CoolArt: Masahiro Makino
I’ve been following Masahiro Makino’s work on Flickr. I like the quiet simplicity of his photos. To me, they definitely have an Asian aesthetic, though I haven’t been able to put my finger on exactly what makes them so. Perhaps it’s his economy of composition - the subject is clearly stated without excesses of pretense, distraction, or graphic methods that deliberately draw attention. The note is played clearly, modestly.
There’s a note of calm in these images. I often talk about photographing verbs so that photos feel alive, active. Makino, in contrast, photographs moments of stillness - as if the clamor of the world wound down to a stop just long enough for the click of Makino’s shutter. This is quite tricky to do - there’s a fine line between photographic serenity, and boredom. Makino reliably hits the former.
Makino composes with strong graphic design: A rounded triangle of schoolgirls capped by a circle of a parasol. A horizontal line of men in white coats. A graceful curve of light slipping between silhouettes. These elements create shapes that draw my attention, but don’t dominate. Surf Flickr for a while and you’ll see some strikingly designed photographs, but the design ends up being the subject. Makino is able to balance the design to serve the subject.
All that high-fallutin’ talk aside, I like Makino’s pictures of cats. If the pictures are to believed, Kyoto is crawling with cats. I’m no fan of cats, but there’s something amusing about these animals treating the city like a huge living room. The street photography forums are filled with pictures of homeless people and street kids, so it’s refreshing to find someone taking pictures of the other street creatures. I like the idea that somewhere over there, Makino is quietly snapping pictures of these critters lounging around the city.
