To the very basic question of “why do I take photographs?” I would reply, “because I am standing here with a camera.” And I am able to be standing here thanks to gravity, which is the subject of my work.

The waxing and waning of the Moon and the movement of the planets are influenced by the gravity of the Sun and the Earth; the waves and tides of the Earth are affected by the Moon. Therefore, photographs of the Moon and the sea are complementary.

In the due process of thinking deeply about creating photographs, the photographer must think directly about "what kind of person he is" and "what is photography." Born into a fishing family, the sea represented to me the source of our livelihood and my “original landscape.” Fishermen will naturally become attuned to the coming and going of the tide.

The Moon that we all see is actually an image, a reflection of the Sun. The waxing and waning of the Moon is influenced by the Earth; it is formed from light and shadow, just as with an elementary image. Numerous tales involving the images that are the Moon and the planets have been created by people throughout the world since ancient times; this must be an indication of the original relationship between images and people.

My Sea photographs represent “my personal existence and origins,” while the Moon (planet) photographs represent “the existence and origin of all photographs/photographers.”

To me, the Sea and Moon photographs are two sides of the same coin. All the photographs in High Tide Wane Moon are inter-related, connected to the others by the gravity they each possess.

Kazumi Takahashi is a photographer based in Tokyo, Japan.

"High Tide Wane Moon" Photo book