The photograph features Rie Miyazawa posing against a stunning adobe-style building in Santa Fe, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains serving as a majestic backdrop. Shinoyama's masterful composition frames Miyazawa in a serene, natural setting, which contrasts with her typically glamorous and stylized image.
Shinoyama, who passed away in 2024, rarely apologized for Santa Fe . In a 2005 interview, he stated, "I photographed a human being, not a child. Rie had the soul of an adult actress trapped in a teenager’s body. The camera does not lie about that." santa fe rie miyazawa photo by kishin shinoyama 1991
In the most famous image (the one that became a poster, a calendar, and a legend), Miyazawa lies on a wrinkled white sheet. She wears nothing but a pair of sheer, thigh-high stockings and a soft, ambiguous expression. Her body is turned slightly away, but her eyes meet the camera directly. She is not smiling, but she is not frowning. She looks... curious. The photograph features Rie Miyazawa posing against a