濱田英明向來擅長拍攝日常景觀，但如果要精確指出他所以觸動我的地方，卻是那鏡頭下的題材，總離不開大眾共享的經驗，像《Haru and Mina》裡孩子成長的喜悅；《聽風的歌》中隨機出現的悠然風景；而甚或是《ONE DAY》捕捉人犬之間的緩慢相處，淡然的生活感；均沒有什麼驚世駭俗的地方，卻更貼近一種屢屢在日常經驗中產生的，無以名狀的悸動。
由旅遊生活平台MIDWAY協力製作，濱田英明最新攝影集《若草 WAKAKUSA》，再次把我們引領至一種熟悉的恬靜氛圍。由MIDWAY負責書幀和排版設計，這一回濱田英明在前者盡心安排下，走進京都鴨川當地訪問上十二家傳統、新興產業的店面，包括傳統金鋼細工店「辻和金網」、新興和菓子店「UCHU WAGASHI」等在地商戶，並附有翔實的訪問內容與店家資訊。
儘管攝影集聚焦在鴨川的新舊店家，然而在《若草 WAKAKUSA》裡頭，倒沒有理所當然的套路思維。相比起表現店家的特色商品或裝潢，濱田英明更專注於各種微小不起眼的地方，比如是施工中的紛亂現場，店門外信步走過的國小生，或是從陽台看出去的明媚風光；恰如其份地描繪出，每個旅人都仿彿體會過的心情與況味。
Hideaki Hamada is most well known for his photography that captures ordinary life and scenery. However, what captivates me the most is his urge to use photography as a means to share his experience with the world — in Haru and Mina, he shared the simple joy of watching his children growing up; in Hear the Wind Sing, a selection of random but tranquil scenery was presented; whereas in ONE DAY, the beauty of ordinary interaction between human and dog is delicately captured. There is nothing breathtakingly astonishing about his photography but it is the indescribable everyday experience documented that can sentimentally resonate with the viewers.
Co-produced by the travel and lifestyle platform MIDWAY, Hideaki Hamada’s latest photography book WAKAKUSA has once again surrounded us with the familiar tranquility of his works. Not only did MIDWAY worked on the book cover design and typesetting, they even helped to align twelve traditional and new shops along Kamo River in Kyoto for photo shooting. Hamada brought in his camera and presented photos along with shop info and detailed interviews with these businesses, including traditional Japanese handmade metal kitchenware shop Kana-Ami, and budding wagashi shop UCHU Wagashi.
Despite a theme revolving around shops, WAKAKUSA barely focuses on the shop interior or product features like many would expect to see. Instead, Hamada put his lens on the small details that would be otherwise unnoticeable, such as the chaotic scenes of construction sites, primary school students that happened to pass by the shop front, or a sunny view of the city looking out from the terrace. All these heartfelt photos precisely grasp the mood and sentiments any traveler would have experienced at some point in life.
