What inspires you?

As an avid skater, my passion naturally draws me toward the ice — whether it’s an indoor rink or a frozen lake. Any form of skating fascinates me. The people who share this love are my greatest inspiration, and I feel a deep connection with them.

When a friend of mine introduced me to Nordic Skating - a beloved winter leisure sport in Sweden - my passion expanded beyond skating itself to an appreciation of nature and serenity. I began to seek out ways to capture not only the beauty of the landscape but also the skaters who venture onto wild ice, listening to its echo beneath their blades.

With climate change, finding natural ice has become increasingly rare in many regions. It has been decades since the pond in my hometown of Japan had frozen last time. We used to be able to skate there when I was a kid. Much later on, I moved to the Netherlands, where the entire nation is fanatic about skating, and they don’t even get to skate on the natural ice in their home country because the canals no longer freeze much. These folks seek for winter activities in Sweden, and I share that same longing and joy each time I return to Sweden’s frozen lakes.

Nature and skating are what eventually led me to photography. It’s an incredible tool to preserve fleeting, precious moments.

What inspires each of us varies, but what fascinates me most is when a person gets “in the zone”, immersed in what they love and in what they wish to protect.

Through my photography, I hope to capture those unforgettable moments of focus, passion, and quiet strength.

Naoko Tanaka