──You share the allure of architecture and art, mainly in Tokyo, through Architecture and Art. How did you start this endeavor?

I’ve always loved visiting architectural sites and exhibitions and started posting photos on Instagram in 2011. It felt like a natural fit for me. As I kept doing it, I realized that a more specialized approach—focusing on architecture and art—suited me better. My content took its current form around 2015.
The viewership grew significantly when I shifted my focus to Reels (videos). Videos allow me to showcase aspects that photos can’t capture, and I enjoy the editing process. I edit everything on my iPhone.

──What motivates you to engage in your activity?

I’m grateful that many people are viewing my content, but I don’t feel obliged to spread architecture and art to the world. My motivation is very simple—I visit architectural sites and art exhibitions because I genuinely enjoy them. I’m simply organizing and posting about my experiences. In fact, if I don’t limit myself, I’d post even more, so I actually hold back a bit to avoid overwhelming my followers (laughs).

──From your blog posts, it’s clear that you are well-versed in both architecture and art.

After graduating from art university, I’ve worked in both the art and architecture industries for over 10 years each. I visit 200 to 300 exhibitions annually. I’ve seen almost all the recent exhibitions at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. I love both architecture and art, so museums are where I feel most at home. But I’m not an architect or an art expert. I’m more of an “enthusiast with a bit of insider knowledge.”

──You take your photos with a smartphone, correct?

I don’t own a SLR camera; I take all my photos with an iPhone. It’s lightweight, and I can use its mobility to shoot from various angles, whether holding it high or placing it on the ground. Plus, if I became obsessed with high-end cameras, it could be endless, like a golf club collection (laughs).

I have a lot of respect for the artists and their works, so I generally avoid editing anything beyond cropping after taking the photos. I particularly feel editing the images of art pieces would be disrespectful to the artists. Instead, I focus on getting the composition right when I’m shooting.

──Lastly, could you share some key points to focus on when photographing architecture and your shooting techniques?

1. Incorporate elements that convey spatial depth
Including features that express spatial expanse and depth, like windows, staircases, hallways, and mirrors, helps convey a sense of scale. In particular, cutting arch curves or straight lines of roofs and stairs mid-way gives the impression that they continue far beyond the frame.

2. Intricate details and decorations
Small motifs like emblems or lettering often reflect an architect’s attention to detail. In museums, I also pay close attention to captions’ fonts, sizes, and materials. That’s why I end up making myself busy taking a lot of photos at museums!

3. Use a grid to compose the shot
In art school, we use a framing apparatus called an art grid to determine composition. Since a B3-sized canvas cannot fit an entire subject, I was trained to selectively frame when I drew. That experience shaped my current approach—I use my intuition to find the best composition. Similarly, I enable the grid on my iPhone screen to align horizontal and vertical lines. I like well-structured compositions.

4. Set the camera to 2x zoom and lower the brightness
Shooting from a pulled-back position with a 2x zoom minimizes lens distortion. I also keep the brightness lower to capture the light from windows more beautifully. If the brightness is too high, the image can get overexposed, which is not ideal for photographing artworks.

5. Emphasize scale
I always try to convey the scale of architecture. The easiest way is to include people in the image, just like how architectural models often feature tiny figures for reference. Most of the time, I use myself as the scale figure. When that’s the case, I set up the composition first and ask a family member to take the photo for me.

The next article will explore the captivating spaces of the Shoto Museum of Art, a prime example of architecture intertwined with art, together with Ayao Sakata.