Daido Moriyama Discusses Radical Shooting Style, Iconic Photos & New Hong Kong Exhibition

The pioneering work by Daido Moriyama has defined what we know as street photography today. The seminal artist is most-recognized for his maniacal shooting style, having relentlessly captured street snapshots of Tokyo’s urban sprawl since the 1960s.

The subjects across Moriyama’s earlier black-and-white images depict random passersby, outsiders and everyday scenes in the Japanese capital. These grainy and highly-contrasted visuals evoke the attitudes and traditional values of postwar Japan. In recent years, Moriyama has favored digital color images that portray new subjects and locations across Japan. His prolific career as a photographer spans a whopping five decades.

To celebrate his progressive oeuvre, Hong Kong’s Simon Lee Gallery is currently hosting a survey on Moriyama. The presentation features a diverse range of his signature works (both analog and digital). “Characters such as back-street boxers, strippers, and gay prostitutes figured in his signature black-and-white, grain-heavy style,” said the gallery. “Citing Jack Kerouac’s On the Road as one of his greatest influences, his photographs are a record of his wanderings, in which the journey is as important as the destination. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣”

We interviewed Moriyama to discuss his new show, how his shooting style evolved over the years, and upcoming projects. Read the interview below.

HYPEBEAST: You pioneered a unique approach to shooting street photography. Tell us about how your shooting style evolved over time?
Daido Moriyama: Basically, I don’t change my style, but when we talk about the street snapshots, the whole world changes as time goes by.

From urban landscapes to portraiture, what subjects are you most inclined to capture now?
In the collection which will be published around the middle of next year, I would like to edit a variety of photographs on urban landscapes and nudes.

You’ve shot countless photographs, how do you select the ones you w…