Mostly I photograph people works at night (I think I’ve already mentioned that) but it is really good for me because most of nesop people know I DO NOT like to shoot PEOPLE.  I shot some for editorial but I never get used to take a picture of people…  I’m the type of person shooting STILL all the time in studio for more than 4 hours.

So now I’m shooting a person for less than 30 min and quickly I have to retouch their face and give the date to them as soon as possible.  That’s my job.

I read so many books to get the idea for posing. (which I never care.)  It’s amazing the posing makes very different when you photograph each persons.

Sometimes they order shooting one person and get them together. ( like I did for NESOPer project.) within one hour.

One of the Japanese designer has told me that this is a job for designer… that means make me very happy   I always want to be a designer!!!!!!

So now my art director has told me to make a photo menu, business card, the poster and everything that I have to design.  And that makes me sick sometimes, but I love doing those.  Especially photo menu, I can do whatever.  I set up the price for a shoot.  And design fee too.  Very difficult and responsible job for me but I enjoy a lot.

And also I get a job to shoot a location. 

Humm… not really good money right now but I’m pretty satisfied what I do! 

Peace!

Okay, so today was the day I was looking at cool website that I would looooove to make.  (tomorrow I have a class studying flash at school.)

-> Atsushi Watanabe

His website shows the 4 seasons.  One totally same scene with different season.  It’s alike being in the movie.

-> Reserved

This is the moment of old movie.  Black and White.  Hummm… classy!

-> Martin Anderle

I like the idea and design of the beginning but I don’t know I often can look at the screen for a long time.

-> UNIQLO SHOES

Very simple, but the way of showing shoes, looking great!  LOVELY!

-> H

This is also very simple, almost white and gray.  I felt like playing the game! ;D

-> Water Life

Black with sky blue… yeah, nice image on top page.

Okay I get back to work.

Now I might write down ‘to do list’… one thing, I should just keep photographing outside of studio or shooting still life.  Two, try to make a time to upload website.  Three, find a new project.

Five years plan?

I found one crazy one from behance.  What do you think?  The photographer is too stylish.  Well, I enjoy looking at it.

I don’t usually love fashion photographs because they are simple?  sassy?  no, I just feel like something is missing but these stuff are awesome!

Bela Borsodi is seriously UNIQUE.  I wanna just know what’s inside of her mind.  No idea.  Very curious about how she came up with ideas, concept and timing to shoot.

This is SEXY!  I also attend to look at black and white fashion photographs.  (link here.) 

Still life is all about lighting and composition.  It will look totally different when you are you from others.  Olivier Trillon is the photographer who took this amazing photo.

Kenji Aoki, his website is GORGEOUS.  Once you take a look, you will be falling in love  

ANCI is an artist.  I don’t know he is just doing this as his the one of habit or his job.  But this is pretty amazing, don’t you think so?

Model: Nas

Creative Recreation is the one of my fave shoe company.  Check this out -> here.

More people that I wanna look up   let me know when you have a favorite photographer or designer, artist and etc. 

Peace ;q

Today I have tons of time to retouch, edit and think of what I will be doing in the future and the afternoon will be busy to shoot the group shots.  Actually I’m shooting a person each time, so it’s not a group shot but well, it will be.  I’ve photographed 7 people right now.  Half way done.  Half way to go.  I get used to shoot boys but I have to study more and also I don’t even know how to photograph girls to make them actual beautiful.

Yesterday, I went to Gallery Aim where I really respect all photographers there and I appriciate the fact that I can be a student there to watch, do, mimic whatever they are doing.  Especially for a long term!  (How awesome it is…)  Nice office and comfortable enviorment for me.  The owner Mrs. Kawakami is a famous Portrait photographer in Osaka.  It’s really unique what she has.  Color, the view of eyes and sense.  I feel like I just have to let myself go, without my pride and steal what she has.  I’m able to go into Gallery Aim anytimes!  Free pass ;D  That’s because my name is Lucky Girl, huh.  I guess I have to call my mama saying Thank you for giving my name. 

Okay so this is the photo that I’m working on.  Every seven shots, I photographed them each by each.  I guess I kind of wasting time for it but more safe and perfect.  Same lightings but different position, different posing and action that they sometimes do.  I wait, mention but I just kind of snap.  When I’m done doing this, I will show you a whole things.  It is a tiny photo but it will be on the adv. car driving around the big city Osaka.  Kind of nervous when I heard but nice timing!  my NESOPERs project is sort of same thing so I can easily work on those kinds.

Okay so 7-10 more people that I gotta photograph.  The salon itself will be crazily packed so I will be in panic I guess.  I will try my best.

So I mentioned I got a job as a photographer.  I’m still thinking of keep working at the bar though.  What I got is photographing anything client asks me.  For now, I mostly photograph people who work at night (night workers in Japan need photo to put up into the magazines as panels.  They need a perfect face to get customers to come to thier bars/clubs to get money.  It’s complicating thing.  America doesn’t have those things.  Their jobs are mostly called Kyaba Jou, Host, Huzoku etc.)  So I would say I kind of manage the Portrait Studio now.  But I’m under the graphic design company so near the future I might photograph things ;D  (that’s what I really wanna do yo!)

There are photos…

Usually I took between 10-100 photos at one set.  And one shot, I retouch for them.  Very easy skill needed in Photoshop.  I only fix the skins, color tone and sometimes, make eyes bigger, face smaller or body skinier. 

They sit next to me when I’m retouching and whatever they say I fix.  And if the customers satisfy with the deal, I give them a print and CD.  Not bad.  I usually chat with them and kind of playing with the photographs.  It does take me 30 min to 45 min.  Depend on the people though.  The lucky part is they know how to get photographed.  They know which angles are the best for them.  Which action and posing make them nicer.  And I just need to make them to be relaxed.  And push the shutter buttons and fix the shit!  lol

Also this studio has a beauty salon too so models go to set their hair style and come to my tiny studio.  It’s all good for now.

Just started!

I miss photographing Boston recently.  I just love the red bricks on marlborough street where I used to live for two years, people walking on the street with dogs, trees on commonwealth avenue, hearing English and another languages all the time, a couple holding each others hands and kiss to show how much they love and the air in Boston.  Many people told me how much they are envy me about going back to Japan but I grew up this country for 18 years before staying in the states.  For me, 4 years of memory is too short.  I need to feel more about Boston.  I miss people there a lot too.

But I need to keep photographing anywhere I go.  I’m going back to my hometown, Ehime soon.  I get tripods there and I will be shooting at night which I hated the most.  I’m not good at it but I think I should just do it.

not to keep shooting things.  I guess I have enough models here to shoot.  Maybe I can try.  I can tell you japanese things!

Wish me the luck!  I’m still waiting the reply from the graphic design company.  

This month will be crazy and next month as well.  I will start my graphic academy pretty soon.  And the change will be obvious.  Exciting year!!!!!

It’s kind of funny that I still talk in English sometimes without talking to someone in the states.  Many people found me asking I’m able to speak English.  Well, I do but it is difficult for me to explain the every directions in Osaka.  I’m new here man.

Okay, I’m a bartender.  It is very different between Japan and U.S.A.  Sometimes, in Osaka is more fancy but anytime it is more casual.  I do not know how to explain this but it is a great experience that I got in talking to many different and special people.  Once I’ve met a guy who owns the graphic design companies.  I talked to him that I’m interested in photography, graphic design, web design and etc.. then he was like ‘wonderful!’, he asked me to help him sometimes photographing models.  (I do not know it will happen or not but better than nothing.  I built the connection by myself, not from my parents!  that’s the most important part.)  And the other day, I’ve met a photographer.  The other day, I met a doc.  I talked to landscaper.  I spoke into an artist.  I had dinner with the owner of two bars.  blah blah blah..  Many people like the night life.  And those people have money  to spend to it.  Because they are ‘succeeded’.  That’s what I want to become.  Well, so it is nice to know many people have different problems in each jobs.  That’s what I need to know also.

Okay, I talked to the guy who is a creative director.  He seems to be a ‘funky’ dude but it was awesome to talk to him.  I had a meeting for a job as a photographer.  It was amazingly surprise to me.. Looks like a great company.  He told me bunch of artists that I know that his company made logos or something else.  So he asked me to shoot people in studio, which I can try.  Only asking how to pose them and click!  It’s not difficult job but I was happy when he mentioned that a pro photographer will be teaching how to do the stuff  ;)  That’s an amazing offer to me.  He told me I passed the first one and I will have the other one in next week.  Wow, I don’t know.  

Very exciting news right?

I should photograph though.  I know I have to grab and click.  But I just cannot think of it now.  Too bad.  My ass is too heavy that someone got to hit it for me.

Now I am working as a bartender for temporally.  I kind of love this job but it’s sad that I don’t have any time to photograph something.

So I decide that I will be taking photographs every week.  This is my assignment for now.  I go out and shoot.  Maybe looking around at my place.  Whatever I feel like to do.

I’m not even trying to edit.  I am not sitting in front of the computer working on photographs for 6 hours.  I just enjoy viewing through lens.  

Nothing professional but I guess I enjoy doing this.

Anyways, I will tell you what’s new with me.  

I moved away from my hometown on 15th to Osaka where is the second biggest city in Japan.  Of course the west side.  (I was thinking to move out of western japan but I couldn’t.  If I don’t feel like it, I guess I should not commit to it.)  Well, Osaka city is great.  Nice feeling of powerful people, loud places and many things that really attractive to me.  It seems to be almost New York City to me because of the crowd.  And I’m even living around the city that I cannot sometimes deal with it.  (well, still my neighborhood is quite and safe so it’s good thing) so till today, I was unpacking, cleaning and registering etc.  I had to do job hunting around this area also.  I’m applying for some company as a photographer.  Most of companies offer a photographer to be a portraiture, wedding and kids photographer.  I applied that one but I’m not sure that I can get this job so I also offer an event photographer in night life of Osaka.  It’s kind of cool, I didn’t expect that I would love to do, but anything that involved to photography is always good.  So I guess I want to have two jobs to deal with.  But the question that I had was the guy I had an interview with today asked me if I would love to work as an ARTIST or a WORKER.  I didn’t know what my answer was.  His meaning was an ARTIST（職人）has to handle by themselves, not working with someone which.. I could easily do.  And a WORKER（営業）has to deal with people, talking to them, make a plan with them and etc which.. I love to do as a job.  He likes my attitude for work but he has told me that I’m super doper positive. lol  I guess this is good thing isn’t it?

Well, getting jobs right now is pretty difficult and it’s kind of stressful that I have to wait for reply and go to see them in the interview and again, I got to wait for a final answer whether I can work or not.  

Tomorrow I will talk to the school that I will go to.  It is expensive school but I really would love to know the tech.  So I will take graphic design and web design.  I don’t know which one is the best from photography and those.  It doesn’t need to be the one.  

The happiest thing is where I live.  The place is huge and nice and comfortable that I don’t want to go outside.  Well, this weather is killing me so that’s why I don’t really want to get out of the house.  

Anyways I will keep on going.  Never stop man! 

p.s. my mother has mentioned that I will never get married because of my NAME.  Some of you know that SHOKO in chinese characters is very strong mean of LUCKY GIRL.  And I don’t know why she is telling me NOW.  but who cares.  I don’t get married?  Whatever.