Hiroki Matsubara

TIFA 2025 Interview with Hiroki Matsubara
1st Place winner in Nature, Professional, “From The Earth to The Heavens”

Can you introduce yourself and share a bit about your background in photography?

My name is Hiroki Matsubara. I usually go by the name “Machubara.” I’m Japanese, born in 1994.

I started photography in 2017 and enjoy shooting a wide variety of subjects, including landscapes and wildlife.

I work as a company employee and shoot on weekends.

Featured photographer for sample images of the NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S in collaboration with Nikon Japan.

8th 35AWARDS Wildlife-Series 1st

IPA Fine Art/Landscape 1st

10th 35AWARDS Japan Representative JURY, etc.

I also handle product PR and photography assignments for various companies.

I explore the potential of photography across diverse fields like photo exhibitions and NFTs.

How do you think about time when working in nature photography, especially when moments like this last only seconds?

I find the challenge of capturing that instant in a photograph fascinating.

While video can be wonderful, I remain committed to photography.

I find joy in carving out that moment—a scene that moved me—as a photograph, allowing diverse people to experience it.

Do you see your photography as a way of documenting rare phenomena, or as a means of expressing wonder and curiosity?

I fundamentally don’t approach photography with a documentary mindset.

I simply pursue the places, subjects, or natural phenomena I want to photograph.

However, I do value the aspect of realism.

What does winning at the Tokyo International Foto Awards mean to you personally and professionally?

My goal is to quit my corporate job and live as a photographer, taking the photos I love.

I understand this presents a very high hurdle.

I hope this award becomes a significant step toward that dream.

Much of your work focuses on landscapes and wildlife you feel deeply connected to. How does emotional attachment to a subject shape the way you frame and capture it?

I consider myself a photographer who shoots by instinct rather than theory, but if I had to put it into words, I prioritize the light of the location for both landscape and wildlife photography.

For landscapes, I shoot by working backwards from the finished image that comes to mind based on the impression the light gives me at that location.

With wildlife, if I can predict an animal’s movement, I might plan things like, “I’ll shoot from this side in relation to the light.” But it rarely goes according to plan, so the reality is I’m frantically pressing the shutter.

The common thread is never losing sight of the main subject and the supporting elements.

Everything besides the main subject should only enhance it; it mustn’t get in the way.

I value the sense of unity when viewing the work as a single piece, encompassing both composition and color usage.

I aim for photos that make viewers exclaim “Beautiful!” or “Amazing!” without needing to think too deeply.

This work is my first photograph taken abroad.

I hope to visit various countries for photography in the future.