TRIGGER AOKI

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Photography has always been a part of Trigger Aoki’s life.  At the age of 8 he received a Minolta camera as a birthday gift from his Uncle and so started his fascination with capturing moments in everyday life.  As the years went by, he began processing his own film and developed an extraordinary talent for lighting and composition.  Although his passion can be found in photographing architecture and street life, he developed quite a following for his portrait work.

 “I don’t believe in asking a subject to simply sit, look at the camera and smile.  I often ask my subjects to tell me something of themselves, perhaps a story of an extraordinary or particularly memorable event in their lives.  As they are telling their stories, I watch changes in their facial expressions, changes in emotions, body movement and begin capturing what I ultimately hope will be a unique and evocative view of my subject.”

Aoki contemplates each and every photograph as though he is filming a movie.  He sets the stage in his mind.  He starts with a basic idea for a photograph, but allows the composition to begin unfolding as he photographs.  Even in taking candid shots, his mind quickly determines the perfect frame, ignoring the fact that this perfect frame could instantly change. 

While Trigger Aoki admits to having created contrived images, he certainly is not held hostage by them.  This is what enables him to maintain diversity in his work.