In 1998, Masakazu Ato marked his debut as a cinematographer with Tetsuya Nakajima's Happy Go Lucky Ever since, he has remained a constant presence in Nakajima's cinematic works. He achieved the honor of winning the Japan Academy Award for Best Cinematography three times. Notably, Paco and the Magical Book and Confessions were jointly recognized, sharing the award with Atsushi Ozawa.