Mobile Photography Intimate Interview with Kaoru Shintaku from Singapore
Our eighty sixth interview in this series of intimate interviews is with talented photographer and artist Kaoru Shintaku from Singapore. You may know her from her popular Instagram account entitled @patragraphy. Shintaku is Japanese born and grew up in Tokyo but currently she lives in Singapore. This interview is inspiring for many reasons, her imagery which includes florals, cityscapes and landscapes are as precise as her language, as she utilises the use of colour and tone in tandem. Shintaku maintains her sang-froid throughout whilst simultaneously charming us as she hews closely to her thoughts and feelings. Enjoy!
To read the other published interviews in this series including artists, Adria Ellis, Rino Rossi, Mehmet Duyulmus, Alexis Rotella, Lou Ann Sanford Donahue, Irene Oleksiuk, Kerry Mitchell, Filiz Ak, Dale Botha, M. Cecilia Sao Thiago, Deborah McMillion, Rita Colantonio, Amy Ecenbarger, Jane Schultz, Anca Balaj, Joyce Harkin, Armineh Hovanesian, Kate Zari Roberts, Vicki Cooper, Peter Wilkin, Barbara Braman, Becky Menzies, Sukru Mehmet Omur, Sarah Bichachi, Michel Pretterklieber, Alon Goldsmith, Judy Lurie Wahlberg, Andrea Bigiarini, Sean Hayes, Oola Cristina, Kathleen Magner-Rios Linda Toki, Deb Field, Emilo Nadales, Lydia Cassatt, David Hayes, Jean Hutter, Frederic Deschênes, Mark Schnidman, Fatma Korkut, Fleur Schim, Rob Pearson-Wright, Dieter Gaebel, James Ellis, Marco P Prado, Jeronimo Sanz, Manuela Matos Monteiro, Bleu Chemiko, Manuela Basaldella, Stefania Piccioni, Luis Rodríguez, Marilisa Andriani (@mitrydate) Mayte Balcells (@artofmayte), Nicole Christophe, Jennifer Graham, Cathrine Halsør Paul Toussaint, Carol Wiebe, Julie Denning, Kim Clayton (@berleyart), Karen Messick, Serap Utaş, MaryJane Rosenfeld, Paul Suciu, Susan Latty (@pause.and.breathe),John Nieto, Phyllis Shenny, Joy Barry, Max Lies Derdonk, Rita Tipunina, Violet Martins, Nizzar Ben Chekroune, Lynette Sheppard, Paul-Andre Hamel, Rejane Rubino, Susan Detroy, Rosalie Heller, Wayman Stairs, Cintia Malhotra, Anita Elle, Juta Jazz, Cheryl Tarrant, Hanni König and myself, go here.
What was your earliest childhood ambition?
I’ve been writing journal since I was 11. On the very first page of my journal I wrote, “ I want to become a novelist, who writes about the secret conversations in a forest, between animals and plants and trees, and flowers. ”
First recognition?
Very recently, this year 2019 June, I was told, “Congratulations! I saw your picture got 2nd place at the SONY flower photo contest in Japan!” I was very surprised and overwhelmed, because it was first time I sent any of my photographs to any contest. I sent the image because my boyfriend encouraged me and expressed, that I never ask the world where I stand, I never ask for the recognition.
First job?
Modeling, fashion model, mainly for runway fashion shows.
Private or state school?
Both, public school until age 15, 15~18 private school, and private university.
University or work?
I was studying psychology at university, but my modeling work was so much more fun and I could travel a lot, so I quit university, but I still study by myself.
Who was or still is your mentor?
I don’t particularly worship one person, I learn from almost everyone I come across.
How physically fit are you?
Fortunately I’ve been in good shape all my life without any particular exercises. But I love my old style yoga, it’s not fashionable at all.
My teacher teaches me a lot about energies more than the physical part.
Ambition or talent what matters more to success ?
Ambition with passion.
I think I am talented in many areas but I’ve never had a passion, so they fadeaway from my path.
I am not sure if I’m talented in photography, but I have immense passion and ambition to get better at it.
How politically committed are you ?
Bit irresponsible to say, but I should be honest, I am not committed to politics at all. My father said “How can I become a president when I cannot control my own family (5 of us) ! “
What would you like to own but you don’t currently possess ?
Innocence and trust like a 3 years old has.
What is your biggest extravagance?
My everyday life, in many way, mostly caused by my emotions and mind. The world I created !
In which place are you happiest?
Above 10,000 metres, in the air on an aeroplane. I feel oneness with this universe. Whenever I feel oneness, I feel happiest.
What ambitions do you still have?
I want to become better person, better spirit, better soul to the cosmos. And I want to know who I am, and the world.
What drives you on?
The ecstasy I feel when I feel connected with something unknown.
What is the greatest achievement of your life so far?
Now, this moment.
What do you find most irritating in other people?
Parts I try to ignore about myself, things I also possessed but I don’t have any clue to solve so I try to ignore but people show me as a mirror all the time ! ha !
If your twenty year old self could see you now, what would she think ?
“Not so many changes hum… I hope you are at least little wiser than me..”
Which object that you’ve lost do you wish you still had ?
Innocence and trust, because sometime I feel I am surrounded by false doubts that I created.
What is the greatest challenge of our time ?
Remembering. Loving Trusting..knowing that we are not separated.
Do you believe in the afterlife ?
I know it’s here, past lives and future lives are simultaneously in this moment. But we need to focus on this moment.
Contact Details
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
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