Michael Kenna

I have been gifted some beautiful books this week which combine some passions; photography and travel. Michael Kenna is one of the discoveries I made within the pages. Kenna has photographed Japan for years, his love of the country emerges in these soft landscapes which could be ink drawings. It is this point of metamorphosis between the tangible landscape and the incorporeal artist's fantasy which captivates me too.

Kenna writes 'Hokkaido has always been stark to me. There are towns and cities and traffic lights in places, yes, but the simplicity is what appeals to me. To be alone in the silence with only the sound of your heart beating and the snow falling...it's beautiful.'

This soft, silent beauty perfectly fits my mood today.

Another photograph of the Iguazu Falls on the border between Brazil and Argentina has also stirred my reflections, reminding me of this perfect piece of cinematography in Wong Kar Wai's Happy Together. This panoramic shot of the falls in the film never fails to make me weep. In the music and the motion there is absolute heartbreak and a stifling sense of loss. Genius.