Hiro was a Japanese-American photographer born in 1930. His family returned to Japan after World War II and he later moved to the United States to study photography. He apprenticed under fashion photographers Lester Bookbinder, Reuben Samberg, and Richard Avedon. Hiro also assisted art director Alexey Brodovitch at Harper's Bazaar. By the late 1950s, Hiro had launched his own successful career as a fashion photographer, shooting for Harper's Bazaar from 1956 to 1975. He is known for his elegant, surreal style using unexpected lighting, juxtapositions, and color.