This is how you'll usually find me when we meet: too-big-for-me backpack and enormous floppy hat.
This is my logo and the character is read as "Naka."
It signifies the relationship that exists between people.
To me, "Naka" is fitting because my goal is to capture the bond between people: the bond between parents and children, friends, husbands and wives and people and their pets. Photographs also act as a bond between the subjects and the viewers.
And it's my name!
My Mom, using my grandfather's calligraphy set (the same grandfather from whom I inherited my first camera!), painted this kanji character for me. Through the miracle of technology, I changed the painting into a digital file!
When I was young I traveled to Europe with a point and shoot camera and thought, "I am going to have such great photos of my time in Europe!"
I came back to Canada, had my film developed and I was very disappointed.
My Dad suggested I try working with an SLR camera instead of a point and shoot. He gave me his SLR camera which had been given to him by my grandfather. My prize possession is still my film camera though nowadays I shoot mainly with a digital camera.
I don't think I can say that I am "self-taught." A more accurate explanation of my education in photography would be that I am father-taught, uncles-taught and cousin-taught. As you can see, the love of photography runs deep within my family!
When I take photos, my goal is to capture the moment so that you can look back even years later and be taken right back to that special time. I especially love to take candid photos of people when they are showing their true selves. It's a magical thing to see someone's true self shining through on film (or, in this digital age, on screen)!