Interview: Jeff Masamori
Jeff Masamori is a photographer and Art Director whose work is sparse and striking. His latest project “Sunsetting” is an intimate look at his own backyard, documenting the character of San Francisco’s Sunset District at the time of day from which the neighborhood gets its name.
We recently caught up with him to see how he’s been putting his Stem Caddy to good use while riding around the Sunset looking for moments to capture.
What’s your favorite trail in the bay area? What do you love about it?
As an admittedly non-seasoned rider, and having lived so close to it in the Sunset District, I’m still quite partial to the Headlands/Hawk Hills loops. We’re pretty spoiled here in the Bay Area, and given its popularity I think it’s easy to say been-there-done-that, but that backside descent is still an incredible thrill to me. It’s fun to meander through the various gravel tracks instead of taking the road back too. More recently I moved over to Oakland and have been enjoying the hills out here around Joaquin Miller and Tilden.
What have you been listening to lately?
Given the circumstances of these times, my listening habits pretty well mirror how a typical day goes; quiet mornings to myself with a cup of coffee that slowly but surely spiral into the madness that is the day’s next horrible news story. Piano from Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, incredible, yet very distinctive vocals from Julianna Barwick and Lido Pimienta, jazz and funk from Jiro Inagaki and Yussef Kamaal, and ending on a bout of loud, shouty nonsense from Melt-Banana and Daïtro.
Is there somewhere you’d love to ride someday?
The “Laguna Route” in Bolivia. I’ve been hoping to travel and photograph the Bolivian high desert for years and if ever there was a life-altering ride to do, I’d have to say this is it. Granted, you’re riding at a minimum of 13k feet the entire time, and having struggled just hiking at that altitude before, I am neither physically or mentally prepared to do anything close to what this trail demands. Fun to dream about though!
What’s your photography setup look like when you’re on your bike? What do you bring along with you? How would you describe what you're looking to capture while you're out on the road?
On the bike I keep it pretty minimal. Generally just my Leica M6 and a roll of black and white film (T-Max 100 usually). I tend to be drawn to simplicity and figure-ground relationships of objects; architecture, the ocean, etc. I’m pretty heavily influenced by the restraint and geometric compositions of Michael Kenna and Hiroshi Sugimoto where there's never a single thing out of place. Only more recently have I been getting deeper into portraiture, but I still try to apply similar, highly-rigid compositional boundaries when photographing people.
What do you like about the Leica / Stem Caddy setup while riding? Any non-photography essentials you make a point of bringing along?
Most of my work is done with a Hasselblad 500 C/M or a DSLR, neither of which I would categorize as “portable.” I generally don’t get on the bike with the intention of shooting something specific, so the M6 is great because I can pop it into the Stem Caddy and focus more on the joy of being on the bike and having an incredibly capable, compact camera in case I stumble on something I want to shoot. The one-hand access is pretty ideal when you just want to quickly pull over in a place you shouldn't stop at, snap a quick shot, and get out of there.
I usually have a quick snack with me like a banana or granola bar. If the ride is easy with a nice spot to stop, maybe a beverage that's a little more fun than water…
Check out some more of Jeff’s work below, follow him on Instagram and pick up a Stem Caddy for yourself right here.
