The images in this book form part of my Words series of photos taken in Japan where I asked the people I met to tell me their favourite words. I then went in search of images to best represent these words.



The variety of responses alone was fascinating. Most people chose words based on the meaning(s) behind them, yet some chose words because they liked the sound, or the shape of the Kanji ñ the old Chinese character. And there was one person (Nakahira Takuma) who chose his word because it reminded him of a special story he had recently heard about a small boy and a snake.



Words have their limitations and I find them fascinating. Our thoughts are, in many ways, confined within our language. Yet it is possible to feel & think certain things without them. I have often felt things before I really possessed the word to tell people about it and I often know I like something, yet don't have the words to say why.