Great Way To Start Off The Year

Happy New Year, everyone. I wish you all the best in 2013, especially I hope you'll have many fantastic surprises.

Mine started this way actually. A few days after Jan. 1st I received an email regarding a picture I had posted over 3 years ago on the BBC. A man was inquiring if I had posted a picture back in 2009, and since he gave no other information about the pic, I was little suspicious he might be a phisher or something (having had several pics posted there, his question was a little vague). After exchanging a few emails, I realized it wasn't the case, and he told me that my picture had a big impact on his life. With his permission, here is his story:

Dear Jean-Yves,  

First and foremost, I want to thank you for that photo. To say it has had a profound effect on my life is not an exaggeration.

Back in 2009, when I first saw the photo, my life was not going well. Despite years of working in the arts ( I studied acting in New York City) I had come to an impasse and lost all direction. Physically and psychologically I was feeling in pretty bad shape.  

The perfect beauty of your image struck me, and I saved it as wall paper on my computer for months. I have to admit, it gave me great peace.

Before studying acting, I had briefly studied Fine Art History and did one studio course, but had pretty much let that part of me go. It occurred to me that if I were to commit myself to painting a canvas again ( it had been at least 16 years since I had picked up a paint brush to work on a canvas) then at least I could feel "some" sense of control over my creativity and art. The image you captured inspired me to start again.

I purchased a canvas with the intention of reproducing the image and have to admit that even that hung on my wall, blank, for a long time. Then one day, I began to paint. 

I figured if I could just do one a leaf a day I might stay on course in my life. It didn't work out that way. Sometimes I would paint a leaf and then let it sit for days, other times I would work for days at a time and complete large sections. 

Finally, something happened that I did not expect. The painting flowed and I fell right into a passion that I had completely forgotten about and, in fact, did not know I had.

All this to say Jean-Yves, that because of your eye and standing on your tip toes to catch that plant, at that moment, you have indirectly brought to life a dormant talent in another person that otherwise probably would not have been expressed.

I completed the painting last week. It took over a year to do. It is a fairly large painting (6 ft x 4 ft) and was done in oil.

I am not sure what is next for it. I have never sold a painting in my life. I've never ever attempted to, but what matters is that I plan on continuing my passion for painting canvases. 

I wanted to track you down, as I said, to thank you, and let you know.

As well, I want you to know that I fully intend to give you credit for the original image should it come up, and would like your permission to do so.

As I said, I've never had a show, or sold a painting in my life. As it is now, I mostly scratch out an income painting houses here in Xyz Canada but now, at least, the wheels have begun to turn for me in a new direction.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope you like it.

Sincerely

Phillip

The funny thing is, as a photographer, I hope to inspire people and sometimes reveal things about myself. Posting pictures on the BBC, I wished to gain some recognition, it was a purely selfish act. Yet, it ended up really helping someone else, in a totally unexpected way. I have my Black Swan series on unexpected occurrences, I don't know if this qualifies as a grey or black one, but it is definitely a no-white swan. If I go to Xyz in the future, I will certainly ask him to model for me.

Well, here is the man and his painting. I hope it inspires you to create/explore/play in a way you have either forgotten or only dreamed about before.

Return on The OEFF and The Kameraoke Party

The Osaka Euro Film Fest took place last week, and sorry for not posting any pictures. It was a busy weekend, and the little time I spent at home, I used for sleeping and playing with my son. But you can see some of my shots on the festival's public Facehook page.

As always, the festival was a great opportunity to see friends I don't see so often, as well as meet new and interesting people. Two of the guests I talked with the most were husband and wife György Pálfi and Zsófia Ruttkay, respectively director and screenwriter for the excellent Final Cut, a montage of over 400 movie scenes into a new movie, a real editing nightmare. But the result was outstanding, with Charlie Chaplin dancing on 'Staying on Alive' and Yoda as the lead's mother being some of the standouts that spring to mind.

The last night I went out to sushi with Sophie Heldman and Carina Wiese, director and actress of the somber, but thought-provoking Colors in the Dark. It tells the story of a man in his 70's who refuses treatment for his slow-growing prostate cancer, and the consequences his decision has on his family and entourage. Based on a true story, the ending is pretty surprising and leaves the viewer with many serious questions about growing old and one's parents. But Sophie and Carina were very amicable and the sushi dinner was very fun, if only to witness their excitement at the delicious food we ate.

Fast forward to tomorrow, it will be the Kameraoke 7 Party. The pictures from over 70 photographers will be displayed for one day only at Pinebrooklyn in Fukushima ward. A little contribution of a ¥1000 (to cover expenses like room rental and prints) will give you the opportunity to see and vote on what local photographers consider to be the 7 Wonders of Kansai. The atmosphere at the event is always quite jovial, and with so many pictures, it will be worth spending a bit of time exploring each of the 7 themes.  Doors open at 14:00, and I should be there with my little family sometime in the afternoon (probably after my son finishes his afternoon nap)! Come out and say Hi!

Lucky me (it depends on the point of view), I'm going there tonight Saturday to help with the first phase of the installation. Perhaps one of the picture I'll work with is this one, which I took at a little bazar held at the daycare center my son goes to, and that was the basis for the event's poster. Enjoy!

Minoh Quasi National Park

There are many quirky English translations in Japan, and I think that 'Quasi National Parks' are one of them. I wonder if those park feel inadequate in any way!

Anyways, today for the second time in 10 days I went to Minoh. The first time I had gone specifically to shoot pictures, some of which I used for Kameraoke 7 (speaking of which, one of my pictures was used for the poster). Today, though was family time. But you know me, while some never leave home without their credit card, for me, it's a camera that's always with me. I took some family shots, and especially when my son was sleeping, I also took some landscape ones. Here are three I like quite a bit, including the last that was spotted by my wife: thank you Tomo-chan!

Black Swan Marlon

Last Thursday I continued my Black Swan series with Marlon Rivera, a fantastic fabric printer. I met him through friends, and we got closer when he printed t-shirts for the KFMH3's 18th anniversary: great quality and price!

The shoot went real well, as he's pretty laid back. Contrary as with my first two models, we talked quite a bit throughout the day. I haven't looked at all the pictures yet, but I remembered taking this one and it hasn't disappointed me on the computer screen. I don't know if it's going to make the cut, though, as I think I got many keepers on the road to his studio.

Enjoy!

Kansai Scene is Out

If you're living in or passing through Kansai this month, grab a free copy of Kansai Scene magazine. In addition to the cover shot, I have two articles in it: one about the Osaka European Film Festival and one about the Sanjurokumine Mountain race. Don't miss it!

Deutsche Bank SIBOS Gala Dinner

It was a crazy weekend. After battling a cold midweek, my family and I went to Shirahama hot springs last Sunday and Monday. I will likely write about our trip for Kansai Scene magazine. We had an hour-long thunderstorm in the evening, followed by a clear night under the full moon. In the morning, the skies were hazy, giving the surrounding mountains an ethereal feel.

As soon as I got back to Osaka, I had to enter another dimension, that of a gala dinner organised for bankers and financiers. They were being entertained by the Deutsche Bank during the SIBOS meeting being held in Osaka this week. I was mandated by the event's organisers, Luminous Asia, to document the evening. It went really well, in great part thanks to the friendly and well-organised staff of Luminous Asia. The guests were also accommodating, even if some (many?) of them probably make in an hour what I was paid for the work.

The food served was very appetizing (sadly no one offered me a bite, sob sob), the decor was beautiful, and the performances by KAGEMU and TAO were breathtaking. What I found very interesting was as I was walking around I kept hearing different accents and languages: it felt as if I were in Astoria, not Japan.

Here are some pics of the event. Enjoy!

Black Swan Naomi

On Sunday the 21st I had the privilege to get inside the bubble of Kansai artist Naomi Takaki. Most of her works are prints, and on the day of the Black Swan shoot, she etched a piece of copper (?), then applied a black tar-like ink on it, removed all excess ink, and then proceeded to make a print. It is a time-consuming, painstaking job, and when I saw the smile on her face when she 'discovered' her print, I knew all of her efforts were not in vain.

Meeting her was a grey swan for me (it didn't change the course of my life like Black Swans do), as we have have man friends in common, my capoeira teacher being one of them. We'll probably never best friends, but we got along from the first meeting, which compelled me to ask her to be part of the series. She readily agreed, although it did take some time before our schedules coincided. I'm very glad they did.

Here is a 'mysterious' shot from the shoot, I still haven't had the time to take a close look at the whole set. Enjoy!

Wedding Photo Shoot

I'm slowly catching up with all the shoots and stuff that happened recently. Actually, I wasn't supposed to be able to write this tonight, as originally, right now I would have been running with the Tokyo Ladies H3, but my son had a high fever this morning which forced me to cancel our boys' trip to the head of Japan (Osaka is the heart).

On Friday the 19th I was commissioned by Joia Weddings to document the Japanese wedding of Argutzane and Sergio, a beautiful couple from Spain. The young spanish people who decide to come all over Japan to get married are always interesting people with wide open minds. The shoot at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto, one of the city's important ones, went really well. The weather was radiant (which made my job a little bit more complicated!), the make up and gown staff really efficient, and the people at the shrine really cordial. The day before I had a good idea about how to use the stream going through the shrine, which the staff and couple really liked (thank you internet for free origami instructions)!

After the couple got back to the shop to get back in regular wear, we went to have a beer and continued chatting for some time. While talking with the new husband (their parents didn't know they were getting married, and originally it was supposed to be a surprise for the bride too!), the topic of yuzu came about, and before parting ways, we went to a supermarket to buy some products using the citrus.

Here's one of the last shot of the day (the umbrella was the gown shop director's idea: big Like for teamwork)!

Kansai Scene Photo Shoot

This morning I had a photo shoot for the cover of the upcoming Kansai Scene issue. It'll be their 150th one and the focus will be food. Godzilla made a surprise appearance during the shoot, featuring the art of Shahnaz Ahmed. To see the full image, probably without Godz, you'll have to wait until November. Enjoy and Itadakimasu!

Capoeira Demo @ Piyo Piyo

For last few years, my capoeira group makes a demonstration at the Piyo Piyo Center, a place that caters to children and young people with disabilities. It gives them the opportunity to experience something different, and they always seem to enjoy it. As for myself, it is a chance to help a little, having a soft spot for the underdogs. It was a beautiful day, and the people there were radiant.