Takayuki Nakano, a rising photographer with a deep connection to youth culture and a strong reputation among celebrities and artists both domestically and internationally, has created a fashion story reminiscent of a road movie, using the Leica M10 and M10-P cameras. This work will be unveiled at a pop-up museum event held at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 8F = Isetan Men's Residence/Charlie Weiss. We visited Nakano at his private studio, which he renovated from a former factory site in a residential area, and spoke with him about the behind-the-scenes aspects of the shoot and the Leica M10 series.

Takahisa Nakano
In 1993, he moved to the UK. He studied photography and video at the London College of Printing, and after gaining experience as an assistant in various studios, he returned to Japan. He is currently active in a wide range of media, including advertising, CD jackets, and magazines, taking portraits of actors, actresses, idols, musicians, and cultural figures both domestically and internationally, without being confined to any particular genre, for fashion magazines such as "L'UOMO VOGUE," the Italian edition of VOGUE's men's fashion magazine. https://www.hirohisanakano.com

Mr. Nakano's dedication lies in meticulously capturing the personality of his subjects.

From Wednesday, December 26th to Tuesday, January 15th, 2019, the "LEICA Museum" will be open for a limited time Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 8th floor = Isetan Men's Residence/Charlie Weiss. This museum will feature photographer Takahisa Nakano, who is active on the front lines of various fields including fashion magazines, music magazines, culture magazines, CD jackets, and advertisements, and will exhibit fashion stories shot with the "Leica M10" series digital camera, which employs the traditional rangefinder system.

Leica is a world-class brand that attracts not only camera enthusiasts but also gadget lovers and design goods enthusiasts. The Leica M10 series is the world's smallest interchangeable-lens digital camera, following in the footsteps of the legendary M-type camera. With a collaboration with a cutting-edge photographer, the resulting works and their final appearance are of great interest.

Prior to the event, we interviewed Mr. Nakano at his private studio. He shared stories about the behind-the-scenes aspects of the shoot, his thoughts on Leica cameras, and the feelings he poured into this photo exhibition.

"My main focus is photographing people. So whether it's for a magazine, an advertisement, or even fashion, I believe it's meaningless unless I can capture the 'person' themselves. During my time in London in the 1990s, I was able to learn how to get people to move and how to interact with them while working as an assistant to some of the most renowned photographers."

In Japan, some people treat fashion models like mannequins, and there's a common misconception that photographing models is the same as photographing people. But even with models, when you've managed to properly capture their "personality" and character, you get a real sense that you've taken a "good photograph."

So, with this project, I wanted to showcase the clothes as a fashion shoot while also expressing the personalities of the performers. Overseas, self-fashioning as a form of self-expression and identity is well-established. When I thought about what self-fashioning means in Japan, I thought that young actors realistically wearing cutting-edge Gucci would be symbolic. Just as high fashion is an aspiration for street fashion, I wanted to dress them in nice clothes and photograph them naturally. That style feels right to me."

©HIROHISA NAKANO

From "Going to the Sea from Tokyo"

And when casting models for this photoshoot, the most important factor was "youth." Of course, this doesn't simply mean being young in terms of age. It's the kind of human "youth" that is unique to an unfinished, immature generation.

"Since the event was being held at Isetan, the first thing that came to mind was the image of young people in Shinjuku. I've always been a fan of youth culture, you see. And then I wondered how I could capture that in an interesting way. So I reached out to various people who caught my eye, and cast three young actors: two men and one woman."

NEXT> What kind of portraits and snapshots are only possible with the Leica M10?