Publisher/読売新聞社

Google翻訳
"SL Mugen / La Scene de la Locomotive a Vapeur" is a collection of works by Japanese photographer Naoyuki Hirota (1935-). Naoyuki Hirota is a leading figure in post-war railway photography, often called the "God of Railway Photography." He was interested in railways from a young age, and after graduating from university, he worked for a company for a while before becoming a freelance photographer in 1960. Hirota is called a god not only for the documentary quality of his work, which can be considered an archive of many railways that are no longer in use, such as steam locomotives, but also for the innovativeness of his photographs, which are said to have a sense of dynamism and storytelling, as well as the high artistic quality of his depictions of railways that incorporate local customs, landscapes, and a sense of the seasons. His ability to create images that go beyond mere documentary photography is why he is called a god. This book is a collection of steam locomotive photographs published in 1975. However, perhaps due to the historical context of the time, it is also popular as a highly artistic work that transcends the boundaries of railway photography, with its bold compositions, close-ups, and even the use of blur and distortion in its cinematic depictions.