Responding to the devastation of World War II, Shoji Ueda found solace and inspiration in the beaches and sand dunes of his home, the coastal Tottori prefecture. Working outside the mainstream photography movements of postwar Japan, Ueda developed a style of staged photography that balanced a distinctive mix of lyricism and humor with compositional strength. In a series of photographs taken in the Tottori dunes, Ueda posed family members across the stark backdrop in haphazard groupings that verge on the surreal. The sense of dreamlike ambiguity is heightened by an uneven horizon, as the dunes roll beneath a cloud-filled sky.