Thank you for everything, Oe! Let’s continue working together for a long time.

Today we visited cameraman Hiroyuki Oe. He always comes to visit us at the Hobonichi office, so this was the first time Itoi had visited Oe’s office. We began the visit by presenting him with our customary thank-you box of cookies.

Oe carefully sets up the backdrop at the Hobonichi office or his personal office when he’s photographing our products.
Itoi: You always do such clean work.

Oe: I remember taking photographs the year the Hobonichi Techo first came out. I can’t even imagine doing it today, but back then I stayed up all night taking pictures.
He let out a laugh as we reminisced on our long history together.

“I’m prepared today because I knew you were coming,” Oe said as he fixed Itoi a cup of coffee.

He pulled out a large camera from the back of his office.
Oe: This is what cameras used to look like.
Itoi was delighted as he looked on with curiosity.
Itoi: What kind of lens does it have? You go under the black cloth to take the picture, right?

Oe: I’ve used this before to photograph jewelry. A single shot took an entire hour, though, so I don’t really use it anymore.

Next Oe took out something that looked like a camcorder and told us the history behind it, and how he used it all the time.

He also showed us another camera of his, which his photography teacher had told him about — a Nikon from the 50’s and 60’s.

Oe: It’s got a really unique shutter sound.
Itoi: It sounds like it’s coming from a real professional.

Oe: I think photographers from my generation had a really hard time transitioning from film to digital.
Itoi: It’s hard when the foundation of photography changes from skill to information. When technological capabilities grow that much, picking out options and editing turn into the crux of the job.

Itoi: But no matter how the techniques change, pictures will always delight people in the same way.
Oe: That’s true. The action of creating something through communication with others hasn’t changed much, either.

Oe: With the prevalence of smartphones now, everyone’s taking really high-quality pictures. Of course parents would take the best photos of their own children. But professionals are the ones who can take pictures in any condition, at a higher standard, and in a way that can satisfy any viewer.

Thank you for everything, Oe! Let’s continue working together for a long time.