Photo Shoot with Raphaelle

An acquaintance from the OEFF needed some shots for her modeling agency and we got a few shots tonight. We didn't get so many shots as one of my batteries seems to be having some problems. It happened too at the CM Festival two weeks ago, although I'm unsure if it is the same battery. Frustrating to say the least. But by warming the battery in my hands, I did get a few more pictures out of my camera, a trick not everyone may know.

As frustrating as it was, it gave me some good ideas for future shots, things to repeat and to avoid, and allowed us to get to know each other better. A model who feels at ease with a photographer will look better on the capture, and this applies to models and family members!

Luckily for me, Raphaelle was very understanding, especially as she doesn't need the shots too quickly. She recently got a new hairstyle and thus we focused on simple headshots during the session. She was easy to direct, with no attitude whatsoever. I look forward to working with her again. I leave you with the very last shot of the evening, perhaps my favorite of the bunch.

And The Winner Is...

... yours truly. Indeed, I entered and got first prize in the Costco Japan Photo Contest. Yeah! No real money, but lots of gift certificates, which will probably go towards buying diapers! Below are the letter and winning shot titled Enlightenment at Hase-dera.

Bicycle Diaries: Solo Exhibition

You are all invited to my first solo exhibition entitled Bicycle Diaries. I will present pictures I take while riding my bicycle around Kansai, most specifically Osaka and Hyogo prefectures. While my original shots included scenery, all the shots showcased will be of the denizens of the area, whether the walk on 2, 3 or 4 legs, or even on wheels! Technically, they might not always the most perfect shots, but I like it that way, as this exhibition is not meant to be taken too seriously. It's about the joy of shooting people, catching an instant of their lives. There is a voyeuristic element to it, I agree, but no disrespect is intended. I only wish to explore the realm of human existence in the urban Kansai context.

The exhibition will be held from Nov. 3 to Dec. 2 at the Shinsaibashi Blarney Stone. The opening party will be held on Nov. 3rd, and the gracious manager has agreed to run cocktails at ¥500 all night, as well as offer a pizza+Corona set at ¥1200. How often do you get well fed and a bit tipsy at that price?!?

Startrail (or my attempt)

Last night I ventured out of Osaka to the countryside to give a stab at startrail photography. My results were a little inconclusive, and I had to do some heavy yet simple work in postproduction to obtain this passable shot. The main factors were my proximity to the city and the humid air. The exposure was almost 30min at F/8. I learned quite a bit on this trip, and my time lapse shots should produce a decent short movie.

As is often the case, it was the shots I wasn't planning on taking that produced the results I liked the best. And without further ado, here's a shot of my favorite station (never had one before). I'll be back to shoot it exclusively in the near future I think.

Night of The Adeaters 2010 (CMフェスタ)

Last night (and I do mean night as it went from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) was the annual Night of The Adeaters Osaka (CMフェスタ / Nuit des publivores). For the third year in a row, second as a photographer, I attended the event and had quite of bit of fun. There were many funny commercials from around the world, and here is the very first one, the only standout I could locate on youtube. Some of the others include a Brazilian  very easy to install furniture ad, some strong environmental and equality ones from Greenpeace, Amnesty International et al, and a funny Japanese one about an armpit shaver or cream, I can't remember for sure.

Well, I'll let the (many) pictures do the talking.

Producer Jean-Christian Bouvier welcoming the guests

Attendees grabbing freebies by the gracious sponsors

While the band played on, people hurried to get best seats

This place usually hosts classical concerts and musicals

Hatchi Hatchell (ハッチ八チェル) kicked things off

And off was the crowd for the marathon

During the breaks, guests made the best of more freebies

Others enjoyed Mimosa's innovative magic

Free samples of shochu (Japanese spirit) was also available

Free sport drinks hydrated others

From the second break, Capoeira West dazzled the crowd

The whole Capoeira West crew

A raffle also benefited many attendees

He has been attending 11 editions straight!

During breaks some took the opportunity to buy past editions...

... a well deserved beer

... or catch some rest (not during the ads, of course not)!

But the bands kept on going (check out my cameo on the big screen behind)

After the band played and just before the last session started, they presented a short commercial by yours truly, showing some pictures I took last year, as well as other shots. Sadly there was a technical glitch so there was no sound and it was interrupted. But rest assured, here it is, specially for you. The music is by Sylvain Esteve, as a soundtrack to an art project of mine. 

Kansai Scene Photo Calendar Contest

Kansai Scene magazine is holding a photo contest again this year, with the winning pictures featured in a calendar insert. If you remember, I "won" it last year (in as much as my entry was selected as the cover shot) and there is no reason why you couldn't cover yourself with laurels this year. The theme is "People of Kansai" and you can get all the information here. Good luck!

Manu Chao in Concert

I went to the Manu Chao concert as a fan last night at Club Quattro, Osaka. It was really one of he best shows I've seen in my life. The energy at the show was manu-tastic! I took a few shots during the concert, something I guess I wasn't supposed to do. Actually, my friend got spotted at the entrance and had to leave his camera at the door. Funnily enough, though, during the concert another friend (especially) and I shot pictures, and although the staff saw us, they said nothing!

I took shots mostly as souvenirs of a wonderful evening, and you can see my protected shots here; I won't leave the gallery available for too long, so enjoy it while you can. Otherwise, you'll be able to enjoy some shots on Smashingmag.com, although for now they only have shots of the Tokyo show.

Pictures from the Takedao Art Event 2010

Yesterday was the Takedao Art Event organized by Charles-Eric Billard. A gathering of creative and festive people, it was nice to get out to the country, enjoy some great art, both performance and visual, and catch up & meet people. I had been through the tunnels before, but it was a whole different experience this time with great pictures and installations, including two somewhat disturbing teddy bears whose eyes changed colors along an psychedelic soundtrack. The celebrations went on all night, but I returned home relatively early.

But before that, I had a fantastic time and obviously took a few pictures along the way, especially of the performances. But I was too silly to take actual pictures of the installations, including mine. Luckily for me though, Hiromi & Atsuko danced in front of my shots, so I do have some record of it. You can see some of my shots here.

Takedao Art Tunnel Event 2010

My friend Charles-Eric, whom I talked about early in the entry on the Rooftop Improvisations, is organizing this year again the Takedao Art Tunnel Event. It takes place in an abandoned train tunnel along a river in Hyogo prefecture. It will features art of all descriptions, including dance, music, installations and photography.

I'll be publicly presenting for the first time pictures from my Machine Death project, which explores our relationship with machines, when these days we throw them away remorselessly, while in a not so far future, some of them could well be endowed with intelligence quite close to our own. This project is ongoing, as I shoot discarded things as I find them. They probably are some of my most violent pictures, something I didn't really know was inside of me.

With some luck, my installation will also feature demo songs of the soundtrack that my friend Sylvain Esteve is creating specifically for this photo project. I haven't heard anything yet, but it should be quite interesting, I'm sure. I've basically given him carte blanche on this project, although we talked about basic directions before.

The event will start around 15:30 and officially finish around 22:30, although many people will stay overnight. I should get there early afternoon to set up, and will stay until the evening. I'm not planning on staying all night, though.

To get there, take the JR train from Amagasaki towards Sanda/Sasayama. It is the 3rd stop after Takarazuka. From the station, walk along the river for about 10 minutes, first on a road and then on a hiking path. The trail is pretty popular so it should not be hard to find. While still in the 'town', there a little mom & pops shop where you can buy some snacks and drinks.

I hope to see you there and talk about nothing and everything.

Osaka TV Profile

I've received the video of my profile that aired on Osaka TV News Bizz on Aug. 17, 2010 and uploaded it on my website. If you wish to laugh at my poor attempt at speaking Japanese (and my chopstick fumble!), you can check it here.

It was little surreal at times to think that they wanted to do a profile on me, and walking around with a camera crew was an interesting experience to say the least. Hopefully it will attract some attention and help with promotion. A big thanks to Sakata-san from Take One and Chris at Kansai Scene (I have a piece in this month's edition, covering a restaurant, which also appears in the video).

By the way, all my wardrobe wasn't coincidental: I wore a t-shirt from the Trailwalker, which I joined in 2007 and 2008; a MontBell shirt, who sponsored my team on both Trailwalkers; and a Car Danchi 3 t-shirt from Neil Hartmann, a snowboard filmmaker and photographer, who has the distinction of both being the first person I ever interviewed and my earliest photography mentor.