Hello, my name is Laurence Torao Konishi. I think I have an interesting name, yet long, so my friends call me LT for short. My first name Laurence was adopted from the famous Lieutenant Colonel T.E. Lawrence also known as Lawrence of Arabia. Torao translates to “tiger man” in English, but the Kanji for my name stands for the “year of the tiger” and “man”. Konishi is my mothers maiden name which I legally changed to in 1989, my first year of High School.
U.S.A.: I’m an American citizen, living as foreigner in Tokyo, Japan. My mother is Japanese and my father is American. When I first came to Tokyo I thought I wanted to assimilate into the Japanese way of life. But after my first couple years I realized that there was no way in hell I would ever be able to or even want to become “Japanese”.
Why I live in Tokyoland: I live in Japan because I love it! Trains are efficient, I don’t live in fear of being robbed or killed, the food is delicious(However, I miss real Mexican food.), there are tons of holidays, you can drink on the streets and smoke indoors(plus or minus), there’s always something new to do or see in the city, and if you want to relax, just go sit in the courtyard of a temple or shrine(there’s at least one near every station).
On photography: It’s my addiction, to see the world through the lens and capture a moment in life. It might have something to do with an early childhood loss or just a love affair with light reflected upon the world around see.
Artist Business: Using these two words together might send some into disgust or confusion or both. However, I am currently developing my PHOTOGRAPHER BUSINESS model with the guidance of Dane Sanders. My intention is to bring to the world my-own-unique-vision.
Inspiration: Many of my friends and peers are my inspiration. I know I need to push the limits within myself when I see a photograph that moves me or makes me think “Damn it, I need to put something else out now, something that will make that evokes a feeling within me, something great”! It’s not only in photographs that I get these ignitions, but in paintings, in music, in books, in conversations, in connections with people and the world that we live in.
Get in touch—>Email: Laurence Torao Konishi