For any music lover, concert photography is truly an irreplaceable art form. Meet Ayami Kawashima, a passionate music enthusiast who took a bold leap of faith, leaving her day job to pursue a career as a full-time freelance photographer. Her creative work spans a wide range of fields, from art and film to welfare and concert photography.
In this interview, we delve into her journey within the music industry, exploring her beginnings, what it takes to take a perfect shot, and the influences that shape her vision. Join us as Ayami Kawashima offers us a glimpse into a world that only few have the privilege to experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u30fc First of all, thank you so much for the opportunity to interview you! Would you mind introducing yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I am Ayami Kawashima and I am a photographer. I am quite nervous as it\u2019s my first time getting interviewed, but thank you for having me (laughs). The main catalyst to becoming a professional photographer was meeting my mentor, Hajime Kato. I originally worked for a company unrelated to photography, but I was interested in live music photography and often told friends and acquaintances about my desire to pursue it and that\u2019s how I got introduced to Mr. Kato. He primarily works in fields such as art, welfare, and architecture, but at the time we met he was photographing live performances for various visual kei bands.
\u30fc Thank you! (laughs) To start from the very beginning, can you tell us how your career as a photographer began?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Kato is someone who treats everyone equally ...You often hear that in typical photography based mentor-apprentice relationships, assistants aren\u2019t allowed to take pictures, but he wasn\u2019t like that and from the very beginning he encouraged me to join him at photoshoots and shoot together. Because of that, I got used to the work environment quite quickly. After each shoot, he always gave me passionate feedback, which helped me establish core values that guide me in my work.
Eventually, he trusted me with his concert photography jobs, and fortunately others also began asking me, \"Can you take photos for us?\". This led me to go freelance and officially launch my photography career.<\/p>\n\n\n