I create pictures to connect with the world.
Mina Daimon
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* Images without photograph data have been created with SIGMA fp and other lenses produced by SIGMA.
Compact, simple and high quality. There is more to these lenses than their compact size and beautiful results. The new I series embodies the aesthetics of SIGMA, from the texture of the metal to the clean fonts. There is an emphasis on simple, industrial design by avoiding unnecessary color, and there is a heavy yet gentle torque on the iris and focusing rings. It feels like the I series lenses form a perfect unity with the SIGMA fp. Thanks to their minimal design and the easy portability, you inevitably start using them more frequently. And as you use them, you will grow more attached to them. They have become lenses that I can’t do without anymore. They just feel right.
When I practiced traditional Japanese archery a long time ago, my teacher told me about the term ‘shinzenbi’. Written with the Japanese characters for ‘true’, ‘good’, and ‘beautiful’, shinzenbi in archery means going beyond losing or winning, heightening your manners and your spirit to improve your mind and body. I believe the word is a succinct expression of the human understanding of beauty. Applied to the I series lenses, I suppose you could say they approach photography seriously and earnestly, at a good price, and in the form of a beautiful product.
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SIGMA 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary, SIGMA fp, ISO 100, F4.5, 1/200s
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SIGMA 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary, SIGMA fp, ISO 100, F3.5, 1/125s
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SIGMA 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary, SIGMA fp, ISO 100, F6.3, 1/50s
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SIGMA 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary, SIGMA fp, ISO 100, F5.6, 1/1000s
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SIGMA 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary, SIGMA fp ISO 100, F4, 1/125s
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SIGMA 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary, SIGMA fp, ISO 100, F4.5, 1/40s
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SIGMA 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary, SIGMA fp, ISO 100, F3.5, 1/40s
Can you tell us about your experience as a photographer? How did you come to be working in this field?
My career has been somewhat unusual. Although as a teenager I went to art school
and hoped to study art at university, I actually majored in landscaping, and the
first company I worked for after graduating specialized in food. However, I
always enjoyed using photography as a way to capture the things I saw. As I
continued to change jobs, my camera was always by my side. I think it was during
this time that I realized I couldn’t live without taking photographs.
I was working as a web designer at an IT company in Osaka prefecture when I first showed my work as part of an open exhibition in 2011. After a few twists and turns I finally decided to start working as a freelance photographer in 2014. As a photographer, I mostly work in fashion or do shoots for online sites and print magazines, and I still collaborate with fashion brands on new products each season.
What role does photography play in your life and career?
In the beginning, the camera felt like a pencil to me that I used to draw. But there is a difference: with drawings, I create images by myself of things I have seen through my own eyes, but with photography it is possible to have another set of eyes –my lens. This can make the world seem more fun and beautiful, and perhaps this has been the driving force behind the path I am taking through life. I think it was through photography that I finally found my own connection with the world.
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SIGMA 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary, SIGMA fp, ISO 100, F5, 1/800s
How do you create your own style?
I owe a lot to my two aunts, who created opportunities for me to be exposed to art at a very young age, and my mentor at art school. They had a huge influence on my current style. The older of my two aunts is a master of a school of sencha-do and has gifted me with her awareness of beauty and her world-view. My other aunt made sure I came into contact with art exhibitions and music at every possible opportunity. I learned and practiced a broad range of genres and art forms thanks to my mentor at art school, and I learned about the importance of finding my own personal style. Without my aunts and my mentor I would not have been able to establish my style in the way I have.
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SIGMA 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary, SIGMA fp, ISO 100, F3.5, 1/250s
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