🚀 Creating a Zine Is Creating Your Own World

We’re never truly alone.

Author

Yusuke Nagata
July 22, 2025

Hey friends,

I’m really sorry for going silent these past four weeks. I know some of you were looking forward to the next newsletter, and I appreciate your patience.

To be honest, I was burnt out.
Between May and mid-June, I held three photo exhibitions. For each one, I made new darkroom prints and constantly thought about how to make it a fun and memorable experience for those who came.

When it was all finally over, I lost sight of what I was working toward—and with that came a wave of negativity.

Is it really worth spending so much time and money on photography?
I started asking myself questions like that. At one point, I even thought about quitting altogether.

I felt incredibly alone and unsure.

And then came a turning point. I met someone who told me he loved my photography. He bought one of my zines—and even ordered a print.
Since he lives overseas, I already knew I’d be shipping internationally, but as I wrote down his address, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement: My photo is going all the way there.

There’s someone out there who truly connects with what I create. That simple fact re-lit the fire in me. Because it reminded me: I’m not alone.

And I remembered why I make zines in the first place. It’s to share my world with someone else—and to find people who see beauty in the same strange little things I do.

404 CONTACT SHEETS - NUTS.TOKYO - SAMPLE | PDF to Flipbook

This is a sample.

heyzine.com/flip-book/01fb9d44be.html

📸 This is a preview of my latest zine, “404 CONTACT SHEETS”. (You can view it on mobile, but for the best experience, I recommend checking it out on a computer.)

The beauty of zines is that you control everything. If your favorite color is red, you can make a zine filled only with red things—and call it “The World of Red.”

A zine is like a scrapbook of everything you love. A space to express your ideal world exactly how you see it.

I shoot on film. I develop every roll myself. And I love that moment when I first see the images under my ceiling light. Each roll has 36 frames, and every one holds a moment that moved me.

From dancers in Shinjuku, to snowy days in Tokyo, to wild nights at the club, to rocket launches and Taipei street scenes—my zines are how I share the moments I’ve witnessed.

I don’t just want you to see the final selects. I want you to see the entire roll. That’s why I created “404 CONTACT SHEETS”—to show not just what I shot, but how I saw.

If my work resonates with you, I’d be honored if you picked up a copy and helped support what I do.

A zine lets you pour in every niche obsession no one else understands. So if you’re thinking about making one, don’t chase what’s popular—lean hard into your weird.

The more specific, the better. Because when someone else finds it and says, “This is amazing,” you’ll know you’ve just met a new best friend.

Yusuke Nagata

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