Announcing my first book, “Empty Kyoto.”

Hi there, Daniel Sofer from Hermosawave Photography here. You are a friend or business associate, so I have added you to my book mailing list. My apologies if you are not interested, please unsubscribe from the link at the bottom of this message.

I am thrilled to announce my first book! “Empty Kyoto” is a book of photographs documenting Kyoto, Japan during the COVID lockdown, 2022-2021.

The border was closed, the city was empty, the photos were gorgeous.

A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

As the center of Japan’s culture, and capitol for over 1000 years, Kyoto has often been bedeviled by overtourism. In 2020 & 2021 however, the crowds disappeared, offering a unique chance to capture the city’s natural beauty without distractions. Empty Kyoto is a compilation of these photographs, a document of this once-in-a-lifetime period.

Timeline

I have decided to self-publish the book and am starting a Kickstarter to fund it. I have also started a newsletter. The Empty Kyoto Newsletter (what you're reading now) will provide updates and behind the scenes about the book. It will end in April 2024, after the book publishing is completely finished.

I made a Preview Booklet, prepared a Kickstarter fundraising site, and am about to begin the main book now. I expect to start the printing process for the book in September, and have finished books ready by Christmas.

Preview Booklet

I created a 12 page Preview Edition booklet, to showcase my vision for the book. Download it and take a look. If you have any suggestions or comments, please let me know. Download the Preview Edition Booklet (12 pages - pdf)

See the Photos

Some of the photos that will be included in the book have previously appeared in Kyoto Journal Magazine, and my Hermosawave 2022 calendar. You can see some of these photos in the online shop. You can also order prints in different sizes and configurations there. I will add more photographs as the book evolves over the next few months.

Support my Kickstarter

My Kickstarter project to fund this book launches today, Jun 22nd. I hope you'll support it. Support this project on Kickstarter...

I've been making calendars for more than 15 years, but this is my first book, so there is some uncharted territory I will be going through. Hopefully it will all work out in the end! Thank you for following along and supporting me.

Regards,
Daniel Sofer
hermosawavephotography.com/emptykyoto