Freddie Roach Q&A
Hey Freddie! First off, where are you from and how long have you been into photography?
I am from Australia, and I have been into photography for as long as I can remember.
How old were you when you first picked up a camera?
I don’t remember a specific age, but I remember very early on really loving disposable film cameras. I would love to wind them up and shoot. Getting the envelopes back was always a highlight.
What got you interested in capturing those everyday moments we often don’t notice?
I have always been a massive introvert, so I like to observe. Stepping back and really taking to time to see what’s around me is something I’ve always enjoyed doing. Photography naturally went along with it. I believe those small moments deserve to be captured, they make up most of our lives after all.
It’s easy these days to spend all day distracted or plugged in, when you do that, you can miss those fleeting moments of beauty. Once you make the choice, you can see beauty in almost anything, especially the mundane.
Do you have a favourite project you’ve done so far?
I went to Tokyo to shoot. Sanja-matsuri.
It’s been running since the 6th century and has a heavy yakuza influence. It is run in the precinct of Asakusa. It runs from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening. The participants dress up in a traditional outfit, including a hanten, which is a short thick jacket, they’re designed differently for the teams from the different neighbourhoods. They’re all there to participate in the grand parade - Daigyoretsu - which is the carrying of over 100 portable shrines called mikoshi. These mikoshi aren’t just carried, they’re shaken and moved around with huge intensity whilst thousands of people rush the grounds to carry them, everyone chanting in unison ‘So-iya! So-iya!’ They do this to show strength and to work as a community, it’s an impressive sight.
The final day is the main event where three massive mikoshi, which weigh about a ton each, are brought to the main Senso-ji Shrine.
The festival slowly builds in intensity, culminating in a very explosive finish. The photo I’m referring to was taken on the last afternoon of the festival, everyone had been drinking all weekend, the energy was tense. As the shrines get closer to the temple and towards me the mood shifts and the men start getting physical with each other as they all want the honour of carrying the mikoshi for the final moments. It’s so packed inside the square that the people holding the shrine can’t move forward, it’s surging like an ocean.
Eventually, the shrines fight their way around the temple and rest on a stand ready for the ceremony to end the festival. Everyone goes home after 3 days of high energy and lots of alcohol, everyone sleeps it off and goes to work the next day.
Your photos often show you travelling - what’s the best place you’ve found to capture?
Japan is a special place to me, as with many other photographers. There is such a diverse range of experiences you get there. The people are beautiful and have such a kind and respectful nature. They really take the time to appreciate the small things in life. Words like ‘komorebi’, meaning ‘sunlight filtering through trees’, are why I love Japan. I think it’s why photography is so loved and so heavily consumed, the slower mediums are still appreciated.
The way of life is so unique, especially for someone living in Australia. The city seems to go on forever, and there is never a shortage of something to do or some form of stimulation. I love the feeling of being surrounded by millions of people but still feeling isolated at the same time. The high-octane lifestyle of Shinjuku is a sensory overload. It’s great that you can always mix things up. For example, one hour from Tokyo, you can find yourself at the base of Mount Fuji in a small town by a lake that shuts down at 5 pm, with no restaurants open for dinner. It’s such a beautiful and diverse country.
What are you working on at the moment that excites you?
Right now, I’m working on a personal project that I’ve been wanting to do for a while now. I’m creating a series of images that really showcase lifestyle forgotten or uncared for moments, still life documented.
With AI and technology taking over, I feel a real sense of authenticity. Things that can’t be recreated because they are so unique or perfectly imperfect.
Looking ahead, is there a dream project you’d love to do in the future?
A lifelong goal of mine is to create and leave behind a body of work that I am proud of and that represents me as an artist. If my work can impact one person, then I have done my job as an artist.
I want to document as much as this world has to offer.
Outside of photography, what inspires you in life?
Being happy and healthy. I’m a big believer in trying to squeeze as much enjoyment and freedom out of life as possible. To me life is time spent, so I want to spend as much time as I possibly can soaking up all that life can offer.
I find having distractions that re-fill my cup up really helpful towards creating. Reading, cinema, music, surfing, golf, vintage motorcycles and living a healthy lifestyle.
If someone wanted to get into photography, what’s one tip you’d give them?
Create art for yourself, not for others - be authentic.
