Tatsuya Nakadai

December 15th, 2025

“We achieved peace by sacrificing an enormous amount of blood, sweat and tears of our people. We only hope that for Japan and the people, we never go through such a horrible day. We never should start a war. This is a message from someone who went through a war.” -Tatsuya Nakadai

I received sad news that Tatsuya Nakadai passed away on November 8th at the age of 92. Mr. Nakadai was one of Japan’s greatest and internationally acclaimed actors. In 2014, I photographed a portrait of him for a magazine and later found out that he was a survivor of the Tokyo firebombings during the Second World War. I asked him if I could photograph a portrait of him for my From Above project. The portrait was different from the portrait I previously photographed that accompanied an article about his storied career. For the From Above project, I asked him to remember his experiences as a kid during the war, and I took a few steps back with my camera.

Mr. Nakadai’s portrait has been shown in several From Above exhibitions. Some visitors are surprised to learn that he experienced the war. I’ve always felt that because Mr. Nakadai was famous, people thought that he would not speak about the experiences he endured during the war.

I’m proud of the brief time I spent listening to Mr. Nakadai. After I sent him the portraits, his manager, Ms. Wakao wrote to me. The message revealed that Nakadai-san posted all of them on the wall of Mumei-juku studio. He wished the best for my exhibitions, and although he was not a hibakusha, he survived the war and wanted to convey a message of empathy. Ms. Wakao also wrote that my portraits were powerful and different from other photos of Nakadai-san.

Nakadai-san was steadfastly anti-war. I’ll end with his words.

“After March 10th, the air raids continued in downtown Tokyo and my family house in Yamanote was blown away by a bomb blast on May 25th. It broke windows, and glass pieces poured on me like a waterfall. In a cloud of dirt, I was running away leading my neighbor’s little girl, but after a while, I realized I was holding only her hand. Her body was blown away by the bomb.

My mother and I wandered in hell-like streets the next morning. Burnt bodies were everywhere. They made strange sounds as they were still burning. Many bodies that I saw were holding both hands up in the air and mouths were wide open as if they were screaming.”

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in From Above, Gallery EF, Tokyo Fire Bombings | No Comments »

Ohtani-Land

October 25th, 2025

…Tokyo…passing an advertisement of Shohei Ohtani while on a speeding train approaching Shinjuku Station. 

during March, i photographed a story about Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese superstar playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, titled “Ohtani-Land.” the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs opened the Major League Baseball season in Tokyo. instead of photographing the games or the crowds outside the Tokyo Dome, my assignment focused on Ohtani being seen on advertisements everywhere in the metropolis. images of Ohtani hovered above the crowds coming in and out of Shinjuku Station, the busiest train station in the world, like portraits of kings or dictators in their home countries. everywhere i went, he was looking at me, from sneaker advertisements in train stations to him being on the side of a vending machine near an ancient temple drinking green tea. i even saw an advertisement while i was two steps from the entrance of a public bathroom.  he is easily the most recognizable Japanese person in the world. 

this is one of my favorite photographs because it captures a moment in Tokyo that i’ve never been able to put on film.  so much time in Tokyo is spent zig-zagging the metropolis on trains.  there’s something about seeing the cityscape zoom by at night.  it’s silent but noisy. calm but chaotic.  gritty but pretty.  dark but bright.  all of the forces pulling in opposite ways make me feel comfortable even while i’m alone.  i took this photograph about a minute out of the station. i was getting up from my seat and saw the neon sign of Ohtani rushing by.  instinctually, i clicked the shutter without looking and walked towards the door. 

in this format, where the photograph is the size of a stamp the image doesn’t translate well.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Japan, Tokyo | No Comments »

From Above featured on NHK World

March 29th, 2025

If you have a moment, please watch the story that Minori Takao reported on NHK World about the From Above project. It can be seen at this link:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20250326210940048/

We filmed during the opening of my exhibition at the East End Gallery, but the story is about much more than me. It features the people I’ve been photographing for the last 17 years. Minori was the first reporter to interview me on television when From Above was exhibited in 2008. I can confidently say she was the first reporter to believe in the project. A special thank you to Akira for also making this story possible.

From Above is a collection of portraits and reminiscences of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki and World War II firebombing survivors from Dresden, Coventry, Tokyo, Wielun (Poland), and Rotterdam. The project began during 2008. In 2011, it was released as a limited edition photo book. The book was sold internationally and garnered media attention throughout North America, Japan, Europe, and Australia. A few remaining copies of the book can be purchased from me.

Alongside From Above, a small selection of portraits of Ukrainian teenagers who fled the war and now live in Dresden, Germany, a city infamous for being destroyed at the end of the Second World War. These portraits were taken weeks after the start of the invasion. This is only the second time these portraits have been seen. The first was at the exhibition in Dresden a couple of weeks ago.

From Above can be seen at the East End Gallery in Tokyo until April 6th. Scroll down to see the poster with the gallery’s address and hours of operation.

See less

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in East End Gallery, Exhibition, Fractured, From Above, Interviews | No Comments »

Fractured photography exhibition in Dresden, Germany

January 25th, 2025

On February 14th-23rd my exhibition, Fractured, can be seen at the Chinesischer Pavillion in Dresden, Germany. Fractured is a collection of portraits and recollections of young Ukrainians, mostly teenagers, who fled Ukraine shortly after the Russian invasion and found their way to Dresden, a city infamous for being destroyed during the Second World War. The portraits were taken in the first few weeks after they arrived. Almost all the people photographed experienced intense aerial bombing and fighting in the cities of eastern and southern Ukraine.  This is the first time this series has ever been exhibited.

Alongside Fractured, a select portion of my long-term project From Above will also be exhibited to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Dresden firebombings.  From Above is a collection of black and white portraits and reminiscences of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and World War II firebombing survivors from Dresden, Coventry, Tokyo, Wielun (Poland), and Rotterdam.  The project began during 2008, and in 2011 it was released as a limited edition photo book in three languages: English, Japanese and German.  The book sold out internationally and garnered media attention throughout North America, Japan, Europe and Australia. A portion of From Above is permanently exhibited at the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims.  Thus far, From Above has also been exhibited in numerous international museums and exhibition spaces, including at the United Nations in New York and the Nagasaki Prefecture Museum of Art.

There will be an opening program on February 14th at 18:00 that will feature a short talk by Nora Lang, a survivor of the Dresden firebombings, and some of the Ukrainian teenagers photographed.   We are all proud that this exhibition can take place in such a special venue.  I will post the fliers for the opening program in a few days. 

The goal of Fractured and  From Above are to put a human face to words in history books.  Many people view war with statistics and dates.  They forget war affects real people.  Both projects have given a voice to those who experienced war and in doing so demonstrate that suffering from war is universal.  It affects people of all cultures, age, and nationalities.

The Chinesischer Pavillion is located at Bautzner Landstraße 17 A, 01324 Dresden, Germany.

Telephone: +49 351 26662008   website: https://www.chinesischer-pavillon.de/

Open hours: Saturday-Sunday: 11:00-16:00, Monday-Friday:  16:00-19:00

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Dresden, Exhibition, Exhibition Posters, Fractured | No Comments »

Nicole

January 19th, 2025

…i never had the opportunity to photograph David Lynch. the closest i came was photographing Nicole Laliberte, who a decade after this photograph, became an actor best known for her role as Darya in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.

this photograph was from a fashion editorial i photographed with Nicole. my friend Pete, who was the stylist, grew up with her. at the time, she was featured in fashion campaigns shot by Ellen Von Unwerth. this was my only chance to work with Nicole because her career was taking off.

we photographed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which was still mostly abandoned industrial storage. Pete knew a security guard who we gave $20 to allow us to pass through the gates and photograph in the blighted factory spaces.

Nicole was one the best i photographed. before we took the first photograph, she said to me, “Don’t tell me what to do, just follow me.” it was easy, and i never felt lost or at a dead-end like i often did when i photographed fashion. it was exhausting because she was constantly in motion. we were working with strobe lights that were powered by a heavy generator, and Pete had to keep moving the lights because we would run out of the frame.

the photographs are more cinematic than fashion oriented, which became the case with all of my fashion editorials. Nicole was a perfect person to photograph because she was authentic.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Noir | No Comments »

The Get Up Kids

January 15th, 2025

…The Get Up Kids…over the holidays i was cleaning negatives, slides, and prints that occupy half of my home in New York. i found prints of The Get Up Kids that i photographed in late 1999 or early 2000. i haven’t looked at them since shortly after they were photographed.

they were in NY either touring or promoting the release of Something To Write Home About. i had been working with their publicist Lisa and was commissioned to do press photographs. we photographed a bunch of cross processed negatives in the snow on Chrystie Street, which were printed in several magazines like Alternative Press.

this photograph was taken where they were staying. i don’t remember taking this photograph. but i like it because of its candor. it’s a document and not a promotional photograph. i probably dismissed these feelings about it twenty-five years ago.

what i also find interesting are the items on the table, a teacup full of cigarette butts, Pay Day candy bar wrapper, cordless phone, an analog camera that wasn’t mine, a CD, bottle of Excedrin, and three cigarette boxes that look crushed. it’s cool that they trusted me to come back to the place they were staying because i don’t think a publicist would allow that today. the access was better than, and people seemed much more genuine.

Tags: ,
Posted in Music | No Comments »

Nat Gray, lead singer of The Iron Roses

January 14th, 2025

…Nat Gray, lead singer of The Iron Roses…i was aware of Nat’s music from BoySetsFire. last year we got in contact after i posted a portrait of a transgender girl from my project Embrace. i immediately wanted to photograph Nat because They felt so authentic and, for less of a reason, i’ve recently missed photographing musicians.

i photographed a lot of musicians for assignments earlier in my career. while the majority of those assignments lasted for minutes with people who were not interested in being photographed, occasionally there was someone who came in front of the camera who was compelling. everything about Nat seemed to have many layers, and i had to photograph Them!

it took almost a year. i was traveling in europe and Nat was touring. i’ve learned during my 30 year career is that meaningful photographs are 90% patience and psychological, 1% knowing how to use the camera, 1% good light, and 8% not showing anyone the bad photographs i’ve taken. my patience was rewarded while Nat was taking a few hours off from writing.

while i waited, i wrestled about how to photograph this portrait. i haven’t photographed a portrait of a musician in many years. the last music assignment i shot was a few tour dates last summer with the Rolling Stones, but that didn’t include any portraits. there was a lot about Nat that interested me, so i didn’t just see this as creating a portrait of a rock star. but i also realized that what was being recorded by The Iron Roses was more genuine and truthful than what others were singing about. this battle went on in my mind until i understood that the photograph would be determined the moment Nat was in front of the camera. i wasn’t the one who was going to say who Nat is. it was Nat.

this is the first frame snapped on my Hasselblad. there were 36 frames photographed while a cold winter light wrapped around Nat from the window. this frame has a little more of a spark than the others. the mystery of light and film can’t be explained, but the light shining on Nat was well deserved. i’m proud of this portrait and the others we captured, but i’m happier about the friendships with Nat and Becky, co-singer of the Iron Roses.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Music | No Comments »

Alan Wilder

January 13th, 2025

…Alan Wilder…Recoil…formerly of Depeche Mode…over the holidays i was cleaning negatives, slides, and prints that occupy half of my home in New York. i found prints of Alan Wilder that i photographed in September 1999. i haven’t looked at them since shortly after they were photographed.

Alan left Depeche Mode four years earlier and was doing press for the Recoil album “Liquid.” i was commissioned by Outburn Magazine to photograph a portrait. it turned out to be my first cover in a national magazine. a different portrait from this session was used on the cover. this portrait has never been published.

late September in New York used to be raw and gray. the weather forecast hit a bullseye that morning. i stood on the record label’s rooftop as the wind whipped above Broadway, with Alan, his wife, and Lisa, the publicist who was the first to hire me in New York to photograph bands for Beggars Banquet. rooftop shots in New York City were the “thing” during the late 90’s, and i wasn’t experienced enough to suggest other options.

Alan was a nice guy which helped. it was obvious that i was nervous. the conversation calmed both of us. he spoke about his fear of flying. a few years prior he had witnessed a small plane crash while driving in the countryside. it’s probably difficult being in a famous band like Depeche Mode while having a fear of flying.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Music | No Comments »

Blixa Bargeld

January 12th, 2025

…Blixa Bargeld from the band Einstürzende Neubauten…over the holidays i was cleaning negatives, slides, and prints that occupy half of my home in New York. i found prints of Blixa Bargeld that i photographed for Outburn Magazine in 2000. i haven’t looked at them since shortly after they were photographed.

i had a few minutes to photograph a portrait of him across the street from Gramercy Park Hotel. i remember standing in the hotel lobby with the publicist. Blixa came from his room said hello, he took a few steps outside, lit up a cigarette, then we walked across the street, he smoked in front of the park gate while i frantically photographed half a roll of color 35mm film and a roll of Tri-X 120mm in my Mamiya 7ii. nothing was said. i knew instinctively that my time was done once the cigarette was finished. looking at the negative sheets, i was able to photograph 20 frames of 35mm and 10 frames of 120mm film.

this was my third assignment for Outburn, and i was still inexperienced at handling assignment work. the photograph of Blixa that i printed for my portfolio was in color. i still think it’s the best portrait from that session. but this one caught my attention a quarter century later. there’s something about it that i haven’t found the word for. in the 1990’s, it would have gone in the portfolio book. i miss that….now it gets scanned and posted….

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Music | No Comments »

Ursula Rucker

January 11th, 2025

…Ursula Rucker…over the holidays i was cleaning negatives, slides, and prints that occupy half of my home in New York. i found negatives of Ursula Rucker that i photographed for a magazine in December 2001. Ursula is a spoken word artist. she’s a brilliant writer and has collaborated with many artists, most notably The Roots.

i never gave this portrait to the magazine because they wanted to run a color image. i’m not sure if i’ve looked at this B/W portrait since i developed it. it’s probably better than the photograph that was published. the eyes are always the key in a strong portrait. when i got this assignment, i was too inexperienced at editing because after a quarter century of experience since, i would have fought to publish this portrait.

when i photographed for magazines, i kept a roll of Tri-X in my Mamiya 7ii that i would use to experiment with. this roll was developed with a lith developer. i used lith often because i hardly had any success with it. lith developer was unpredictable, and i’m sloppy when it comes to science. but in the few instances that i got printable negatives, it would be interesting. i took more chances as a photographer when i was younger. i’m not sure why i was so daring back then because if i didn’t submit a photograph that was better than what i did before, an editor wouldn’t hire me again. it was probably me being more crazy and hungry than daring.

i had to clean this negative a few times after it had been dormant in the plastic sleeve since 2001. i’m looking forward to making a final print that i can frame. in the 1990’s, it would have gone in the portfolio book. i miss that….now it gets scanned and posted….

Tags: ,
Posted in Music | No Comments »

« Older Entries