A Cigarette Goes A Long Way

Photography By Ricoh Yuzi

Interview By Micah Hughey

Ricoh Yuzi is a San Francisco based photographer who documents the mundane and often not so pretty aspects of life. Journalist Micah Hughey talks to Ricoh about finding connections with his subjects, being your biggest critic, and finding happiness.

What's the story behind this image?

“That day when I took that picture, I just had a shit day, a mental breakdown at work. It was just I wanna say the day before New Year’s eve. I just woke up in a shitty mood, and a lot of emotions hit me out of nowhere. So, I went to work pretty much thinking I needa let it all out. It just backfired on me. Pretty much my manager said like, “Hey, you should go home, take the day off.” I didn’t want to, but I thought about what he said and clocked out. Got into my car, and drove to the city. Got to the city, got to BART, got into the Mission District, walked around and started shooting pictures. This was uh already i wanna say about 3 o’clock. So by the time it was 4, the sun was already about to set. 22nd Mission, that’s where this photo was taken. I stopped by this liquor store and got a tall can. Popped out on the street, started drinking and then next thing you know, there’s this guy like right there. His name was Clayton Walls. I pretty much hung out with him the whole night.”

Is that a common thing? For you to like hang out with your subjects?

“Sometimes it just happens, it just happens. I’ll strike up a conversation with a cigarette or a beer, that happens. Most of the time I’m snapping and bouncing out. I’ll meet and see a couple and be talking, drinking with them, regardless of their stature, status in society.”

You’re making them feel comfortable before you take a picture?

“Yeah! Pretty much when I started talking to him, I started to feel better. We talked about our problems. The dude was a war vet. We finished our beers, and I was like, “Oh man, I want another beer.” So I gave him a dub, a twenty. He got a couple beers, and I told him he could keep the change and he got a pizza with that extra change. We were just hanging out y’know, and ended up asking if i could take his picture or pictures of him. So I took pictures of him on my phone and on my film camera.”

I love that so much, that you just spent time with him.

“I actually took another person's picture, Angela. She asked for a cigarette. Gave her a few cigarettes and a few bucks. Then after that, I took a few pictures of her. Actually a lot of the people I take pictures of, I see them out in the city. I see them and I’m just like we’re friends and you just don’t know it. But yeah man, sometimes I see them doing good and sometimes see them doing bad. It’s pretty much like the recycle side. One arrow follows the other.

I always say a cigarette goes a long way. And so sometimes they say, “oh you have a cigarette?” I reply and next thing you know, we’re having a conversation. Then it’ll just hit me, when I find that connection, I’ll ask them if I could take a photo of them, like ask would it be alright? Pretty much 99% of the time, they’re like, “Yeah!! Totally!!” And yeah pretty much, I’m doing this on a fly. “

“Whether on a fly, or if it comes out good, bad. I’m still gonna post it. I don’t really care what anyone else says or what their opinion is.”

Right, and you shouldn’t

“Yes, like it’s your contact. You took the time to go out there. if you feel like you did a good job? okay no one can take that from you. You are your biggest critic, nobody else. “

If you still didn’t have Instagram, would you still take pictures? If you still didn’t have that outlet?

“Oh yeah. Yeah! I would definitely still take pictures. I would still take pictures on my iphone. But I think I would gravitate more towards film photography, point and shoot. On my phone it’s so easy to just edit and just post it. With Instagram? So much easier, without it? I would have to work more towards it. But at the end, it’d be the same feeling.”

Do you prefer one over the other? Phone or your point and shoot?

“Actually, no I don’t, I love both. To be honest, I go out and carry my little bag and of course I have my phone with me.”

Do you just switch between the two?

“Yes!! I switch. I’ll just switch and take some shots on my iphone, keep walking and then i’m like, “Y’know what, I want on my camera.” I’m going one to the other throughout the day. It feels good to have a choice in terms of the two cameras. You learn from both.”

When did you start taking photos?

I got started around 2015, from taking photos of my food to the street. Just wanted to show what The Bay Area was really like through what I seen and experience.

Is there a reason why your subjects are usually isolated, do you actively choose that or is it like a subconscious choice?

“I think I wanna say it’s like half? Subconsciously and then also, I also know that person, that individual is going through. I can see, see what they’re going through and I’ll feel it. It’s not about exploiting them, but like when I see it, I just wanna take a picture of it because I know what they’re feeling, like I’m with you. But yeah, it’s kinda 50/50. Sometimes I’ll just get a feeling, and I’ll shoot across the street, or plan it out. I’ll sit in the corner and next thing you know someone pops up and I’ll take their picture. Half is planned, other half is random occurrences. I love the uniqueness of randomness.”

Is that what keeps you taking pictures?

“What keeps me taking pictures is my mental health. It’s a way for me to decompress from my everyday life of working, and just everyday stress. Instead of abusing drugs or abusing alcohol or just taking my anger out on people. Pretty much I go out, out to the city and go shoot and I let it all out. I walk. Walking is another way of letting my stress out. It’s more of an escape. That’s why I never did it for money. Like I’ve done the books, the prints, and it was cool but my biggest thing is like it’s not about money, it’s about finding my own happiness. Photography is mine. That’s my fix right there. My fix is going out to the city, finding the gnarliest shit out there, the saddest shit out there. Knowing I’m in the presence of something, that just makes me feel good.”