I don’t quite know how, but I was suddenly and accidentally offered the opportunity to do a photo shoot with maiko. Maiko are not geishas, but are like geisha apprentices. I’ve been on the look out for just this opportunity ever since I arrived in Kyoto in March this year… in fact, for the last few years I’d been looking for the opportunity. Now I have it.
As you know, geishas and maiko are very expensive. I am looking for a sponsor to help. The shoot is scheduled for the 2nd June (a Sunday), and I’ll have a few hours with them. The photos I get will be used by me for my own company use and promotional activities. However, any sponsors will have exclusive commercial use of them. If I get more than one sponsor, each will get a proportionate share of unique photos. This is of course important for maintaining a unique visual and aesthetic for your use.
Importantly, the Rugby World Cup is hosted in Japan very soon, and Tokyo 2020 Olympics are coming up, so now is the time to get your visuals ready ahead of that. Contact me for more information.
We do the shoot for one hour (it’s a short simple shoot)
We’ll quickly process the best of the bunch
Send you a download link (or use AirDrop right away)
Post our pictures on your Instagram tagging us in, and mentioning good things about us in your comments
What we will do is shoot for an hour. Together, we’ll go to a cafe or other convenient place, and while you wait we select and quickly process some key photos. Our cameras are bluetooth and wifi enabled, and we carry our iPads with us anyway. A link to a folder with your folders will be emailed to you. Maximum of 8 websized photos will be sent.
Paid for upgrades will include
A higher quality shoot for better photos
Prints or a photo book made and delivered to you
Extra time or locations
More photos delivered
Full print-sized digital files (web-sized files print badly)
Other full upgrades are possible, please see Portraits for more information.
For the first time we’re going to start offering photography workshop courses. We’ve been asked a few times before to host beginner photography workshops, but because of time, we haven’t been able to follow through with that. Now, we can. We’re in Kyoto, and it’s the perfect place to help traveller photographers improve their game. There will be four main options:
Beginner Workshops
Intermediate Workshops
Mixed-levels Workshops
Special Skills (based on a specific theme or skill set)
All workshops will assume participants have a modern digital DSLR or mirrorless camera with interchangeable lens. Some Canon point and shoot cameras have easy to use Manual settings, and so these are often suitable too.
Beginner Workshops will assume that the participants have just got the camera out of the box from the store that very day (hopefully the day before). The focus will be to get participants aware of key concepts of shutter speed, aperture, iso, and white balance.
Intermediate Workshops are currently not offered. However, we will host two different special skills workshops instead.
Mixed-level Workshop Walk: Kimono portraits. Is an opportunity for everyone from post-beginner to intermediate level to learn how to use travel scenes, exotic environments, and local context to make next-level photographs. Currently, we’re organsing and searching for models who will wear a kimono and pose for us in Gion, so that there is a two-fold purpose, one to get great Japanesque photographs; and two, to learn environmental portrait photography.
Special Skills is a short introduction to a very specific genre of photography. Typically a theoretical explanation is given, basic demonstration, and guided practice is given. Currently in Kyoto, we will practice night photography.
What: Portrait sessions for workshops for photography enthusiasts
Where: Gion, Kyoto
When: Most mornings, from 7.15 to 9.30am, Monday’s, Wednesdays, and Fridays until early June 2019 (may resume from March to June 2020). These are held early to avoid tourist crowds and the heat.
Who: Preference for Japanese models, but not essential
What: Pose in a kimono for portraits in Gion. You might also be asked to give advice to workshop attendees on how to communicate with models/portrait subjects
Clothing: You should have access to and ability to put on a kimono. We can provide help getting access to kimonos if needed. Have own health insurances, and having own business insurance is recommended.
In case you’re confused as to why the FaceBook Page name appears wrong (we are not wanting to do false advertising), here is a repeat of a post we made on the 31st Oct 2018 ( https://www.facebook.com/133553803950495/posts/281828732456334?sfns=mo ), when we first tried to update the name of this FaceBook Page. We have been having problems with FB not wanting to reflect the change in company name from JapanesePhotos.Asia to Travel Photos Pty Ltd, our legally registered business name (TravelPhotos.Asia is our trading name and web address, easy to remember, right?)
Here’s a boring graphic to demonstrate the same visual information is being shared across platforms (ok, may be we’re getting cynical now out of frustration with FB)
Welcome to 2019; it’s great to see your smiling face (I’m imaging what you might look like, so help me by smiling at this).
Move to Melbourne
Many new challenges and opportunities
are open this year. I will be on the road, but essentially relocating to
Melbourne Australia, but of course I’m very willing to fly to whatever
Asian destination you need me at. If you’ve been following my Instagram
feed, you’ll have seen that I’ve been to the snow in the Japan alps,
and obviously, I’m looking for any excuse to go back. Currently
itinerary is basically this, though I’m still happy to travel to
anywhere you need me to be:
Now to 11th Feb: Nagoya Japan
15th Feb to 2nd Mar: Melbourne Aust (for cityscape and street photography)
5th to 11th Mar: Taipei Taiwan (for cityscape and street photography)
13th to 24th Mar
25th Mar to 7th June: Kyoto Japan (travel, city, and street photography in cherry blossom season)
If there’s anything I can do to help your company, please reply to this email.
Spring and Tokyo 2020 Olympics Preparation
Late March and early April is forecast
to be peak cherry blossom (sakura) season in Kyoto and Tokyo. The Cherry
blossom season is typically just one week long, it’s a holiday period
and so most places tend to be very insanely crowded. If your company
needs me to supply Spring in Kyoto and Tokyo photos ahead of the 2020
Tokyo Olympics, book me now; it’s really important to schedule very
soon, so I can prioritise you. Tell me what type of photos you need, and
possible uses you’ll need them for.
Taiwan
I’m searching around for short term
photography jobs in Taiwan and other places in Asia. If there’s
something I can help you with, let me know asap so I can plan better.
Finally, I’m back into learning Chinese, and I’ve got a good teacher who
is concentrating on making my pronunciation intelligible (imagine me
blushing).
Sponsorship
In the next five months I’ll be
travelling to Melbourne Australia, Taipei Taiwan, Kyoto Japan, and other
places around those cities. I am looking for sponsorship for this. I am
wanting to show products for various brands at these international
locations. I’ve reached out to some companies and got some positive
responses so far. However, I’m hoping to get in touch with one of the
Diadora marketing teams. I’m hoping that you might know someone, who
knows someone who can help me. Diadora is a personal sentimental
favourite sports-casual shoe brand from Italy. I have some of their
shoes, and I’d love to provide them with lots of my photos to help them
market more. Alternatively, if you know of another company that is
interested in receiving international photos, please help us get in
touch with each other.
Portfolio
I’ve said before that I don’t have much
experience in dealing with the North American and European clients
beyond stock photography, but I do know that having a physical
portfolio is important. I have a one that I would like to send to you
with pre-addressed return labels; please reply to this email because I’d
like to send it to you. Any feedback would be appreciated, but
importantly I hope that you can get a feel for the quality of my work,
and I hope that you can see the value in hiring me for an assignment for
your projects.
Social responsibility
I’ve said before that I have a socially
responsible business. I make monthly donations to Tree Nation, who help
offset my carbon emissions and help me try to be as carbon-neutral as
possible. With your help, I’d like to contribute more. Either, become
your own direct supporters of Tree Nation, or sponsor me to photograph and share environment-related stories.
Travel & helping you
Finally, I am available for commercial and editorial photography projects anywhere in Asia. With my passport I am able to stay in almost any country for as long as the project requires. I have professional equipment, and am focused on getting the job done, despite difficulties and problems that might arise. I have abilities in Japanese, and a bit in Korean and Mandarin. I also know how to pickup enough survival language for other countries, and I have lots of experience working with non-native speakers of English. I can find and organise the right people to help with the job at hand. To learn more about my company see TravelPhotos.Asia, and contact me here.
I am currently organising as much of my
2019 schedule as I can. If you can, get in touch now, so I can
prioritise you. I hope to hear from you soon. Look out for my next
newsletter in early February.
What: City / Street portraits Where: Ximen, CKS Memorial Hall, and other places around Taipei When: A day and time that’s convenient to the both of us, from 5th to 10th March What to wear: Normal smart-casual Makeup: Please do your own for natural / affluent like. Why: I need to meet models to work with for future commercial work. These photos will also make sample products to promote my business for travel portraiture. Benefits: I will provide photos both full size (for printing and portfolio making), and web-size (for social media self-promotion), but not for resale. More info: Check back here for updates. Contact:https://travelphotos.asia/contact.html.
What: City / Street portraits Where: Melbourne CBD When: A day and time that’s convenient to the both of us What to wear: Normal smart-casual (jeans and white button-up type shirt preferred). Basically, look affluent, inspiring, and the ideal guy/girl next-door. Makeup: We’re on a limited budget, so please do your own for natural / affluent like. Why: I’m relocating to Melbourne from Japan. I need to meet models to work with for future commercial work. These photos will also make sample products to promote my business for travel portraiture. Benefits: I will provide photos both full size (for printing and portfolio making), and web-size (for social media self-promotion), but not for resale. More info: Check back here for updates. Contact:https://travelphotos.asia/contact.html.
I’ll be going to Melbourne Australia (16th Feb to 3rd Mar) and then Taipei Taiwan (5th to 11th Mar), then to Kyoto until May or June. I’ll be available to do travel portraits if you’re in either city, and of course I’ll be happy to do commercial work.
This photo is from my film era, way back in 2002 to 2005 when I lived in Taiwan. It was taken on 35mm film with my old Minolta film camera. I can’t wait to go back and get new photos taken with upgraded… skills. 😄 Any suggestions on where I should go? What I should see and do?
CKS Memorial Hall, Taipei Taiwan. File photo circa 2002, taken on 35mm film.