Hiro (photographer)

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Yasuhiro Wakabayashi (若林 康宏, Wakabayashi Yasuhiro) (3 November 1930 – 15 August 2021),[1] known professionally as Hiro (ヒロ), was a Japanese-born American commercial photographer. He was known for his fashion and still life photography from the mid-1960s onward.

Early life[]

Hiro was born in Shanghai, China, in 1930 to Japanese parents. His family returned to Japan from China at the end of the Second World War.

Photography career[]

In 1954, he went to America,[1] and briefly enrolled in the in New York.[2] He was dissatisfied with the school, however, and apprenticed himself to the studio of Lester Bookbinder and . At the end of 1956, he gained an apprenticeship at Richard Avedon's fashion photography studio in New York City.[1] In 1957, Avedon recommended him to Alexey Brodovitch, the art director at Harper's Bazaar, and Hiro worked there as his assistant for a time,[1] during Brodovitch's Design Laboratory at The New School.

By the end of 1957, Hiro was no longer Avedon's assistant, and had launched his own career. Within only a few years, Hiro became a fashion photographer in his own right. He contributed as a staff photographer to Harper's Bazaar from 1956 to 1975, then worked as a freelancer taking commissioned assignments from Harper's, Vogue and other magazines.[1]

One of his early celebrated photographs is a 1963 image of a Harry Winston diamond necklace placed on a bovine hoof.[1] Surreal and unique, Hiro's photographs are noted for their elegance and clean appearance. He uses uncommon lighting, the juxtaposition of unexpected elements,[3] and his particular use of color.

He was named Photographer of the Year by the American Society of Media Photographers in 1969 and 1982.[2] Also in 1982, the trade magazine devoted an issue to him.[1]

Death[]

Hiro died on 15 August 2021, aged 90.[4][5]

Publications[]

  • Hiro: Photographs. New York: Bulfinch, 1999. Edited by Richard Avedon. ISBN 9780821225929. With an afterword by Mark Holborn.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g McFadden, Robert D. (18 August 2021). "Hiro, Fashion Photographer Who Captured the Surreal, Dies at 90". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Hiro, fashion photographer with an eye for the surreal, dies at 90". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  3. ^ "Four legs good: a history of photographing animals – in pictures". The Guardian. 26 May 2015. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  4. ^ "Bella Hadid leads tributes to legendary fashion photographer, Hiro". Dazed. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  5. ^ "Hiro Wakabayashi, 1930-2021". Washington Examiner. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  6. ^ "Photography". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
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