Awaji

My friend Cindy from Austrade invited my family and some of her other friends to her cottage on Awaji Island last Sunday. When we boarded the bus in Sannomiya, we met some of the other guests, and everyone got a little worried when we got off the highway and some rain started falling. But in the end, we got sunshine the whole through, we some cloud cover while some of us were down at the beach. What a fantastic day. Thank you, Cindy.

Here's a shot from the beach, about the only time the sky looked half menacing. Enjoy!

Body Art: Capoeira - Suzuki-san

Last Thrusday I met with Suzuki-san from my capoeira group to continue my series Body Art: Capoeira. We took the shot in Utsubo park, one of Osaka's biggest downtown parks. The shot went relatively well, with him doing a macaco, and me using my SB-800 in Repeat Mode - Commander along with my two SB-600s. I often forget to bring small things on photo shoots, and this time the item was pretty unexpected (although maybe predictable): insect repellent! As we were setting up, and between pictures, allowing my strobes to cool down, they devoured his arms and my legs! Luckily the next day there were no signs. Here's the shot, I hope you like.

Whipped Clouds

Perhaps due to the heat, but cumuli in Japan are something to witness. They can get so big, enormous, gargantuan, they are dizzying at times. No wonder most Miyazaki movies, Laputa: Castle in the Sky to name this one only, features the puffy clouds in one scene or another. Actually, in Laputa, the aforementioned castle, a sort of flying Atlantis, is hidden in a such a cloud, and access is rendered almost impossible by the howling winds and distorted magnetic fields.

With the recent days' heats, those fluffy clouds are out in full force. To me, along with the cries of the cicadas and the refreshing feeling of kakigori, cumuli exemplify Japanese summers. Here are two shots of the giants, and a sunset scene. Enjoy.

Fotografika IV: Nostalgia

Soho's Fotografika IV is starting in two weeks, and I will once again participate. This time around the theme is 'Nostalgia'. If you have the time, come out and check the pictures. With a good mix of international photographers, it should prove pretty interesting, as always. The only hint that I'll give about the picture I will present is that it's from a photo shoot I did in recent months that was mentioned on the blog. In the meantime, here's the invitation.

DJ Shadow

Last week Monday I went to see a DJ set by DJ Shadow. Most of the music was brand new, by friends and acquaintances of his. Contrary to many gigs, photos were encouraged and we can upload some on his website. It's free publicity for him and me, and here some snaps I took: this wasn't a gig for me so I spent most of the enjoying the great musical trip instead of taking pictures.

Art Photo Shoot

The photo shoot last Thursday went well. With my umbrellas and external flashes, I was able to get the results needed by the customers. As predicted, the paintings with gold proved the toughest, but everyone was happy with the results. With my customer's approval, here are three shots from the 3 different artists. In order they are: Masafumi Tanaka, Takuru Miyamoto and Yusuku Umakawa (no website)

Not All Photo Shoots Are Created Equal

Tomorrow I'll replace my friend Christophe on a photo shoot. One of his friend is creating a web site to sell art and they need pictures of the said art. Most shots will be pretty straightforward, but there are two lacquered pieces with gold leaves which will present a challenge. If time allows, we'll do some environmentals; I especially look forward to those!

As a result, I'm bringing most of my arsenal. I don't know who'll complain the most: my back or the people on their morning commute!

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www.terophoto.com

www.terophoto.blogspot.com

Cleaning Time

With a day basically off today and with some important shoots coming, I decided to have three of my lenses cleaned, as well as some maintenance on my camera: they cleaned the sensor, replaced the rubber gripped that were coming undone, and unbent my hot shoe that made inserting and removing a flash difficult. All of this for less than ¥5000. And this was not done by some amateur shop or something, it was done by Nikon at their service counter in Osaka. It's fantastic to have one in the city, as their work is always guaranteed and usually pretty quick.

After dropping off my stuff, I met Tsuyoshi, a photographer friend who was coming in for basically the same reason. I then stopped by Yodobashi Camera to check light stands, but they didn't have anything interesting. I guess I'll need to order from the net, which is fine with me since it's cheaper. After lunch (excellent mabo-dofu) and getting IQ84, I picked up my stuff and went home. There, I repaired the net of a door, then picked up my son at the day-care center.

Once home, he played in the baby bath outside to cool off, while I took some snaps with my DC 135mm F/2. It truly is a wonderful portrait lens. After dinner, we went for a small ride, and couldn't resist getting this shot. Enjoy!

Body Art: Capoeira Opening Party @ L&L

Last Friday was the opening party of the second exhibition of my Body Art: Capoeira series. Sadly, due to some issues, I didn't get the chance to produce more shots in time for the exhibition. But along with the new space comes new faces.

The party was great thanks to the efforts of many people. First and foremost, David Byrne, organiser of the TGIF night, bringing together DJs, artists and punters. Second, the people at L&L for the great spot.  Third to the DJs, Young Bran, Sachi, Yannic and Byrne for providing some funky beats throughout the night. Next, Naomi Takaki & Charles-Éric Billard for the live drawing. And last but not least, all the people who braved the Osaka summer heats to come to the party.

I had a wonderful time, and I feel blessed to have shared it with so many wonderful people. Here a shot of Naomi and Toku (my capoeira teacher), who already knew each other (Osaka is a 'small' city, and we like it like that) and a smartphone time lapse video using King Camera app.

Body Art: Capoeira, 2nd Exhibition

My Body Art: Capoeira photo series will get a second showing starting next week Friday at L&L in Ame-Mura, Osaka. The exhibition is part of TGIF's 2nd anniversary, a monthly party organised by fellow Canuck David Byrne, featuring local DJs mixing some deep soulful funky beats. The party will also feature live painting by fellow Québécois Charles-Eric Billard & partner-in-crime Naomi Takaki. While my pictures will probably be the same as at Ands Tartines (although there could be some surprises), the opening party on July 27 will be nothing like. If you have the chance, come on by to try some of the excellent Mediterranean food, have a puff of three of sheesha, drink a refreshing glass of sangria, and listen to some cool beats, perfect to alleviate the summer heats!