Nobuyoshi Araki: Taking Photographs with the mind’s lens 

From the essay:

It may seem like a good idea to take a single camera with a zoom lens when traveling, but it’s too simplistic. It means you can’t decide on the lens you need for your subject. It means you haven’t got your ideas in order. Once you know what you’re all about, all you need is a single Leica 35mm camera. This is how it should be done. If you can’t do it like this, it means that you’re still not up to being a photographer!

a few paragraphs later he adds:

The lens you use depends on a whole range of factors such as the era and how old you are. If you really want to feel close to someone’s face, if you want to feel you’re in direct contact with their good qualities, it’s best to use a 50mm lens at the distance of 50cm or a meter. I don’t like taking people with skew-wiff expressions. I guess I just don’t like using the lens for expressive purposes. Photographs aren’t about expression with a lens. Absolutely not!

his essay ends with

The important thing is to shoot with an open frame of mind. You mustn’t let yourself step back. You mustn’t make things too complicated. You mustn’t change lenses. You need to take photographs with the lens in your mind!

from the book Self, Life, Death

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