I like withered flowers. However I do feel that flowers are actually dead as soon as they are cut off from the stem, or taken out of the soil they grew from. So even the prettiest flower arrangement, after all, consists of dead flowers that are already on the road to decay. Speaking of decay, this naturally reminds me of the fact that decay is what we humans are bound for as well. When applying the image of the flower to myself as someone who has already begun to wither, I could probably say that I am now disconnected from my soil, too.
This Tajjiemax (Tajima Kazunali) photo book made me realize for the first time that fashion photography is an art form in its own right, that exists independently from the art of photography at large. It also showed me that this is one photographer who seems to be taking pride in devoting himself to fashion photography.
Withered flowers are beautiful. But why is it that they look so beautiful to us? This has to be related to the fact that we sense in them some kind of mutability. Flowers demonstrate in a beautiful way the factual reality of life and death. Why are flowers beautiful in the first place? According to a certain scientist, it is because they want to entertain insects and humans with their prettiness. I believe that is true.
– from the Afterword by Ryuichi Sakamoto

These may be different from what people usually consider as “beautiful flower photographs,” but they are pictures that were taken to honestly reflect my feelings, without incorporating anyone else’s views and perceptions.
– from the artist's statement by Kazunali Tajima