Disclosed is a near-field exposure method including a process of bringing a light blocking film with a plurality of small openings each having an opening width not greater than a wavelength of exposure light, into close contact with a photoresist layer provided on a surface of a substrate, and a process of projecting exposure light from an exposure light source to the light blocking film to transfer an opening pattern of the light blocking film to the photoresist layer, wherein, on the basis of a correlation between (a) a distance from a node of a standing wave to be produced in the photoresist layer to the light blocking film and (b) a light intensity distribution of near-field light to be produced in the photoresist layer adjacent the light blocking film, the distance from the standing wave node to the light blocking film is determined so as to provide a desired light intensity distribution.