"Haru and Mina": Annals of childhood

EVERY DAY PHOTOGRAPHERS AROUND THE WORLD looking for new ways to tell stories or to capture what we previously did not notice. We choose interesting photo projects and ask their authors what they wanted to say. This week is the Haru and Mina series by Japanese photographer Hideki Hamad, in which he is trying to document the maturing of his own sons and at the same time nostalgic about his childhood.

I started taking pictures while I was still studying. Soon after, my eldest son, Haru, was born, by which time I had gained experience. As a result, the series "Haru and Mina" was born - a photo chronicle of the growing up of my children. I shot my sons because I wanted them to be able to look at themselves and to feel something when they see these photos as adults. These pictures are my gift to children in the future, such a small time machine.

I perceive sons as an extension of myself. I look at them and cannot get rid of the feeling that I am looking at myself living the life anew. There is always some spontaneity in their behavior, and it is almost impossible to guess what they will do in the next moment - that is what inspires me. In most cases, I don’t even try to direct the shot, but take them as they are. Another important point during the shooting is to always keep a little away from children: not to get too close, but not too far away. Just watch. If you stick to this rule, the pictures are universal, and in Haru and Mina everyone can see themselves.

When I was a child, I sometimes caught my mother’s gazes on myself and always pretended to not notice them because I was a little embarrassed. Now I myself can not tear my eyes away from my sons, just as it was with my mother, and I understand her feelings well. For me, there is no better illustration of the future than my boys. I wonder if they feel the same awkwardness from my views. I really hope so.