Stories
The threads between
traditional crafts and
the beauty of the land
by Yuichiro Fujishiro
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I have been a filmmaker for about ten years. Most of my work has been in music videos and commercials, but more recently I have turned my attention to documentaries. I am allowed to meet people from places and cultures different from my own and get an insight into their daily lives, their work, their habits, their way of thinking and their approach to life. For me, these encounters are the most important part of my work and I enjoy them even more than the filming and photographing itself.
For my current project, I visited the Tsugaru region of Aomori in northern part of Japan, a region I have visited many times over the past decade, to document the local folk art of sashiko stitching, an embroidery technique that has been passed down through many generations.
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
I usually decide on a scene-by-scene basis whether I want to follow what is unfolding before me from a subjective point of view or document it from an objective perspective. When I got my hands on the SIGMA 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN | Art, I realized that this lens would greatly expand the horizon of my subjective perspective.
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
For me, there is an irresistible beauty in the way large-aperture prime lenses render images, which is why I have not used zoom lenses in my previous works. However, shooting with prime lenses carries certain risks, especially in the field of documentary filmmaking. For example, I have missed a number of important moments because I chose a bad time to change lenses.
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
This lens is something I have not experienced before. It gave me the freedom to choose any focal length in the standard 28-45mm zoom range, and it did so while offering beautiful bokeh with a large maximum aperture of F1.8. With this lens alone, I thought it would be possible to work smoothly even in difficult situations when everything happens only once, without the chance to repeat anything.
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 100, F1.2, 1/8000s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 100, F1.2, 1/8000s, 35mm
Several hundred years ago, the farmers of Tsugaru were not allowed to wear cotton kimonos. To make the long, harsh winters more bearable, they began to reinforce their linen and hemp clothes by embroidering them with cotton thread, thus giving birth to the local kogin-zashi technique of sashiko embroidery. Although it is a meticulous and detailed task, with an odd number of stitches for each vertical weave, the skilled hands of the local Tsugaru women complete it with astonishing speed and accuracy.
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
When I started documenting their work with the SIGMA 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN | Art, I was surprised by the images it produced. They looked as though I was using a prime lens. The lens’ soft, sophisticated bokeh captured the artisans and their craft with a certain three-dimensionality.
I was also excited by the short minimum focusing distance. I could get up close and capture individual threads being sewn into the fabric, slowly forming intricate patterns. A short minimum focusing distance also means that I can shoot from a variety of angles in situations where movement is restricted.
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
In addition, the lens barrel stays the same length no matter how far you turn the zoom ring to change the focal length. This is a huge advantage when filming with a gimbal, as you can zoom in and out while shooting without having to re-balance the camera.
Combining this lens with a SIGMA fp L results in a lightweight and maneuverable setup, even when used with a tripod. The ease of movement felt like a whole new experience, allowing me to reposition freely without missing a moment.
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Craft and tradition are deeply rooted in local history and geography. I believe that things like the local landscapes and even the different smells in the air must influence the traditions and crafts of a region. When I am filming a documentary project, I try to get up early and start shooting at dawn. I want to see what it looks like when a town wakes up and the day begins. What do I smell? What kind of birds are there and how do they sing?
Later, when I edit my photos and videos, there comes a moment when the relationship between people’s lives and the various scenes I have captured since sunrise becomes apparent.
Noticing these strange connections, which I often cannot explain in words, is what makes the work of editing so compelling to me.
The SIGMA 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN | Art proved to be a reliable companion for capturing the full capacity of these difficult-to-explain scenes.
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 200, F1.2, 1/250s, 35mm
In my work so far, I have carefully limited my selection of lenses to ensure the clarity of my perspective. I am excited to see how the new freedoms afforded by this lens will shape my images in the future.
Our world is filled with moments that happen only once, never to be repeated.
How beautiful and precious those moments are. With that in mind, I look forward to my future encounters with different places and people, always accompanied by my beloved SIGMA equipment.
metadata
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II | Art
Sony α7RII
ISO 100, F1.2, 1/8000s, 35mm
Sony α7RII
ISO 100, F1.2, 1/8000s, 35mm
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