MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE
By cizucu ·
‘Focus’ shines a light on creators, artworks, and trends. We highlight creators who share remarkable photographs, introducing them alongside their works. Discovering shared sensibilities can spark new creative inspiration. This edition’s theme is “Nature.”
Nature itself, through its rhythms, forms, textures, and transformations, contains information that transcends human understanding. The photographs we capture through the lens are, in essence, art created by nature itself. Let us cherish and preserve the beauty of this planet’s natural world, appreciating even a single fallen leaf.
This time, we feature creators inspired by the beauty of nature, each capturing the natural world from their own unique perspective.
Image by ハル
Q. What do you focus on in your creative process and when photographing?
I adjust the composition and aperture depending on the subject to best highlight what I want to capture. For food, I aim to photograph moments that make viewers want to eat it; for landscapes, I try to convey the feeling of being present in that scene.
ハル
Started photography with a DSLR after the birth of my child. I love visiting cafés and collecting small goods, so I mainly shoot table photography and styled photos. I also do portrait photography.
cizucu：@halu_photo_tk
Image by ATSUSHI HIRANO
Q. What do you focus on in your creative process and when photographing?
My subject is “mountains.” I mainly use a SONY α7Ⅳ with a GM 24-70mm F2.8 for digital, and a Nikon FM3A for film. For me, photography is about encounters with landscapes, so I don’t usually wait long for the perfect shot in a classic composition. Instead, I capture scenes naturally as I encounter them during my travels. I avoid heavy retouching, aiming for natural edits that convey the landscape as I saw it.
ATSUSHI HIRANO
Mountain photographer from Fukuoka Prefecture. Organizes exhibitions, publishes photobooks, sells framed works, and provides photographs to brands and shops, mainly in Japan, North America, Europe, and Korea. Having hiked mountains with my parents since childhood, I began photography to share the scenery I encounter in the mountains.
[Artwork]
April 2022: Photo essay collection “STADE MAGAZINE Issue Two” published by STADE MAGAZINE @stademagazine
March 2023: Photobook “ENCOUNTER ONE” published by humming magazine @humming_magazine
[Other]
Founder of ‘humming magazine,’ a photography community introducing landscapes and artists from around the world.
IG : @humming_magazine Also runs the Japanese branch of STADE MAGAZINE.
cizucu：ATSUSHI HIRANO
Instagram：@atsushi_mt.photo
Image by Ray
Q. What do you focus on in your creative process and when photographing?
Equipment: Nikon Z50, a compact APS-C sensor camera. When I decided to buy it, I was looking for a camera I could easily carry every day, even to university. It’s perfect for capturing daily life, and I love it.
Subject & the moment of pressing the shutter: I want to capture moments that make me think, “Wow, Japan is wonderful!” For example, when a shrine suddenly appears while walking in the city, or when Tokyo Skytree peeks out in an everyday scene.
Composition & what I focus on: I’m always conscious of composition and the overall balance of the photograph, but what I value most is the interplay or contrast between the main and secondary subjects. I will continue to strive to convey what I find beautiful in a single photograph.
Ray
Started sharing the beauty of Japan with the world on Instagram (@beautiful.__.japan) during the COVID-19 pandemic. I photograph Japanese culture and nature that can be overlooked in daily life.
Student ambassador (2nd term) for Photo Café S, promoting tourist hotels and providing photographs via Instagram.
cizucu：Ray
Instagram：@beautiful.__.japan
Image by yanma222
Q. What do you focus on in your creative process and when photographing?
The most important aspect for me in photography is composition. I focus on how to convey the emotion I felt with my own eyes, guiding the viewer’s gaze and practicing the art of “subtraction” by not including more than what is necessary in the frame.
Let us listen to the melodies of nature and walk forward while appreciating its beauty. From the small art painted by a single fallen leaf to the grand canvases of the natural world, let us leave our footprints on nature’s canvas. Nature, art in its purest form.
