floating within memory. While reading it, I experienced a strange sense of displacement. Even though I did not grow up in Japan, I could still feel a connection with the objects and buildings weathered by time.

There are no people in the images, but we can sense traces of past human life through broken bridges, buildings covered by plants, and rusted gates. These scenes together create landscapes after humanity, giving narrative depth to otherwise still spaces. The text and layout in the book are also carefully designed, making the work not just a collection of images but easier and more enjoyable to read.

中文版本：

前几天偶然在书店看到一本名为《8月32日》的写真集，作者是 toshibo。这本写真标题本身就带有一定象征意味，“8月32日”这个日期显然并不存在。给人一种时间的偏移感以及记忆的错乱感，也很好的表达了toshibo对“现实与非现实之间”这一主题的探讨。

整部作品弥漫着一种梦幻的氛围。toshibo 运用了大量的自然光，但那种光线并非我们经常能看到的盛夏时候的明亮，而是一种能让人感受到时间停滞的光，柔和且模糊，像是在记忆的之中。阅读时让我产生一种奇怪的错位感。虽然我并不是在日本长大，但看到这些被时间腐蚀的物品和建筑，还是能感受到与作者的一些共鸣。

作品中没有人物，但我们可以通过断裂的桥梁、被植物覆盖的建筑、生锈的铁门，感受到曾经人们生活残留的的痕迹。这些景象共同构成了人类消逝后的风景，让静止的空间拥有了叙事性。书中穿插的文字与排版同样经过精心设计，使作品不仅是影像的集合，也增加了易读性。

A few weeks ago, I went to the Yokohama Art Museum to see an exhibition of Robert Capa’s works. The title of the exhibition was 平和であることへの、控えめななにごとかを, which translates to “A Modest Gesture Toward Peace.” I think it is quite timely to revisit these kinds of works considering what is happening in the world right now.

Robert Capa was a Hungarian American war photographer and photojournalist. Even though he passed away young at the age of 40 after stepping on a landmine, he is still considered one of the greatest war photographers of all time.

I am going to skip the usual biographical details since there are already plenty of good articles out there. What I want to share instead are some of my personal thoughts on his work. To me, a great war photographer documents the moment truthfully, without beautification or staging, yet still manages to evoke deep thoughts and emotions from the audience.

I have never been particularly drawn to war photography or even history in general, partly because I was taught to always stay critical and history can often be written from a certain perspective. But seeing his works from the Spanish Civil War and World War II changed that. Those moments, such as soldiers waiting on the beaches or pilots preparing to take off, feel completely different from street photography, where you know the subjects will likely go on with their lives after the photo is taken. In Capa’s photos, you can almost sense that many of those young faces might not have survived the battle. Even without knowing their names, you can feel the weight of their fate.

Capa’s photos were always taken close to his subjects. His most famous phrase, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough,” perfectly captures his philosophy. His use of light and composition always served the story and its tension. He did not chase perfect symmetry or aesthetic balance. Instead, he let the chaos, movement, and conflict within the scene speak for themselves.

Seeing his work in person renewed my thoughts about the whole field of war photography. I have always been anti war, and I believe exhibitions like this are crucial reminders of what war really means: the loss of lives, memories, and futures, all because of power or hatred.

中文版本：

几周前，去了趟横滨美术馆，看了一个让我印象很深的摄影展，罗伯特·卡帕（Robert Capa）和其他艺术家们相关战争的摄影作品展。标题是「平和であることへの、控えめななにごとかを」，意思为 A Modest Gesture Toward Peace（为和平而作的温柔姿态）。我觉得在现在这个时间点看到这样主题的展览还是挺有趣的。

Capa是匈牙利裔的美国战地摄影师和新闻摄影记者。虽然他在40岁就不幸踩到地雷去世，但仍被认为是历史上最伟大的战争摄影师之一。

关于他的生平，网上已经有很多资料，不想赘述了。更想聊聊的是我个人对他作品的一些感受。对我来说，一位伟大的战地摄影师，是能够在没有美化和刻意安排的情况下，客观地记录真实的瞬间。但同时他的作品依然能激发观者的情感与思考。

其实我一向对战争题材或历史类作品兴趣不大，因为从小被教育要保持批判性，而历史很多时候是由胜利者书写的。然而，当我看着他在西班牙内战和二战时期拍下的那些照片，比如士兵登陆、飞行员起飞、孩子们望向战场的神情。确实在看到照片的时刻，让人深刻的感受到了当年这些沉重历史的真实感。

在街头摄影里，我们知道照片中的人还会继续他们的生活；但是在Capa的作品里，那些年轻的生命很可能在快门按下后不久就永远消失了。即使我们几乎永远都不可能他们的名字，但一定能透过这些照片能感受到那份悲伤的命运。

Capa有一句名言“如果你的照片不够好，那是因为你离得不够近”（If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough）。我认为非常准确地总结出了他的摄影哲学。Capa总是贴近被摄者，贴近危险，当然也更贴近真实。他的光影和构图几乎不会追求完美的对称或形式上的美感，而是让画面中的冲突、动作与情绪自然地讲述故事。

在美术馆里看到这些照片，也确实让我对于“战争摄影”有了一些新的思考。对我来说，反战不仅是一种立场，更是一种对于大家的提醒。提醒我们，每一场战争的背后，都是一个又一个20岁的生命、未完成的记忆、未实现的梦想。这也是Capa这些作品很打动我的地方，能让人，至少我自己，一次次去思考战争这项彻底反人类的活动的意义。

AK Kidd, who works under the cover name GoatPierrot, is a freelance artist I first came across on Instagram. He graduated with a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2019 and is currently based in Glasgow, Scotland. While he also paints, much of his practice is centered on ceramics.

The piece below is a good example of his style. His palette often draws from the primary colors — red, yellow, and blue. Combined with simple lines and bold color blocks, his ceramic works create an intriguing tension, as if minimalism and maximalism are colliding in the same object. The result feels both playful and intense, leaving a lasting impression.

I believe the toy-like figurines he designed are among his most iconic creations. They could even be mass produced, which not only makes them recognizable as artworks but also turns them into objects that could bring in some extra income. 

At the end, I’ll share a few images of his work so readers can get a better sense of his style.

*2025 Update: His work is now available on his personal website: “https://goatpierrot.com”

中文版本：

AK Kidd（GoatPierrot）是一位freelance艺术家，我最早是在 Instagram 上发现的他的作品。他于 2019 年毕业于芝加哥艺术学院（SAIC），目前定居在苏格兰格拉斯哥（Glasgow, Scotland）。在早期可以看到他创作的绘画作品，但现在他的主要创作方向是以陶瓷（ceramics）为主。

上面这些作品都是他比较有代表性的作品。他常使用红、黄、蓝三原色作为主要色彩，再配合简洁的线条和色块。他的陶瓷作品给人一种很特别的张力，好像极简主义和极繁主义在同一件作品里相遇。结果既有一种俏皮感，又带着强烈的冲击力，十分让人印象深刻。

我认为他的这些陶瓷作品就是他非常具有代表性的设计。这类作品完全可以批量生产，不仅在艺术上有辨识度，也是一种能带来额外收入的好载体。

最后，我会分享一些他的作品图片，让大家更直观地感受到他的风格。

*2025 Update: His work is now available on his personal website: “https://goatpierrot.com”

Fred Herzog is an artist I’ve known about for quite a long time, but I never really dug deep into his work. While doing research for a street photography project the other day, I came across his book Modern Color in the library and realized it’s an incredible resource for studying color composition. I ended up buying the book myself because I found it to be an epic when it comes to color street photography.

More recently, I saw one of his images featured on an Instagram account, which inspired me to do a more personal research into his work. What I found is that his photographs have a certain kind of magic — a balance between color and composition that feels effortless.

For instance, in one of his images, the composition on its own isn’t particularly strong. But once color comes into play, the whole frame feels balanced — striking a harmony between minimalism and complexity.

What fascinates me most is how his compositions often break the “rules.” Normally, we would avoid things like a cropped head or a distracting element. But Herzog somehow makes it work — he draws our eyes to unexpected details, like a warped hand, an old lady in shabby clothes, or a red newspaper box in the background. These “imperfections” become the very things that make the image alive and memorable.

中文版本：

Fred Herzog 这位摄影师很早就有所耳闻，，但一直没有真正系统化的了解过他的作品。前段时间在做Street Photography的研究时，在图书馆偶然翻到他的作品《Modern Color》，才意识到这本书在色彩及构图上的水准有多高。以至于后来我自己也买了一本放在家里，可以时不时欣赏1960s-50s街景的同时获取灵感。个人觉得这本书完全可以称得上是彩色街头摄影的经典。

最近，我又在一个 Instagram 账号上刷到他的照片，这让我决定专门花点时间去研究他其他的作品。令人惊讶，他的照片确实有一种平静的力量，在色彩和构图之间达到了看似轻松却非常精准的平衡。

比如，他的一些作品里，如果单看构图其实并不算特别亮眼。但当色彩融入之后，整个画面瞬间就平衡了，既有极简的味道，又带着必要的复杂感。

更进一步，他的构图经常打破所谓的“规则”。通常我们会避免拍到被裁掉的头部或一些分散注意力的元素，但在 Herzog 的照片里，这些反而会成为亮点。他总能神奇地把视线引向那些意想不到的细节，比如一只变形的手、一位衣着破旧的老人，或者背景里的一个红色报刊箱。正是这些所谓的“不完美”，让他的作品变得鲜活且难忘。

Yousuf Karsh is a legendary photographer of the 20th century. More than twenty of his portraits appeared on the cover of Life magazine — an extraordinary honor for any photographer. Since I’ve been starting to practice professional studio portraits, I find his work especially inspiring.

The most iconic is, of course, his portrait of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. What makes Karsh so unique is not only the timing or posing, but also the way he captured personality with extraordinary clarity. He had an incredible ability to direct his sitters, sometimes even disarming them in unexpected ways, so their authentic expressions emerged.

Technically, his approach was classic but powerful. He often used dramatic lighting to sculpt the face, separating the subject from the background while emphasizing texture and depth. His compositions were straightforward, yet his control of light and presence made the results unforgettable.

The result was portraits that feel both timeless and larger than life. Even with such traditional techniques, his work stands apart, reminding me that great portraiture is less about inventing something new, and more about mastering the tools to reveal the truth of a person.

中文版本：

他有接近二十多张作品曾登上《Life》杂志的封面，这在整个摄影史上都算得上是极高的荣誉。最近，我也开始尝试更专业的studio portraits，因此Karsh的作品对我来说格外有启发。

Karsh所有作品中最具代表性的，肯定还是那张他为英国首相丘吉尔的经典肖像。Karsh的拍摄的独特之处，不仅在于对于模特姿势的安排或拍摄的时机，更在于他似乎有一种与生俱来的能力，可以精准捕捉到人物的气质和个性。他往往能通过引导甚至一些出其不意的小动作，让被拍摄者流露出真实的神情。

技术上，他使用的技巧并不能说非常复杂，虽然Karsh也有非常强大的暗房技巧，但他更倾向于用戏剧性的布光来突出面部轮廓，把人物从背景中剥离，同时强化画面的质感与深度。画面构图看似传统，但在他的控制下，却以外的与众不同。

This week, I’ll talk about my weekly favorite artist, Lucian Freud. Freud is best known for his unique, realistic treatment of nudes and his intense, often unflinching portraits. Since I’ve been shooting portraits a lot lately, I found his works have a certain quality—abstract yet deeply realistic at the same time.

I used to focus on environmental portraits, believing that the surroundings help convey the subject’s character. But after studying Freud’s work, I’ve started to think more about close-up portraits. His paintings strip away context and bring you face-to-face with the subject, letting every wrinkle, line, and subtle shift in expression tell the story.

In portrait photography, this approach shifts the emphasis from “who the person is in their world” to “who the person is in themselves.” Just as Freud embraced raw texture, natural imperfections, and unfiltered presence, a photographer can use lighting, framing, and depth to reveal the subject’s truth. It’s not about perfection—it’s about presence. And that, in many ways, is the very heart of portraiture.

中文版本：

这周想介绍位我最近很喜欢的艺术家——卢西安·弗洛伊德（Lucian Freud）。他以写实的风格著称，尤其擅长刻画裸体与冲击力超强的肖像。最近我有拍不少人像照片。回过头看Freud的作品，发现有一种既抽象，又极其真实气质。

以前我更喜欢环境人像，因为我觉得环境能很好的帮助摄影师展现被摄者的性格或者特征。但在看到了弗洛伊德的作品后，我开始重新思考人像摄影本质。Freud的画作通常剥离了所有背景，将audiences直接带到与人物面对面的状态，每一道皱纹、每一条细微的表情变化，都在讲述被画者的故事。

在人像摄影中，这种方式让关注点从“这个人处在怎样的环境里”，转向“这个人本身是谁”。就像Freud敢于呈现肌理、保留瑕疵、捕捉未经修饰的真实状态，摄影师同样可以通过光影、构图和景深去呈现人物的本质。并不一定追求完美，而是捕捉一种真实感——而这种真实感，反而是人像的核心。

Saul Leiter was an American artist and one of the early pioneers of color photography. He moved to New York City at the age of 23, where he became friends with Abstract Expressionist painter Richard Pousette-Dart, who was also experimenting with photography at the time.

As someone who loves Impressionism, I find Leiter’s work incredibly painterly. His use of color feels soft, emotional, and almost brush-like. I’m especially drawn to his winter photographs. As someone who often struggles with shooting in the low-light conditions of winter, his images offer a kind of quiet inspiration. Somehow, even in the grey and muted months, his images remain vibrant and full of feeling.

One thing that stands out to me is the way he composes his shots. There’s often a large amount of negative space, but instead of making the frame feel empty, it only makes the color details more striking. The sense of quiet and stillness gives each image a strong emotional presence.

Looking at his work makes me want to reconsider how I approach composition. I tend to fall back on more traditional framing methods, like the golden ratio, but Leiter’s work reminds me that breaking away from the usual rules — and embracing space, light, and mood — can lead to something even more powerful.

中文版本：

Saul Leiter 是一位美国艺术家，也是彩色摄影的早期先锋之一。他 23 岁时搬到纽约，并在那里结识了抽象表现主义画家 Richard Pousette-Dart。当时 Dart 也正在尝试摄影创作。

我个人也是一个印象派的爱好者，我总觉得他的照片像画一样，有一种柔和、情绪化的笔触感。他的冬日摄影作品尤其让我印象深刻。冬天的街头总是昏暗、冷清，我也常常因为光线不足或者由于没有阳光造成的阴影而不知道该如何拿起相机，但 Leiter 的作品却在灰蒙蒙的季节里拍出了温度和故事，给了我很多启发。

他在构图上的选择也很特别。很多照片都保留了大量留白（negative space），但这种留白反而让色彩的细节更加突出。画面安静、克制，却总能感受到一些情绪在慢慢渗出来。

看完他的作品，我也开始重新思考自己在构图上的习惯。过去我总是依赖一些“黄金分割”这类经典规则，但 Saul Leiter 的作品提醒我，有时候打破常规、去关注空间、光影和氛围，反而能带来更打动人的表达。

Joel Meyerowitz is one of the photographers who has inspired me for a very long time. I’m especially drawn to his series Cape Light. There’s no need to mention his iconic 35mm color street photography — it’s legendary on its own. Honestly, each of his series deserves its own post, but for now, I just want to share a few impressions of this remarkable photographer.

What stands out to me is the simplicity and thoughtfulness of his compositions. In his swimming pool series, for example, many of the pools are set right by the bay. This subtle placement invites viewers to think about the contrast between the artificial and the natural — the geometric stillness of a man-made pool versus the expansive, organic movement of the sea. It’s a quiet but powerful kind of tension.

Technically, Meyerowitz’s approach is just as considered. He often uses a small aperture to ensure both the foreground and background are in crisp focus. This gives his images a clarity that feels almost painterly — not staged, but deeply intentional.

In his street photography, take for example the image of a red vintage car parked in front of a house with matching red window frames. The symmetry in composition and the way the colors echo each other is stunning. These kinds of aesthetic decisions — formal, but not rigid — are inspiring no matter what subject matter you’re photographing. It’s the kind of visual sensitivity I think every photographer can learn from.

Returning to the pool series: what resonates with me most are the cool, unsaturated blue tones. There’s a calmness to them — a kind of quiet detachment from reality — that makes the scenes feel timeless, like they’re suspended in some in-between place. I’m hoping to bring a similar mood into my own work. Not by imitation, but by learning to pay attention to color and light the way he does — subtly, and with intention.

中文版本：

Joel Meyerowitz 是一个长期以来都给我很多灵感的摄影师。他的《Cape Light》系列让我特别着迷。当然，他那组经典的 35mm 彩色街头摄影几乎无需赘述，已经成为了标志性作品。其实他的每一个系列都值得单独写一篇文章来细聊，但这次，我只是想简单记录一下对这位杰出摄影师的一些印象和想法。

他的作品让我印象深刻的，是那种看似简单却处处用心的构图。在他拍摄游泳池的系列中，很多泳池都靠近海湾，几乎是在海边。这种布景本身就带出了一种很自然的对比：人造泳池的规则、几何和安静，对比身后大海的广阔、自然和流动。这种对比并不张扬，却让人停下来思考。

在技术层面上，他的处理同样值得称道。他常常使用小光圈，来确保画面前后景都能保持清晰。这种方式让照片带上了一种类似绘画的质感——不是刻意摆拍，但画面感却极强，充满控制力。

他的街头摄影同样精彩。比如那张红色老爷车停在红窗户的房子前的照片，构图非常对称，颜色也完美呼应。这种对形式和色彩的把控，是任何题材摄影都能学习借鉴的美学素养。

回到他拍摄泳池的系列，我个人最喜欢的是他照片中那种淡淡的、不饱和的蓝色调。那种冷静而疏离的氛围，让整个画面显得既平静又有点超现实感，仿佛时间被凝固，空间也变得模糊。这种情绪感，是我很想在自己作品中尝试传达的——不是去模仿他的风格，而是去学习他如何用色彩与光线，营造出那种安静而有深度的氛围。

This is actually the second time I’m writing about William Eggleston—but this time, it feels more personal. As I work on one of my current projects using color film to photograph everyday scenes, I’ve found myself returning to his work with a different level of attention. The more I look at his images, the more I realize how much he has influenced the way I see.

Eggleston is known as a pioneer of color photography, and what fascinates me now isn’t just that he used color, but how he used it. His scenes are often incredibly ordinary—gas stations, corners of a room, plastic bottles on a table—but the way he captures color and light makes them feel strangely important. His use of color is never loud or obvious, but it’s deliberate. There’s a quiet intensity in how one tone plays off another. That subtlety is something I’m thinking about a lot in my own work.

His compositions are classic and restrained. Many of his photos look like snapshots—unplanned, even casual—but they hold a kind of natural balance that feels instinctual. That sense of effortlessness is what I’m starting to appreciate more. It reminds me that simplicity doesn’t mean lack of thought—often, it means just the opposite.

For this project, I’m also working with color film and focusing on things that are familiar or easily overlooked. Eggleston’s work encourages me to slow down, trust the quietness in an image, and pay more attention to how color alone can carry emotion. His influence isn’t about copying his style, but about learning to see more clearly—especially in the most ordinary moments.

中文版本：

这是我第二次写关于 William Eggleston 的内容，但这次会更贴近我个人的视角。最近我在做一个以彩色胶片拍摄日常场景的项目，在这个过程中，我又重新翻看了他的作品。越看越能体会到，他对我观察方式的影响其实一直都在，只是现在更清晰了。

Eggleston 被认为是彩色摄影的先锋人物，但现在吸引我注意的不只是他用色彩，而是他如何使用色彩。他拍的往往是一些极其普通的场景——加油站、屋角、桌上的瓶子之类的东西——但他对光线和色调的把握，总能让画面变得特别、有分量。他的色彩从不张扬，却很有层次。那种安静但有力量的视觉感受，是我最近特别关注的部分。

他的构图总是简单而经典。很多照片看上去像是随手拍下的快照，没有太多“刻意”的痕迹，但其中的平衡感又让人觉得非常自然。这种“看似不经意”的感觉，其实是他敏锐观察力的一种体现。也让我意识到，简单并不代表随便，反而可能是一种更深的选择。

在我现在这个项目里，我也在用彩色胶片拍摄生活中那些被忽视的小场景。Eggleston 的作品让我学会去信任画面的“安静感”，关注那些不那么“精彩”的瞬间，同时也提醒我：色彩本身就可以传递情绪，不需要太多修饰。

他带给我的影响并不是风格上的模仿，而是一种观看方式的提醒——学着更清楚地去“看”，尤其是在那些最普通的时刻和地点。

This isn’t the kind of photography I usually write about—mainly because Ryan McGinley’s style feels quite far from my own. Known for his raw, free-spirited portraits of youth and fleeting moments, McGinley is a New York–based photographer who rose to fame in the early 2000s. His work is spontaneous, emotional, and often messy in the most intentional way. That’s not how I usually shoot, but maybe that’s exactly why I find it interesting.

McGinley often works with Polaroids and point-and-shoot cameras, embracing imperfections and rarely editing his photos. That rawness comes through—it’s unfiltered, but never careless. His images feel honest, almost like visual journal entries.

As someone who shoots a lot of film, I appreciate that mindset. I’ve always believed photography is more about seeing than fixing. While editing can polish things, it’s the moment you press the shutter that really matters. McGinley’s work reminds me of that—and also makes me want to loosen up a bit more.

Next time, I think I’ll try shooting more with Polaroid. Not for control, but for the unpredictability—and maybe for a little freedom, too.

中文版本：

这不是我平时会写的摄影类型，主要是因为 Ryan McGinley 的风格和我自己的作品相差挺远。他是一位来自纽约的摄影师，以充满自由感和青春气息的影像而闻名。他的照片常常带着一种不加修饰的情绪，既随性又真诚。这种创作方式不是我惯常的路径，但正因为如此，反而让我觉得格外值得去了解。

McGinley 经常使用拍立得或傻瓜相机拍摄，而且几乎不怎么修图。他的作品不完美，但那种“不完美”本身就很迷人。每张照片看上去像是从某段生活中随手翻出的日记页，有一种真切的质感。

我自己平时拍很多胶片，也一直觉得摄影本质上是“看”而不是“修”。后期当然有它的意义，但真正的重点，还是在你按下快门的那一刻。McGinley 的作品再次提醒了我这一点，也让我开始想尝试一些更自由的方式。

接下来我可能会多玩玩拍立得。不是为了掌控画面，而是为了享受那种不可预知的自由感。