Born in Kyoto in 1951, Tahara was influenced by his grandfather who was a photographer to learn photography and in 1972, he went to Paris as the lighting and visual technician for a theater troupe. When he saw light penetrating into an attic space, he felt that it was very different from any light he had seen in Japan, and this experience inspired him to become a photographer. Just five years later, he won the young artist's prize at the Rencontres d’Arles Festival, and he soon became an important figure in art photography. In Tahara’s photography, light itself is the subject; rather than illuminating an object, objects bring it into relief. Tahara’s search for this kind of light, as seen in his major series “Fenêtre”, took him beyond photography. In recent years, his expression has expanded to sculpture, architecture and elaborate installations employing light. In 2004, a retrospective exhibition, “Sculpture of Light,” was held in Tokyo, which brought together all of his diverse approaches. Just as its title indicates, Tahara uses a wide range of materials to create forms of light.

In 2014, Tahara’s by far greatest retrospective exhibition was held in Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris. With the pursuit of light as the main theme of the exhibition, his renowned “Fenêtre”, “Polaroid”, “Portrait” and “Eclat” series, "Torse" series printed on glass and silk, and his newest series “IN-BETWEEN” with amansalto are being exhibited.