Shizukesa (Part One)

"Shizukesa" is a Japanese word meaning "stillness." I contextualize life unfolding through visual frames, like those I peered through as a child seeking stillness in chaotic Tokyo. As an adult I journeyed to reconcile with the loss of my dead father--a profound event for a then-nineteen-year-old--while depicting the sense of distance I felt. ​ What seems an ordinary subject-- an empty bus, a table in a lounge, a mansion decorated for the holidays seen from a streetcar, a hotel room, or a window display, in some cases "life" itself-- through a combination of framing, light and moment, can be beautiful, and sometimes even extraordinary. ​ Produced with digital cameras, with no staging or cropping, from all over the world. This is five of many more photographs (from 2009~2016 and ongoing). Prints on archival inkjet.

I am a Japanese/Canadian photographer. In 2015, I became a full-time photographer, having studied under National Geographic photographer Sam Abell. Under Abell's mentorship. I have been featured in photo magazines in the US (such as PDN) and Japan (Asahi Camera) and have had solo exhibitions in the US, Australia and Italy. In 2017 I was awarded a Critical Mass Top 50 award, and have received 3rd place honors as an amateur in the IPA awards for Fine Art Landscapes in 2018.