My introduction to photography came when I was 7 years old when my aunt gave me a little box camera as a Christmas gift. I soon became addicted to photography by shooting a couple of rolls every week. Film and developing was pretty expensive for a 7 year old boy, so I went into business for myself by taking portraits of people. I could then sell enough prints to pay for film and developing costs. 

  At that time I enjoyed shooting portraits, but when in high school I dreamt of becoming a professional photographer. As a person who likes to use mechanical tools, I was totally hooked on using the camera. I showed a photograph of a building to a high school art teacher, who said “You have a great eye for architectural photography,” which then started my passion for architectural photography. 

  During architectural school I received an award and used the money to buy my first Nikon F black body with PC Nikkor 2.8/35mm lens. They were pretty rare during those times and everyone was dreaming of getting a black Nikon F. 

They were pretty rare during those times and everyone was dreaming of getting a black Nikon F. Soon, I started taking photographs for architectural construction companies. This provided me with good spending money while I finished my education. 

  I then became a professional architectural photographer. For more than ten years I shot photographs for many major Japanese magazines. During this time, I had the good fortune to photograph the works of world renown architects. Eventually, I started to feel architectural photography was too artificial. 

  First of all, I am a fly fisherman. I love mother nature; especially beautiful streams. I spent many days fishing in mountain streams during the time I was photographing architecture. I decided to quit taking architectural photos and begin focusing on my most favorite place in the world - streams.  

  As an industrial designer and fly fisherman, my passion is fly rod design after spending so many hours in the streams. Stream-side became my studio, like a design firm studio. I enjoy thinking of new creative ideas on the streams. I want to keep good memories of these beautiful streams, so I became a stream photographer.  

  My intent is to be a good keep of the rivers. I invite you to these beautiful streams – to enjoy visiting my favorite world. I enjoy sharing these beautiful streams and amazing native fish. In sharing my photos, I hope to play a role in protecting our priceless waters for next generations – to keep these beautiful environments forever. 

 Henry Haneda Photographer