A hologram recording apparatus for carrying out holographic recording by emitting a signal beam and a reference beam onto a holographic recording medium includes a laser light source configured to output a pulsed laser beam, a splitter configured to split the laser beam into a signal beam and a reference beam, a spatial light modulator configured to modulate the signal beam or both the signal beam and the reference beam, and a controlling unit configured to control the spatial light modulator to modulate at least one of the signal beam and the reference beam with a totally dark pattern for a predetermined period of time, wherein the predetermined period begins no later than the start of the risetime of a pulse of a laser beam output from the laser light source.