Born in 1948 in Yamaguchi, Japan, Mr. Hideo Nishihira worked at a lens maker for several years before establishing Creative House AVF, a private limited photography and imaging company, in 1983. Since then, he has been a reviewer of photographic products, such as cameras and interchangeable lenses, while working as a professional photographer. His article series, "The Complete Guide for Interchangeable Lenses," contributed to Monthly CAPA, a photography and photographic equipment magazine published by Gakken Co., Ltd., has been highly praised by photo enthusiasts since it began in 1992. Interchangeable Lenses, the guidebook he wrote by evaluating 250 interchangeable lenses for SLR cameras, has been published every year since 1994, in cooperation with Gakken. It is now in its 12th edition. As a professional photographer, Mr. Nishihira focuses on Japanese traditional performing arts, including Shinto music and dance performance. He has had 10 exhibitions of his work "Kagura - The Dance Performances of Gods" across Japan, including Tokyo. He enjoys lecturing about photography and teaching photo enthusiasts.