fototazo: Editing with Aya Takada

From the series "Tōjinbō" © Aya Takada

We are talking to a range of photographers, photo editors, professors of photography, book designers and others about the physical process of editing images. Selecting, sequencing and laying out photographs - be it for a magazine, book, online site or gallery presentation - seems something of a mysterious process for many photographers and a process that seems perhaps hard to give words to. I haven't found much written about the process and that's exactly why I'm excited to see what comes up in this series.

We started the conversation with Rob Haggart, Ashley Kauschinger, Jeff Rich, Miska Draskoczy and Kevin WY Lee. Today we continue with Aya Takada.

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, Takada is a graduate of Visual Arts Tokyo and has had numerous solo exhibitions, beginning in 1994. Her work has been featured on Japan Exposures, Street Level Japan and HotShoe. A review of her US debut exhibition at Benedictine University was reviewed by John Sevigny here. She has published a number of her bodies of work as photobooks including AREA, Fragrance Petit and TAMAKO.

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From the series "TAMAKO" © Aya Takada

Editor's Note: We worked hard on establishing a translation, but parts remain rough, especially the first two questions. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

fototazo: Tell us a little about yourself and what area of photography you work in.

Aya Takada: After graduating from Tokyo Visual Arts, printed matter of a photograph was made. Printed matter of four tabloid edition was issued from 1998 to 1999. I participated in an independent gallery in Shinjuku as a management member from 2001 to 2005. I gained experience in layouts and the editing of photographs there. The place where these several years aren't an inner city mainly in Japan in a photography area. Famous tourist attraction and the spot which isn't famous contrary to that. For example the spot people have left, abandoned.

From the series "TAMAKO" © Aya Takada

f: How do you select images to work with from a larger group? What criteria do you use?

AT: First, I will go back to my recollection from the time of shooting. At the time of shooting, when I was closer to the state of the subject, and with respect to the image that does not change with the time of shooting. I choose the photographs that have been faithfully reproduced from the subject. At that time, is one of the criteria that corporeal sense of shooting spot also choose photographs. Surprise, impression and fear. Such pure sense. Therefore when shooting, when a vivid impression was left the photograph is chosen inevitably here.

f: Talk with us about how you begin to organize and sequence the images that you have selected in relationship to each other - as well as to text if there’s text.

AT: This one is simple. These are more or less sequenced by the passage of time. Old photographs will be at the beginning, new photographs aligned behind them. In my series, time will be one of the most important axes for sequencing.

From the series "WATAKANO" © Aya Takada

f: How do you consider the balancing of formal qualities in the photographs with the content/narrative of the series as a whole as you select and sequence a series?

AT: As in the answer to the previous question, of all the variables, it is a visual balance of the photograph that should be given priority, the photograph that roughly captures the recollections I have of observing a shooting location and the passage of time is used for sequencing. To give priority to the accidental elements which a photograph itself might have, I prefer to use methods such as the panel layout, in which I intentionally sequence static images according to a predetermined set of patterns. I think abstract photographs can be more easily understood in the form of a movie by sequencing them individually in a stop-motion pattern. Even if there is a narrative in a series, a story isn’t emphasized, because it exists as a fragmentary scene of a story. I am also thinking of choosing photographs from each of these series and re-editing them in the future.

From the series "ISLAND" © Aya Takada

f: What are common issues, problems and questions that unfold for you during the process of laying things out?

AT: The problem is to work to locate the piece that appears to be faithful to the original scene from a huge edit of photographs. There are a lot of prolonged patterns in my recent series, and these require labor more than shooting. I feel very inefficient, but I haven't found any better way yet.

f: How do you know when a layout is done?

AT: When a new photographic series begins, it occurs naturally. There is little conceptual consideration at the initial stage. This process leads to the finish with an assembly of the pieces collected while shooting. These are like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When I find I do not have enough pieces, I shoot again. If it is unclear, I work more whimsically. Sometimes I may not be able to finish for years. Just as a start occurs naturally, so a finish often also ends naturally. When a shooting location is destroyed, this can also mean a series is over.

From the series "FU-RIN" © Aya Takada

f: What are common mistakes you see in editing?

AT: While not necessarily affirming that to do so is a mistake, I would say dramatically reconfiguring the series intentionally. This is because I believe that simply put, if there is too much staging and deformation involved, the original physical value of the subject will be lost.

f: Finally, what is the best advice you’ve ever gotten about editing?

AT: Repeat the work, perseveringly.

5.03.2015

Editing with Aya Takada