RK is a Tokyo-based photographer. Born in 1982, he was raised in Ibaraki Prefecture. In 2013, he joined an urban running crew to lose weight and this prompted him to take and edit photos with his phone. From 2014 RK’s photography of street scenery, portraits, and other themes began gaining media attention both in Japan and across the world.
RK's work has been considered influential in helping create 'dense' photography, which predominantly captures the intensity of Asian urban life. Since April 2018, RK has fully transitioned into a freelance photographer, providing his services to many well-known clients in the fashion industry. We featured a collection of his images on the @worldphotorg feed.
You are based in Tokyo and most of your shots are taken there. How does the city inspire you?
I just thought about how will it be interesting, so I took the inspiration from there. Not only in Tokyo, but in every city in the world.
Why photography? What does the medium mean to you?
I want to shoot culture. There are a lot of cool people around me, and I just want to take photos of these people and things.
I’m a member of Tokyo’s running team. “AFE TOKYO”. When I joined this team at first, the founder asked me to take photos of team members while running. That’s how I started photography.
You like walking into the forests and being close to nature. Do you always bring a camera with you, or do you use a phone?
I would bring both my camera and phone because I don’t want to lose any chance of getting good pictures.
You also like shooting small shops, why do you focus on them?
There is no particular reason, but I think it’s interesting to let all the information there to fill the screen through the viewfinder.
