Kazuyoshi Shimomura hates Ayu.

[octolina]

Originally Posted by ayu_fantasy

hahahahahaha, debate debate... LOL... I don't think she dare turn down his photos.... She seem abit intimidated by him.... From Sparkle Pv, you could tell she wasn't quite comfortable... HE's like forcing ayu to do his way.. But with other directors, she seem to take control over what she wants.

i don't call that intimidated la. because intimidation has fear connotations... i would say she trusts him, or lets him take control because Ayu no longer has a creative drive, imo. She's depleted, wasted, uninspired, contrived.

I stand firm in my opinion that Ayu likes the outcome of her PVS and pictures more than KAZU! Kazu is so innocent... only doing his job. I feel Ayu wants him to "milk" something out of her, which she doesn't have, but she SO desperately wants. Ayu's idea of glamour and style is really eccentric and skewed. She is 30 years old but still wants to be kawaii. That is her problem.

[vampireknightzero]

Originally Posted by ayu_ready?

I must be the biggest Kazyoushi hater out there and Leslie Kee's lover, because I've been constantly bashing and overbashing Shimoko & praising and overpraising Leslie at my LJ, haha

I really hate the man. because all his works is non-creative untalanted crap

even though he wants the people to look diva-ish and gorgeous, they turn out to look fake, plastic & weird

it's not right

I hate his Kuu works too, 3 SPLASH are the worst and the cheapest covers ever

the problem is that Leslie is worldwide known, famous and just..oh, I love him and his works

Leslie has become too expensive, that's it

but just don't you think....Leslie Kee means quality, very high quality, no?
because almoust every Japanese top artist photobook is shot by him, and then when some magazine shots are, they write with bold big letters "Photographs by Leslie Kee" and everyone's like w0w

I do admit Kazyoushi has his own style. Looking through his works, I really could see how much this man likes what we call "rich. glamorous". he also like overpopped eyes and open mouths. his works are actually simpler and he perefers no background or simple background

I think he works better being a stylist, no? I mean he was a stylist back then, and as a stylist - he makes it, I like it.

about magazine shoots - it's actually the magazine which decides the theme of the photoshoot and the clothes. it's 100% because I watched a programme some time ago (Japanese), and there the interviewer said that always theme & clothes is decided by the magazine. probably the shots could have been better if they were shot by other photographer?

some ppl say that it's stupid that we bash and so. yes it is stupid but don't we mean artist's quality?? I mean much stuff tells us about artist's quality. his appearance, the image, media & stuff??

"AYUMI HAMASAKI" is a brand, no?
a HIGH CLASS

Ayu posseses herself as a high brand, no doubt about it. media posses her that way, avex does it too.

but this looks as a work of not mediocre, but low-level artist, which company doesn't care about, no?

covers do matter for me. and magazine shots too. because they attract public & attention. isn't it what artist should do, seriously?like, one of HIGH CLASS artist duties?

somewhat judging by Leslie's works, he is a very very much creative man and he is s much into his works! he always have such cool costumes, backgorund and stuff around the person, cool make-up, clothes & accessories. his works are just so eye-candy, because even though he has some freaky shots, they always look so nice

I actually sort of went to 'research' about Leslie Kee's work since there were a lot of praises here~ And I have to agree, his works are nice!

[freedreamer]

hearing that he shot Kuu;s TRICK...garhh...he's out to ruin Ayu hahahha

[C+R+E+AYUMI]

But ever since Kazu started taking photos for her, she has been doing very weird stuff like the infamous "fish-lips" (which works sometimes), or giving the "lost" facial expression, or getting photos taken when she's in between poses... almost like candid shots.

I just believe that kazu's style fits better ayu.
Since they work together she seems to have lost any kind of natural, spontaneous expression. She's overbuilt..he's maybe trying hard to repeat the exagerate sexyness kuu is able to show but maybe, he didn't understand that ayu's sexyness can never be equiparated to the kuu's one.

[LacusClyne]

Originally Posted by octolina

Has anyone stopped to think that maybe Ayu hires Kazu time after time again because he delivers what Ayu wants? Maybe Ayu wants to appear more Diva-ish, more flamboyant? Maybe he likes the way Kazu coaches her. Maybe she's unsatisfied with Leslie and ND Chow's work?


also, i don't know about what it's like working with Kazu, but when Ayu works with other photographers, she chooses her the image that she wants to use for the cover. I read that in Time Magazine. It was during the I am... era, so I don't know if she changed.

that is the reason why i don't like kazu, i miss the old ayu with more powers, her older pics looks better and there's more chemistry between the photograhers.

I wonder why she stop using Leslie's, his recent works for alan's chinese album is very pretty.

Originally Posted by elepop

Well, of course it looks bad. The reason is because she is forcing her lips to be that way. Kuu and Ayu can just leave their mouth open, but they are forcing their lips as they pose and the result: ugly fish lips.

Ayu with "fish lips":


Ayu with mouth open, not forced:

Ahhh... The better days.

i want the natural ayu back.....

[nanakopy87]

wow...alan's photos are so nice...@@
hmm,maybe kazu-san is the one who needs some rest


PS :i think the reason why the magazine photo shooting this time isn't that nice because of ayu's tanned skin?

[elepop]

I love Leslie Kee's work. There's something so simple yet really powerful in his work.

[waterballoon]

omg I doubt money is the issue here... alan has Leslie Kee too. I don't meant to be mean, but between Ayu and alan, I would say Ayu has a higher budget... why does she settle for a lesser photographer...

@octolina: Maybe you're right, but besides that, I also feel that Kazu is very stubborn and insists everything on his own way which isn't good most of the time anyway...

[nanakopy87]

hmm,maybe ayu needs something new???but how long does she use kazu?

[aqua_crystal]

Leslie Kee is a genius. Kazu is bad and I have always hated his work (with the exceprion to the Mirrorcle covers) and after the Sunrise/Sunset covers, i want to kill him. But how come everybody but Ayu noticed that her pics & photoshoots are going downhill thanks to him???

[Kikaru]

I think it's obvious from his other shoots that Kazu favors one type of expression, and I think it's the case that the expression tend to fit some people better than others. TBH his shoots of Koda Kumi are not really my favorites, because even though she manages the fish lips deer-in-the-headlight expression better, he doesn't really have a great sense of composition and the poses just look unnatural (and I don't like the 3 splash text arrangement, but that's another thread).

I think most photographers does help dictate poses and stuff, but some are just better than others. I think Kazu's biggest weakness as a photographer is that he doesn't realize (judging by the photos) that his material (the people being photographed) and his artistic vision (his "glamour-shots") doesn't automatically work together. People like Leslie Kee and ND Chow realizes the best expression and poses that would most flatter their models, and I think with Kazu that's why his pictures are pretty much hit and misses.

Either that or Ayu needs to put her foot down. Or there's blackmail and conspiracy theories involved...

[yoshino]

Indeed. I think Kazu did bad shots for Ayu. So I dun like him too. Leslie kee's work are really awesome!!

I dunno if u can call that Kazu as hating Ayu for the reason of the bad shots though. Jus dunno wat's up with him.

[truehappiness]

Hm.. after 2006, Ayu said that she was beginning to loosen her stranglehold on her image and perhaps that is why things have not been as visually stunning as before. I hear that in the NTV 2000 interview, she even wanted fonts changed because they were not to her liking. (from the CNN interview)... hm.

[octolina]

^ Amazing. I loved when she was in charged. She was like Queen Elizabeth (dunno if she is great or not actually, lol!)! Now she is like Empress Dowager Cixi... letting others do the work while she basks in material luxury...

[asmAyumi1992]

Oh yeah, I really don't like the cover of Ayu's new single. It looks so fake. It spoil the great song(Sunrise ~Love is all~

[C+R+E+AYUMI]

Originally Posted by Kikaru

I think it's obvious from his other shoots that Kazu favors one type of expression, and I think it's the case that the expression tend to fit some people better than others.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

to be honest, honestly honest, I don't think he is the one that tells ayu to do the "fish mouth"

I think it's entirely her who chooses to do that. She's a big enough celebrity to say "no" to a pose if she doesn't want to do it. I mean even in 2001 she changed the whole cover for I am... because she didn't want it to be used.

I think all the blame on the photographer is getting rather annoying. She has the power to change out looks, covers, outfits, etc. for whatever she's doing.

This whole "anti-kazu-whatever his name is" stuff going around is just a little old. Obviously he's capable of taking decent pictures and he doesn't have Koda Kumi doing the same face.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

to be honest, honestly honest, I don't think he is the one that tells ayu to do the "fish mouth"

I think it's entirely her who chooses to do that. She's a big enough celebrity to say "no" to a pose if she doesn't want to do it. I mean even in 2001 she changed the whole cover for I am... because she didn't want it to be used.

I think all the blame on the photographer is getting rather annoying. She has the power to change out looks, covers, outfits, etc. for whatever she's doing.

This whole "anti-kazu-whatever his name is" stuff going around is just a little old. Obviously he's capable of taking decent pictures and he doesn't have Koda Kumi doing the same face.

This

[mcluva420]

omg! leslie kee did the alan pics???!!

amazing .

[pommy48]

Originally Posted by LacusClyne

that is the reason why i don't like kazu, i miss the old ayu with more powers, her older pics looks better and there's more chemistry between the photograhers.

I wonder why she stop using Leslie's, his recent works for alan's chinese album is very pretty.

oh i didn't know that he shot alan's booklet, that means he shot Voice of EARTH too?
edit: yeah he did~