Japanese architect and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto has an intriguing approach to his works: he believes that photography is a method of preserving what is, that "photography functions as a fossilization of time." To that end, Sugimoto is a master of long exposure photographs, capturing long intervals of time, rather than single moments. His photographs, usually black and white, have a dramatic feel to them, with deep shadows and bright whites.

Sugimoto is known for his many series that each focus on a different theme. His series Dioramas and Portraits both focus on tricking the viewers into thinking that museum displays and wax statues of the Tudors are actually alive. Other series such as Seascapes and Theatres use a long exposure to contrast the passage of time with the idea that a photograph captures one specific moment. Besides photography, Sugimoto has designed many buildings, including a Shinto Shrine located in Naoshima, Japan.

Sugimoto has exhibited in such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin, and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.