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Awa Odori – Time to put on your geta and dance

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Awa Odori ( Awa Dance Festival )

Awa Odori ( Awa Dance Festival )

Along with portraits I needed to get some images of groups dancing at the festival. There are several areas where they dance, but I based myself at the largest venue where hundreds of spectators watch the event from terraced seating.

Awa Odori ( Awa Dance Festival )

Awa Odori ( Awa Dance Festival )

Organizing a press pass meant I could get much better images than shooting from the terraces, but even press are restricted to where they can go so not to impede the dancers or spoil the view for spectators.

Awa Odori ( Awa Dance Festival )

Awa Odori ( Awa Dance Festival )

I shot hundreds of images between 6pm and 9.30pm, but nearly all the best shots came from a period of about 10 minutes during twilight just after the floodlights came on.

Awa Odori ( Awa Dance Festival )

Awa Odori ( Awa Dance Festival )

Overall a great festival. If you’re ever in Japan between August 12 to 15, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Awa Odori ( Awa Dance Festival )

Awa Odori ( Awa Dance Festival )

Awa Odori ( Awa Dance Festival )

Awa Odori ( Awa Dance Festival )

Yoshitaka Taira, 10th dan World Matsubayashi-ryu (Shorin-ryu)

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Yoshitaka Taira, 10th dan World Matsubayashi-ryu (Shorin-ryu)

Yoshitaka Taira, 10th dan World Matsubayashi-ryu (Shorin-ryu)

Yoshitaka Taira, 10th dan World Matsubayashi-ryu (Shorin-ryu) was the first sensei I photographed for the Karate Masters Portrait Project. At that time, we only took a simple head shot and a single pose of them in their favorite stance. More recently we try to get a much wider variety of images, so when I saw Taira sensei at the seminar last week, I asked if could get a few additional shots of the project.

Yoshitaka Taira, 10th dan World Matsubayashi-ryu (Shorin-ryu)

Yoshitaka Taira, 10th dan World Matsubayashi-ryu (Shorin-ryu)

Yoshitaka Taira, 10th dan World Matsubayashi-ryu (Shorin-ryu)

Yoshitaka Taira, 10th dan World Matsubayashi-ryu (Shorin-ryu)

Awa Odori – Tokushima City

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Awa Odori - Tokushima City

Awa Odori – Tokushima City

Awa Odori, one of the great Japanese dance festivals. It takes place every August in Tokushima City on Shikoku Island.

Awa Odori - Tokushima City

Awa Odori – Tokushima City

I photographed the festival about 5 years ago, before I started shooting digital. In many way things have changed a great deal. I’m shooting far more frames and I’m using higher ISOs when needed. However, the job of getting the images is just the same. Before the event it’s logistics and paperwork, then travel, and on the day of the festival it’s all about interaction and hopefully artistic vision.

Awa Odori - Tokushima City

Awa Odori – Tokushima City

The change to digital did mean I could sit on the train back to Okayama and review the day’s images. Otherwise, I’d have had to dump a bag of 220 rolls off at Yodobashi Camera and then patiently wait to see what develops…

Awa Odori - Tokushima City

Awa Odori – Tokushima City

A few of the elegant girls and ladies taking part.

Awa Odori - Tokushima City

Awa Odori – Tokushima City

Pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama

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Giant yellow pop art pumpkin by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Benesse Art Site Naoshima, Japan

Giant yellow pop art pumpkin by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Benesse Art Site Naoshima, Japan

Giant yellow pop-art pumpkin by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Photographed at the Benesse Art Site Naoshima, Japan.

Giant yellow pop art pumpkin by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Benesse Art Site Naoshima, Japan

Giant yellow pop art pumpkin by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Benesse Art Site Naoshima, Japan

Silver Zone

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Silver Zone - Naoshima, Japan

Silver Zone – Naoshima, Japan

In Japan, the aging population means Silver Zone warning signs are becoming more prevalent. I wonder if they purposely went with a charming Charlie Chaplin style character.

Photographed on Naoshima, Japan.