Kazuaki Koseki, a photographer from Yamagata in northern Japan, has emerged as a distinctive voice in contemporary Japanese photography by transforming his family's traditional studio practice into a profound meditation on nature's impermanence. Born into a family of studio photographers, Koseki has redirected the camera from its conventional function to approach nature as a living, fragile, and ever-changing archive.
Koseki's images are characterized by diaphanous light and enveloping mist, existing at the boundary between the visible and invisible. His photographs reveal moments that exist only briefly: melting snow flooding a lake, the sudden force of a storm, or the phosphorescent shimmer of fireflies in summer nights. Rather than providing documentary descriptions of landscapes, his work offers sensory translations of natural phenomena.
The photographer's approach resembles visual meditation, where the eye becomes a receptacle for metamorphoses, as if each image captures a memory already in the process of fading. His technique goes beyond pure contemplation, as behind the hypnotic beauty of his photographs lies an acute awareness of the world's fragility. The images serve as reminders that what we admire is perpetually threatened, and that beauty carries within it an urgency to preserve what can still be saved.
Balancing the weight of family tradition with contemporary ecological concerns, Koseki has established himself as a singular voice in current Japanese photography. His images, suspended between poetry and gravity, do not seek to elevate nature to iconic status but rather to restore its breathing, as fragile as it is essential.
Koseki's photographic awakening came through a complex journey of personal and professional development. As the eldest son in a family owning a photo studio, he grew up in an environment where photography was omnipresent, helping to dry washed prints as a child. However, it wasn't until adulthood that he began working in the studio, creating portraits under his father's guidance. Nature photography was initially just a hobby practiced during mountain trips, forest walks, and fly fishing expeditions along rivers.
The March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake, which struck the eastern coast including Miyagi Prefecture where he had lived, became a pivotal moment in his artistic development. Witnessing friends die and seeing countless others affected taught him about nature's ferocity and life's fragility. The subsequent Fukushima accident plunged the region into invisible terror, affecting even the river he frequented. These experiences became powerful drivers for creating his artistic work.
Among his influences, Koseki particularly admires female photographers Rinko Kawauchi and Terri Weifenbach, whose work resonates deeply with him. A defining moment came in his twenties when he saw an original Ansel Adams print taken at Yellowstone, overwhelmed by the beauty of its tonal gradations. Later, discovering Hiroshi Sugimoto's seascapes helped him understand that photographic expression could be much freer and more powerful.
Koseki expresses strong feelings about plagiarized photographs, viewing them with anger because new images, concepts, or words created through personal investment hold particular value for their creators. However, he doesn't consider works inspired by respect to be inherently bad. He finds unpredictable subjects most interesting in images, particularly the light trails of fireflies, which are always changing and impossible to capture identically twice.
His creative process involves three distinct stages, drawing inspiration from Ansel Adams' philosophy. The first stage consists of simultaneously observing and photographing. The second involves selection and digital processing to refine tones and aspects. The third, printing, involves choosing paper, harmonizing tones, and adding subtle individuality. As Adams said, the first stage writes the words, the second composes the music, and the third is the performance.
Currently, Koseki is developing a project called "Reborn," which captures frozen marshes in winter using drones. Started nearly a decade ago, the project explores strange patterns on frozen marshes. After years of research and observation, he finally witnessed them up close, describing the spectacle as beyond his expectations, like witnessing the rebirth of a living being. The series was a finalist at the Sony World Photography Awards and exhibited in the United Kingdom, but continues to evolve.
Personal relationships often inform his relationship with images, with connections becoming projects. He photographs in the place where he has lived since birth, integrating local history, culture, and personal connections. Time spent alone in nature, moved by events, represents his greatest professional extravagance, while discussions about nature, especially trees, or fly fishing can easily divert his attention.
Koseki's technical preferences include working with natural light, having learned artificial lighting in the studio but now comparing both to reproduce nature's illumination. He uses a digital Nikon SLR camera, having started with a Nikon F3 his father gave him when he joined the high school photography club. He finds both color and black-and-white photography meritorious, sometimes converting digital images to monochrome to check tonal quality.
Regarding his current exhibition, Koseki's work is being displayed at the Abbaye Royale de l'Épau in Le Mans, France, until November as part of the 13th photography season. This marks the first time his work, created in Japan, has been shown in France. He considers it a great honor and encourages visitors to see the exhibition and check his Instagram account for updates.
Reflecting on broader themes, Koseki believes the current world can be represented by an abstract and chaotic image, reflecting a world in constant flux. He suggests that a little more consideration for all things could improve collective life. Despite not speaking any language other than Japanese, he recently traveled solo to France and Italy, finding everyone kind and using translation apps to fully enjoy the experience.
Looking ahead, after visiting France and Italy, he wishes to explore other European cities and their cultures. The place he never tires of remains the river of his childhood in Yamagata Prefecture, always changing despite its constant flow. He maintains few regrets, accepting his life as it is, and hopes to continue without regret, being able to say "This life is enough for me."
