Yoshihiro Makino was born and raised in Tokyo, where the urban environment and eclectic culture both informed and inspired his photography path.
Yoshi is drawn to cultural co-influences in design seen between Japan and other countries. Most notably exemplified by early twentieth century architects, such as Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, who were clearly influenced by Japanese culture such legendary architects strongly influenced modern Japanese design as well weaving in noble qualities from various cultures. Commonalities such as this led him to do a project on Antonin Raymond, who spent most of his life in Japan and designed a Japan-style farmhouse in Pennsylvania due to Wright’s influence. Yoshi’s recently published book ‘The Open Hand: Le Corbusier’s Chandigarh’ is a photographic essay on the modernist architect Le Corbusier’s Capitol Complex at Chandigarh, India, which remains one of the major touchstones of 20th-century architecture.
These interwoven connections were clearly demonstrated in Yoshi’s recent collaboration with Cereal Magazine. As of late, he also teamed up with Ace Hotel Kyoto by Commune Design and Kengo Kumanew on the hotel’s first location in Kyoto, capturing a range of featured spaces.
Currently residing in Los Angeles, his work takes him around the world capturing interiors and portraits for a vast array of editorial, private, and commercial clients.
His clients include Architectural Digest, NY Times, T Mag, The Wall Street Journal, Four Seasons Hotels, Leading Hotels of the World, Vince, Palm Springs Art Museum, Blue Bottle Coffee, Travel and Leisure, InterContinental Hotels Group, Departures, Ace Hotel, Commune Design, Studio Shamshiri, Christie’s, Domino, Lawson Fenning, Hotels.com, Cereal, ATRA Forms, Atelier DeTroupe, Bestor Architecture, And And And Studio, The Future Perfect, Dwell, and Wallpaper*