APPROACHING FINE ART AND COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY WITH EQUAL ACUITY, A TOKYO NATIVE FOUND HIS NICHE IN JERSEY CITY’S VIBRANT CREATIVE SCENE

BY LAURA D.C. KOLNOSKI

Whether photographing food and drink for Epicurious magazine and the Food Network, cosmetics and fashion for Elizabeth Arden and Stetson, or sneakers for Fila and Puma, Tatsuro Nishimura draws on a number of inspirations. It’s another story, however, when he turns his camera toward a deeper passion: nature.

“My commercial work and fine art work are very different,” Nishimura said from his studio at the 150 Bay arts complex in Jersey City. “In commercial work, my main subjects are products. I enjoy taking those pictures, but the priority is to meet clients’ needs and make them happy. Nature has become my most interesting subject since I met my beautiful wife, Abigail. She’s a social worker who uses nature and horses as therapeutic tools. She is a true nature master, and taught me its beauty.”

The couple spends time hiking, with horses, and taking pictures at locales like the Delaware River region of Hunterdon County, collecting “treasures” like leaves, pinecones, rocks, even dead insects. In his studio, Nishimura re composes and photographs them for his latest series of works its concept finding the beauty in ordinary nature.

Transforming and photographing common objects in inventive ways has become the artist’s trademark. A photography graduate of the New York’s School of Visual Arts, he shoots a variety of categories in his fine art work. The results can be as unexpected and surreal as they are beautiful.

“My abstract series is essentially about visual stimulation and lighting experiments in the studio,” he explained. “I work with different materials such as water, oil, wind, and inks. My other fine art project, “Thinking of Home,” is about my internal and emotional story of childhood in Japan to adulthood in New York. I have been photographing every visit back to my hometown, and have a lot of film from my last visit this past summer.”

Nishimura arrived in New York in 2005, moving to Jersey City two years later.

“I enjoy Jersey City’s art scene because there are many great artists living here,” he related. “We have a community and the chance to get to know each other. I have built both working relationships and friendships.” Among them is fellow artist Stefania Panepinto, who also curates area art shows and gets artists’ work into commercial buildings. The pair has worked on several projects together, including a cyanotype photo project for the new Canopy by Hilton hotel, which is opening in the city’s Powerhouse Arts District.

Studying the works of such lens masters as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, and Robert Mapplethorpe, Nishimura created his own distinctive style, which he honed in the darkrooms he loves.

“I decided to pursue photography when I first experienced printing in the darkroom when I was 18,” he related. “I was too young to decide what I wanted in terms of a career, but knew I would do photography for the rest of my life. I remember when I made my first print. An image came up in the developer under dim red light. I was immediately fascinated by the mysteriousness of photography. Spending time in darkroom has been a constant inspiration.”

After taking commercial photography classes and assisting commercial photographers, Nishimura, who still shoots with and loves film, learned digital photography essential for commercial jobs. It was then he decided to attempt earning a living in commercial work. After mailing promo cards and sending follow up emails, he got “some great assignments.” Clients have included Dewars, Glamour, Sports Illustrated, and GQ magazines, Hamilton Watches, and clothing designer John Varvatos. Now internationally known, Nishimura has won numerous awards, participates in exhibitions, and gives lectures on his craft.

“But life is more than just career,” he said. “I will continue both commercial and fine art work. However, I would love to spend more time with my wife and family, and have more time for cooking, listening to music, reading, and playing the guitar.”

Tatsuro Nishimura
646.713.9612 / tatsuronishimura.com