Niqi Chasseau | Tokyo
Niqi is a freelance photographer based in Tokyo. Although she currently works full-time in a different field, her passion for photography has been with her since childhood.
Read more of our interview with Niqi below.
How did you first get into photography?
Visual art mediums have always been important to me since my childhood. Drawing, painting, creating art with pencils and paints helped me to observe and make sense of the world while also expressing how I was feeling when I couldn’t find the right words.
Photography became an interest when I was taught how to use a film SLR camera, I think that was when I was around 10 or 11. Focusing on light and composition through the viewfinder felt like meditation before I even knew about mindfulness.
I took a course on Visual Communication with a short course in Photography at college, and then went on to study Games Art and Design at university where I focused more on concept art and visual storytelling but still used photography for references when painting environments.
Overall, I think art and photography help me to calm my anxious mind and focus on the present moment even when the world around us tries to rush us around. Admittedly, my current career is far from my creative dreams but I’m still keeping them in my sights.
What subjects or themes do you enjoy photographing and why?
The town I grew up in is by the sea, and I was surrounded by small forests and so much nature in the countryside. Taking photographs carries a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for natural places. Sometimes it can be as simple as just liking how that place or moment looked.
Other times, on a deeper level, it’s about capturing a moment in time that may never happen again, or how the lighting there might not be the same in a few minutes, or how emotions from that point in time will change. Collecting images as memories of a place or a feeling, or unlocking a new perspective.
Visiting new places and discovering what exists there. I’ve really enjoyed taking photos in both natural scenes and cities in different countries, and there’s still so many more places I’d love to visit. I get a lot of inspiration from watching movies and playing video games, too.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned through photography?
I’m sure it’s cliche, but patience is a huge one. Adjusting the settings to get a shot “just right”, it can either be a race against time or a more relaxed luxury depending on the situation.
How to appreciate harmony; through colours, compositions, juxtapositions, the balance of light and dark.
I think in some ways it’s also helped me with my confidence, although I still have a long way to go with finding my voice and sharing it.
What advice would you give to your younger self when you were starting out in photography?
It’s something I’ve seen talked about more online recently, but it’s so true - don’t worry about the equipment or if you can’t afford “the best of the best” cameras yet.
Use what you have, find things second hand, hone in on your skills and train your eye. Develop that visual language that makes your heart sing.
Quality through the equipment can be found later on, enjoy the process and the adventure first.
How has photography changed your perspective on the world?
In so many ways, I’ve grown up with art and photography and they’ve seen me through my challenges and breakthroughs on this life journey. It’s been like therapy, to help me calm my mind and focus on the good things in this world whenever all hope seems lost — how there’ll always be another sunrise.
It’s like an old friend, even when life and work gets too busy or stressful, I can always return to photography and take a moment to breathe and rediscover the beauty of our planet.
Travelling and photography go hand in hand with exploration and discovering new places, people, ways of living. I admit to being a bit of an idealist, but I wish everyone could enjoy photography as their creative outlet - maybe if we took more time to stop and look around (away from the popular, Instagrammable, same-shot-as-everyone else’s) we’d appreciate what we have and who we are even more.
I wish I had more time to dedicate to my craft (though I should really be making more time for it), but I know it’ll always be with me as long as I never give up.
