My Camera Buying Advice

  1. Camera is just a lightproof box.
  2. Almost any modern camera can take good photos

Buy any camera you like. 

From The Healing Island

Going to Jeju island in June really changed my life. It was one of the most unique places I’ve ever known. Therefore I feel it’s important for myself to portray the photos I took there. (And quite honestly, I don’t have that coherent portfolio..)

A lot has happened in my personal life after this crazy summer. I’ve felt so tired, and sometimes I’ve felt like I’m walking with a bleeding feet or balancing on a tightrope. All this time I’ve felt these burning feelings of self-doubt which must have greatly annoyed you, my friends (thanks for being my friend anyway).

However, I just can’t stop taking photos, no matter what. So here is another exhibition which is my third this year.

My new exhibition “From the Healing Island” will start from November 18th. I hope to see you in the opening party which starts from six a clock in 18th.

My Kind of Image

You know the word  “utsukushii” 美しい , in Japanese. The word is composed of Chinese letter that has a component of sheep.

I love this word. It’s as lovely and big as music of Vangelis, it’s innocent and pure like a white sheep lying down on green meadow. It is a word I want to use to describe women, the wonderful creatures who live on this planet despite it’s horrors.

I have always believed in feminine aspect of humans, even men are kind of women, you know, kind of like ocean. Like Björk would sing in her song Mutual Core, perhaps the planet itself is feminine, trying to manage the tectonic plates to counteract distance..

Our beautiful, beautiful, feminine planet..

Yes, I think Japan needs more mature imagery of femininity; and I predict that advertising machine in Japan is going to change to reflect the need. I think I’m speaking for everyone if I say; we are crying and dying for something more spiritual. The need is there and it’s huge.

I would like to be there when the change happens.

NYIP

I am considering to join New York Institute of Photography. Everything I’ve heard about the program is good, and the courses are delightfully profound, giving students very good and robust skills.

Moreover, I feel their international atmosphere is like a fresh breeze for me.

I think I will take their professional course.

We Heard Music

I had pleasure to shoot formal profile photo if baritone Inoue san in Shinjuku park. This one turned out to be the best.

Important Thing

Probably all would agree that equipment management is crucial for working photographers. It’s not very professional to arrive to set and notice your battery is empty or even worse, missing.

Canon’s camera manual advices you to make test shots before important shoots, or even take camera to be checked up by Canon’s authorised service professionals for check-up. Sound advice, I say.

I have a principle to always have backup for everything, including the camera body. Even though modern DSLRs have sensor cleaning mechanisms, it is possible that something gets to the sensor, piece of hair or skin for example. Bulb blower is a must have, but sometimes even that doesn’t help. Bring extra body, just in case something goes wrong. And camera’s shutter has always a limited lifespan anyway, so sooner or later it’s going to break. Extra camera body might save your day and reputation.

And after the shot, take super good care of that memory card. It’s like your digital negative. Now that we have tools like iPad, it’s very handy to have one of those camera connection kits (especially with Retina display iPad) with you. It’s great for on-location previews and backups.

There are some theories that large memory cards might be more prone to failure than smaller ones. I am still shooting with 16GB card and it’s unlikely that I would ever get larger card than that. And if you split the shoot to two cards, even if one of the card fails, you wouldn’t lose everything. So far, I have never had memory card failing on me, but I have heard many horror stories.. especially after someone has shot a multi-million-yen wedding.

Rather than deleting photos from memory card, I would recommend formatting it. I have heard this reduces the chance of getting some kind of (eh, I don’t really know what I’m talking about) logical error in the data of the disk.

So, the lesson here is that pro or semi-pro photographer must take very good care of his/her gear. That gear is probably expensive (and if you are sports photographer VERY expensive), and it’s your lifeline really, much like parachute is for skydivers.

If you do pro shoots daily, my advice is to keep every necessary item in your camera bag always when you are in home or studio. Then you will get into the habit of never forgetting anything, and basically just recharge batteries and format memory cards in advance, and then take that bag and you’ll be ok.

Good luck for shooting!

X100 and large memory cards

I have recently noticed strange behavior with my Fujifilm Finepix x100.
If I import the photos with iPad connection kit or memory card reader to my mac, and then put the card back to the camera without formatting it (in camera), the camera will take several minutes to start up.
The card is 16gb Sandisk and I have updated the firmware of my x100 to the latest one.
If anyone know how to solve this issue, I’d be really glad.