“Photography is an expression of those (one’s) desires” – daido moriyama. 2012.

Life passes. Time is an inexorable, inflexible, relentless variable. And for many reasons – I couldn’t say which ones, but I don’t think I’m interested in knowing – they end up thinking that when they reach ‘adulthood’ (really old age) they are not able to produce things (anything, coming from any work) and that only he who is in his full ‘minority’ (read youth) is able to produce.

Watching and reviewing a video of work and life in the photography of the great Japanese photographer Daido Moaiyama I found inspiration to write this post because it made me think a lot about some photographs I took many years ago and others I have taken in the recent past (about 10 -12 years) when I decided to dedicate myself entirely to photography. I transcribe the final part of this video (https://vimeo.com/52692514) in which Daido Moiyama speaks:

“My friends and critcs are often surpriside and ask me why I never get bored walking around for over 50 years. But I never get bored.
I often hear it said that people, even photographer, do their best work when they are 20’s & 30’s. I’m 73 now. But the I could never see the city with an old man’s eyes or as if I understood everything.
Everyone has desires. The quality and volume of those desires change with age but the desire is always serious and real. Photography is an expression of those desires.
So that way of thinking or speaking is nonsense to me. Completely meaningless. Tha’s how it is ”
Finally, I find myself asking: would photography have a better definition than this: ‘Photography is the expression of our desires’ ??? I think not. That’s how it is.
antonio mozeto – são carlos, sp-brasil 03/19/2020