Issue #5
Without Lenses

Noriko Ohba: Featured Artist

Capturing Beauty in Japan

by Erin Malone

Published on 03/18/2008

| 1 Comment

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I am in love with you, zero2000 medium format camera

Our first featured artist is Noriko Ohba, a pinhole photographer living in Japan. I first noticed her work on flickr and have been following her work for the last couple of years. I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do.

Your Location? I was born and grew up in Hiroshima. But, I live in Osaka now.

Osaka and its surroundings is a very beautiful area. Classical and modern buildings, cityscapes and nature coexist well; Osaka is a wonderful city.

Breath, zero2000 medium format camera

How long have you been doing Pinhole work? I began to take the pinhole photographs from the early 2004. I am surprised because only four years have passed.

What cameras do you use? I use three cameras in large part.

1: Zero2000 Deluxe (Zero image)

This camera gives me courage to take the photo.

2: HOLGA (altered)

I removed all the boards and the partition of inside of this camera. and I’m taking 6×9 formatted. I love the tunnel effect of this camera.

3: Pinhole Blender

This camera annoys me very much. But, it’s very happy and can take a fantastic photograph like the fragments of the memory, by taking different colors and different scenery from three pinholes on this camera.

My favorite???

It is very difficult to decide it. If you insist… I like the altered HOLGA. I have an attachment to this mostly because I remodeled this camera by myself but this camera is in the worst shape of the three.?

Reflection, Pinhole Holga medium format camera

Your favorite subject? My favorite subject is a flower, the gradation of the sky at the magic-hour (the time as it is darkening after sunset), and buildings. These have become the themes I photograph.

Pink carpet, zero2000 medium format camera

See more of Noriko’s work: Website :: flickr

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Talk about Noriko Ohba: Featured Artist

Danny Kalkhoven said

Beautiful work, and although mr. Ohba states flowers and buildings as favourite themes, I find the ‘Breath’ photograph, with those ghostly people silhouettes, absolutely amazing!

Posted on 03/25/2008 07:13

Erin Malone

Erin is the publisher and editor in chief of Without Lenses. She studied design in college (BFA, East Carolina University) and graduate school (MFA, Rochester Institute of Technology), but photography has always been a part of her life and never far from the center.

Erin is currently located in San Francisco, California with her cats Ansel [Adams] and Eliot [Porter] and dog Chloe, She is editor emeritus of Boxes and Arrows, the online user experience journal. She recently quit her job at Yahoo! to start a new company - Tangible user experience - with the partners of Branch Logic and hopes that running a business doesn't take too much time away from her photography

See more of her work at her website.