Hello, here is Izumi who is writing for you all about my learning of street photography and I hope you are enjoying coming with me in the mornings as it is when I like the light best.

I have been reading the book of the exhibition of M Cartier-Bresson as well as looking at his photographs and noticing that a lot of his photographs he takes with a 50mm lens on his Leica.

So maybe I am thinking that I should do the same for some discipline of my art and I remember that there is a 20 mm lens made for my camera and a good place to get it is B&H Photo in New York while the Australian dollar is floating high. So I do and it arrives in just two days and very quickly goes onto my PEN. And because the light-catching sensor is smaller than the 35mm film in M Cartier-Bresson's Leica it sees like his 50mm lens sees. So in one way now he and Izumi are the same in art.

Here is my PEN with his new eye:

When I thought of having just one lens of fixed eyesight I wondered if it would cause frustration and wantings in me for more variety, but I remember M Cartier-Bresson had many shootings with just one lens and find that I have an interesting time with my one.

But I also realise that I am not in a place where I will not be again and if I see a photograph that asks for a different lens I can return tomorrow and capture him then.

I am hopeful of course that the weather and light is the same. I am always respectful to Mother Nature (we call her Daishizen in Japan) for these reasons.

Now I must show you something of myself. Sometimes I am hearing of people who say that I am not in existence. If so, I wonder, who is this person walking the early morning streets with the lens poised for photographs? It is feeling like me and as well the rain and more often times sunshine that I am feeling on my head and my skin make me know it is me.

So here is a picture of me taken when I was more a younger girl in Japan but still then interested in photographing the streets. I am outside the photographic studio of my uncle who I have mentioned before because he saw my interests and gave me my first Sakura box camera and then showed me his books of M Cartier-Bresson and his works as well as other photographers who also were on the streets. He also sometimes let me borrow his big camera, as you can see.

Yes, my name is in honour of his family name which means 'small spring' and comes from the name of a Samurai clan which my uncle is descended from. My name as given name means almost the same, being 'spring' or 'fountain'.

It was not a morning for many photographs so I did not test the lens as much as I thought I was going to. I shall go out again with only him and persevere in my art desirings until I can achieve many happy photographs, then myself and my PEN and the lens can be happy with our achievements.

So I will finish writing now and say again that I am happy if you are reading and looking at what I am doing and I hope it is making you happy too.

Thank you,

Izumi.