In Daido Moriyama’s Near Equal, photography is stripped back to instinct.
There’s something slightly uncomfortable about watching him work. Not because it’s chaotic – but because it ignores almost everything you’re told photography should be.
Images are blurred.
Contrast is pushed hard.
Frames feel loose, sometimes even accidental.
And yet it holds together.
Moriyama isn’t trying to make perfect photographs. He’s reacting to the world as it moves – quickly, instinctively, without hesitation. What you get is something raw, but honest. Not polished, not refined, but real.
Letting Go of Control
Most photographers tighten up when they pick up a camera.
Moriyama does the opposite.
He walks, observes, shoots, and keeps moving. There’s no overthinking, no waiting around for something to line up neatly. The moment appears, and it’s taken – however it comes.
Grain becomes part of the image.
Blur becomes movement.
Harsh contrast gives everything weight.
It would be easy to call it careless, but it isn’t. There’s intention in the way he works – it just isn’t forced. It’s built on experience, repetition, and a willingness to accept whatever the frame gives back.
More Than the Camera
Moriyama isn’t an Olympus OM shooter.
He’s most closely associated with compact cameras like the Ricoh GR – small, fast, and built for reacting rather than composing. That choice tells you everything about how he sees photography.
But it’s worth remembering – the Ricoh GR didn’t arrive until the mid-90s. Moriyama was already producing work long before that. Cameras like the Olympus Pen W and other compact rangefinders played a role in that earlier period.
And that’s where it becomes relevant here.
Because something like the Olympus XA sits right in that same space. Small, unobtrusive, always ready. A camera you carry without thinking – which is exactly the point.
It’s not about the system.
It’s not about the lens.
It’s about being there, ready, and open to the moment.
Whether it’s a Ricoh, a Pen, or an XA loaded with Tri-X – the philosophy doesn’t change.
Why This Matters
Moriyama is one of my favourite photographers for a reason.
Not because the images are technically perfect – far from it. But because they feel alive. There’s energy in them. A sense that they were taken in the moment, not constructed afterwards.
He gives you permission to:
- stop chasing perfection
- embrace grain instead of correcting it
- accept blur instead of fighting it
- take the shot and move on
There’s a freedom in that approach that’s easy to lose, especially when you start overthinking your work.
Take It With You
There’s a tendency, especially with film, to slow everything down and treat each frame like it needs to be right.
Moriyama cuts straight through that.
Go out. Walk. Shoot. Miss a few.
Let the frame fall apart a little.
Some of the most interesting images come when you stop trying to make something “good” and simply respond to what’s in front of you.
Watch Near Equal, then go out and shoot without overthinking it.
That’s where things start to become yours.
If you want to explore further, take a look at Moriyama’s official website.