Hideo Takiura began his adult life not as a photographer but as a landscape designer. I don’t know much about this somewhat esoteric profession but it’s hard not to wonder how shaping the earth has ended up shaping Takiura the photographer. At the very least, these two vocations share the need to take a wild, amorphous nature and confine... 

Hideo Takiura was born in 1963 in Tokyo, and graduated from Tokyo Agricultural University in 1986. After working as a landscape designer for a few years, he began pursuing a career in photography. His photo book Tokyo Bodies, from which the above photo is taken, collects work shot by Takiura on the streets of Tokyo from 2000-2007 with his trusty 6x6cm... 

The cherry blossom season is just over in Japan and all that can now be seen is petals on paths and waterways, which creates a more contemplative atmosphere than the euphoric blossoming. This Cover Photo by Toshio Enomoto, taken from the series Sakura, shows such a scene. Upon arranging for this photograph, Enomoto-san wrote to us from Amsterdam, where... 

We are pleased to announce an addition of a Ricoh GXR version to our popular range of hand-made leather camera cases. The Ricoh GXR is yet another stylish and high-performing camera, similar to the Olympus E-P1/2 and the Panasonic Lumix GF-1. The GXR takes the concept of exchangeable lenses one step further by incorporating exchangeable sensors! A... 

Many enthusiasts or amateurs in Japan are known not to skimp in their approach to their chosen activity. Equipment, training, facilities and dedication should be on the highest level. This is why you see so many high end cameras in the hands of average-looking 50 or 60 year olds. Not to mention the ubiquity of second hand stores for photography, golf... 

Kazuhito Shibue was born in 1960 in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture and grew up in Kurashiki (Hiroshima). He worked as a magazine editor, followed by a photo studio until eventually becoming a professional photographer himself. In his introduction Thick Clouds, Curl Up and Sleep to the current show at Gallery E&M (until 18 Apr 2010) he writes: In 1993,...