Ryuta Suzuki’s Journey in Photography Through Seeing the Delicate Strength of Life

Insects tend to divide people sharply—those who dislike them often feel an immediate sense of disgust. Driven solely by the desire to lessen that aversion, I began by noticing the “small beauty” myself, wanting to convey the beauty of these tiny creatures.

Before, I'd only thought things like “just pretty,” “cool,” or “awesome!”—superficial and purely personal opinions. Now, I'm delighted that I can inspire wonder in those who see them.

Above all else, it must be a photograph I can face with pride and love from the bottom of my heart. Next, I consider whether others can relate to it, and release works aligned with that vision into the world.

I wanted to document my son's entrance ceremony so he could see it when he grows up.

This is macro photography of small creatures like insects. My rule is to never use a tripod, monopod, strobe, or focus stacking—and winning awards with these works has become my strength. Because it allows me to convey that these beloved small creatures, like insects, are truly beautiful.

My setup is the SONY ILCE-7RM3 + SEL90M28G.

It's quite an older model now, but it's the partner that helped me grow from an amateur to someone who can win awards. My favorite thing? Maybe how the burst mode occasionally activates even when I haven't set it to do so.

I want you to realize that what you thought was disgusting is actually incredibly beautiful and delicate. I also want you to understand the strength of life hidden within that small body.

I took photos from various angles without using continuous shooting. While careful not to step on the flowers blooming at my feet, I managed to capture an angle where insects seemed to be peering at me from between the blooms.

In the midst of nature. The sounds of insects, birds, water, and trees are incredibly soothing. In Japan, where I live, with its four distinct seasons, they play a variety of melodies, sparking my imagination and motivation.

I'm learning a lot from the perspective of people who value nature, not just from the photos.

There are many websites that will review your photos. I realized how important it is to use such services to get objective feedback, and to have friends who can openly point out flaws and help each other grow.

Just shoot whatever you like. If you don't shoot, you won't get results.

This is the final step to complete the work. While it would be ideal to achieve the best results without any editing, it is essential because we know editing produces even better results.

I don't think it's a bad thing, but since humans aren't perfect, I believe we can coexist with AI as long as we don't lose the human qualities that AI can't replicate.

Since I'm Japanese, I want to photograph various insects and such from countries other than Japan.