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Tokyo Eye, Part II

THC: When you look at a photograph that you have taken, are your feelings toward the image different from when you actually took the photo and saw the real subject?

DM: When I see the photos now, like when I visited the exhibit here at Harvard, I look at them and really do think that they are good photos, that I did a good job. Each one conjures up specific memories, like how young I was when I took one, or how I did something in particular when taking another. So I think both about those memories and that overall I like the photos. But, after all, photographs are about the moment you take them. So I can't really look at a photo now and compare how it was back when I took it. There are obviously lots of differences between the person I am now and the person I was when I took the photos.

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THC: Some critics have described your work as "romantically tragic," while others call parts of it eerie and creepy. Did you consciously aim to get certain reactions out of your audience, or did you not think about that at all?

DM: People naturally view photographs in different ways and have their own reactions. I don't consciously try to make a photo romantic or tragic or something. I think that whatever my mood is on a particular day, that is probably what comes across in the photos I take. For instance, if I'm feeling sad when I take a photo, then I think that feeling is probably conveyed in the photo. So I definitely think that the individual's feelings influence a work, but that is on the side of the photographer. Once a work is completed, it can be interpreted however you want-I have no influence over that. There have been times early in my career when I manipulated photos in the printing process to achieve the particular image that I desired, and I think that some viewers have gotten caught on that, since at times I have gone for particular emotional reactions.

THC: We know that Warhol and Klein influenced you in the '60s; are there any people now who you find do particularly intriguing or interesting work?

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