Portfolio: Daido Moriyama

At first glance, we may not be sure what we are looking at – an abstract, almost topographical-looking series of images. But linger a little longer and we start to make out the curve of a calf muscle and the underside of a thigh, all clothed in fishnets.

These subtle close-ups have been shot by the legendary Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama, better known for his gritty, black-and-white street scenes depicting the seedier side of post-war Tokyo and its red-light-tinged Shinjuku district.

"I did not intend to make a series of works with this subject," he explains. "Tights are erotic for me and initially I just shot them because they drew my attention."

But while his Tights series – which currently numbers 20 shots – may differ substantially from his darker urban images, the photographs here are similar in their approach; a study of the everyday details that are often overlooked, such as the lines of a slender ankle or a claustrophobic close-up of a leg fold.

Daido Moriyama's 'Tights and Lips' exhibition runs until 20 October at Michael Hoppen Contemporary, London SW3 (michaelhoppencontemporary.com)