Totoro
I bought my niece the DVD of My Neighbor Totoro for her birthday. I also got her a stuffed neko-bus toy. Hopefully they will fill her with delight, millions of Japanese kids have grown up with daily doses of Hayao Miyazaki movies.
Fundamentals Workshop with Katie, Robin, Keith & Bernice
Had a great weekend with Katie, Robin, Keith and Bernice on the Photography Fundamentals Workshop. Sunday was a bit wet and windy, but all in all a lovely couple of days with really nice people.
Coming Workshops
Photography Fundamentals Workshop
Move beyond the auto modes by understanding your equipment, controlling exposure & depth of field, and composing images.
December 15 & 16 2012 10AM to 6PM
Class Size: Max 4
Instructor: Chris Willson
Price: US$250
Off Camera Flash Workshop
Move your flash away from your camera to create more natural images or to give your photographs a drop of magical light.
January 19 & 20 2013 1PM to 6PM
Class Size: Max 12
Instructors Chris Willson & Pete Leong
Price US$150
Last month I did a shoot with Diana, a lovely lady who runs some of the outdoor recreation facilities on Okinawa. For her birthday she wanted a photo session that would show both sides of her personality. After taking a few classic beauty portraits, she slipped into something less comfortable and we took things up another gear.
Diana – Young Gun
Diana – Young Gun II
Diana – Young Gun III
A big thank you to Diana for hiring me to shoot such a fun concept and to Summer Johnson for makeup.
Happy Halloween!
Bonus points to the first person to name the movie this particular spirit is from.
Sister Act – Airi & Yuki
Sonic Youth
Here’s a quick visual guide to visiting a Japanese shrine, shot at Meiji Shrine with model Marino.
Visiting Meiji Shrine – Enter through the torii gate.
Enter the shrine through the large wooden torii gate. There may be torii gates at each of the entrances at it marks the division between the outside world and a sacred space (Some shrines have a tunnel of torii gates such as Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto).
Visiting Meiji Shrine – Cleansing the hands at the purification trough
At the purification trough (chōzuya or temizuya) visitors traditionally wash their hands and mouth before entering the inner part of the shrine.
Visiting Meiji Shrine – Prayers at the main hall
At the main hall (shaden) visitors say their prayers. Traditionally you throw a coin into the offering box, ring the bell, bow twice, clap twice, bow, pray, clap twice and bow.
Visiting Meiji Shrine – Reading your fortune with an omikuji
You can buy an omikuji (fortune paper) to learn your future. Some shrines even have these in English. It will tell you if you’re going to be lucky or unlucky in the coming months. Usually there are trees or ropes to which you can tie your omikuji, but at Meiji Shrine I think you’re just meant to take it home with you.
Visiting Meiji Shrine – Writing prayers on an ema tablet
Write your prayers on an ema (wooden prayer tablet) and then hang the tablet on the rack in the temple grounds so that your wishes will hopefully be answered.
Visiting Meiji Shrine – Hanging the ema tablet
Buy an omamori for protection. There are also omamori for specific needs, these include health, love, safe driving and passing school exams (these are often seen on the bags of school children).
Visiting Meiji Shrine – Buy a lucky omamori for some divine protection
Hidemi Tamayose 9th Dan Ryukyu Kobudo Tesshinkan
Hidemi Tamayose 9th Dan Ryukyu Kobudo Tesshinkan, the latest subject in the Karate Masters Portrait Project. A lovely man, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of traditional Okinawan weaponry. In the photograph above he is holding a horse bridle nunchaku.
Hidemi Tamayose 9th Dan Ryukyu Kobudo Tesshinkan
Hidemi Tamayose 9th Dan Ryukyu Kobudo Tesshinkan
Tokyo Salaryman
The Tokyo salaryman has to put up with long commutes, long hours, paid vacation that you never take, and a hierarchical structure based on age and connections rather than ability. It’s not surprising that many young Japanese are looking for other options.
Asahi Beer Hall, Asakusa, Tokyo by Philippe Starck
French designer Philippe Starck, the vision behind creations including the Tokyo Asahi Beer building and its golden radish poo flame.
He has also designed some iconic household objects including his modern take on the lemon squeezer and the corkscrew.
Lemon Squeezer by Philippe Starck
Designers will look at these objects and note “an interesting interplay of form and function”. Photographers will look at the images and think, “I bet all those polished surfaces were a nightmare to shoot”. Both groups would be dead on.
Corkscrew by Philippe Starck
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 