The Beatles, Queen, Aerosmith—photographer Hiroshi Hasebe (96 years old) has captured countless global rock stars throughout his career. A major exhibition of his work, titled "Rock Star: Hiroshi Hasebe Photo Exhibition," is currently running until August 31, 2026.
In 1965, Hasebe became the first Japanese photographer to shoot the Beatles in London. (The band famously visited Japan to perform at the Nippon Budokan in June 1966.) He recalls that, at the time of the shoot, he "didn't really know much about the Beatles."
Hasebe was in France at the time, working as a correspondent for the film magazine *Screen*. "I went to see a Beatles movie that happened to be showing at a theater, but I couldn't hear a thing over the screaming of young women in the audience," he said, recalling his astonishment at their immense popularity. Yet, when he saw the band members in person at the shoot, he smiled as he described them as "just a bunch of kids."
He also shared behind-the-scenes stories about Queen's Freddie Mercury. During a meeting to discuss a record jacket shoot, Freddie communicated his approval or disapproval solely through gestures rather than speaking aloud; Hasebe noted, "I could sense his high level of professionalism as a vocalist who truly valued his voice."
Hasebe’s photographic style is defined by a refusal to direct poses; instead, he captures subjects exactly as they appear within the natural flow of reality. The exhibition features numerous candid shots of these superstars.
While Hasebe is renowned for his rock star photography, his career actually began at the publisher Kindai Eigasha. A unique feature of this exhibition is the inclusion of portraits of actresses taken during that early era alongside recent photographs of flowers captured during his walks. Revisiting his past work while preparing for the exhibition, Hasebe laughed and reflected, "It brings back memories. But looking at them now, I have to admit—I really wasn't very good back then."
