We had the pleasure of sitting down with Cameron Nagashima, Seattle photographer and overall delight, to briefly see the world through his lenses.
The Triple Door: Where do you find inspiration for your art?
Cameron Nagashima: I am inspired by what I see. Time, place, light, subject, and mood, all have an effect on why I take any given picture. Also, the creative people around me keep me inspired to continue taking pictures. Their motivation motivates me and I like to believe it is the same for them.
TD: If you could have a drink with any visual artist, living or dead, who would it be? What would you ask him/her?
CN: Dali or Robert and Shauna Parke-Harrison. I'd rather enjoy the drink and ask how they are, and then see how the conversation evolved. Especially would love to hear about the Parke-Harrison's process, such a rustic elegance to their surrealism. I'd also love to go backpacking through Europe with Henri Cartier-Bresson.
TD: Who is your favorite artist?
CN: Visually, Gustav Klimt takes the cake as far as subject and composition. But, I do love the work of Robert Frank, Andre Kertesz specifically Distortions, Sally Mann's opinion on critics, and Connie Imboden's Reflections. I'm also a huge fan of local artists such as Redd Walitzki, Carl Faulkner, and Jeff "Weirdo".
TD: What is your favorite historical artistic movement?
CN: Hard to say, there are so many with such great art from each. I love surrealism, but my favorite has to be our generation. Call it the Contemporary Renaissance.
TD: What are some of your other artistic outlets?
CN: Drawing, dancing, painting, Sushi
TD: Do you listen to music while you create? If so, who do you listen to?
CN: During my post-production and most of the day, while creating or relaxing, I am listening to music. I enjoy electronic music while working the most. It allows my mind to move freely through my work as I find patterns in my pictures. Some of my favorites are Amon Tobin, Trenemoller, Bonobo, Deru, and Diagrams of a Suburban Chaos. I don't listen to headphones while out in the city though. I like hearing the beat and orchestral compositions created by my surroundings and some sounds will draw my attention or push me down a different path.
TD: Describe Seattle's art scene in three words:
CN: Small, Growing, Original
TD: Your work conveys a parallel between nature and the human condition. Can you elaborate?
CN: That notion is a consistent theme in my photography and is hard to avoid while living in the Northwest. With trees and parks, mountains and oceans, we in Seattle have a beautiful connection to nature. As much as I am for the preservation of Earth, I'm not making a statement on the relationship of man and nature, but I am observing that it exists and documenting my observations.
TD: Let's chat more about your artistic background. When was the first time you realized your love for photography?
CN: I was drawn to photography at an early age. When we would visit our grandparents in Kirkland, Wa from Spokane, I loved looking through their slides of old images of my family with the slide viewer. Years worth of photos never printed. I would hide under the stairs, like Harry Potter, and look at them for hours. The idea of time and place, and the captured moment of my family standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, or wherever, was interesting. It was a visual family history and I liked that.
TD: What is your favorite color?
CN: Plaid
Find more information on, and RSVP for, Quiet Observations: New Photography from Cameron Nagashima here>>
