Slide show of Nakajima Hiroyuki in Chiba

Slide show of Calligrapher Nakajima Hiroyuki in his studio in Chiba, Japan by photographer Flavio Gallozzi, January 2011 to see it click here.

Wearing a yukata

The yukata is the summer version of the kimono, is in cotton and have no lining, have always great colours and is worn by women and men especially for traditional festivity like matsuri. I love kimono and yukata, are very sexy and feminine, is very elegant for men as well. For women the tricky part is the obi, the belt, mostly need the help of an other person and is impossible to do it on your own for the kimono obi that is wider and thicker and to tight it require a great skill and prepartion.

Okiagari-koboshi

Okiagari-koboshi is little traditional Japanese doll from the region of Aizu in Fukushima prefecture. The doll always stands, if you hit it, it comes back standing all the times, is an image of recovery from difficulties, so is a good luck symbol. This was a present from the General Consul of Japan in Milano to wish good luck to Fukushima and to all the people that showed their support and helped with their work the cause of raising money for the victims of the disaster. This dolls are hand made with washi papier machè with a little weight to balance it, the white coating is made with powder from oysters. To achieve this shallow focus effect this time I shoot with the 180mm with a close up ring because the doll is just 7 cm tall.

La gata

On Sunday a couple of friend from Vicenza, come to visit us and brought a delicious cake called La Gata (the female cat in slang). I love the cat footprint of sugar on the cake, the taste is great, a bit like marble cake with chocolate chips and addition of grappa (Italian spirit from wine) keeps it moist. I shoot on natural light with my  60mm macro lens, fully open at 3.2 f, at close up, but is not blurring too much, I prefer much out of focus effect on the edges, .

HDR photography

Is becoming very popular in this last years the HDR photography (high dynamic range) with many extreme elaboration I do not like. I'm a professional photographer and I like to know what's happening in photography about thechnique and aesthetics as well. Is not a good idea to fallow every new fashion or trend, is better to create them, anyway is a good practice to investigate, try and understand new things and see what you like, what is usable and usefull for you or your clients (if you are a professional).
There are many software to create HDR photos, even free software, I tried some and I tried the Photoshop HDR filter. I'm really satisfied with Photoshop CS5 filter, is easy tu use, the preview is perfect and can easily adjust all settings to create your photo with the right amount of effect. Here a normal photo and on the right the HDR photo. I don't have multiple shoots of this image, so I create 3 photos with different exposure: -1, ok and +1. Because I do not like extreme elaboration, innatural images I'm satisfied with this, but of course, every situation is different and every person too, so this is not the law. Find your way and have fun. Picture taken in Kitakata, Fukushima prefecture, Japan

Alexis

This sensual photo of Alexis was taken in London in 2002 on Fuji film, with my Fuji GX680 camera with  Fujinon 150mm. lens, fully open to get shallow focus. I used tungsten spotlights with gel filters to achieve this strongly saturated colors.

Walking to the jinja

A Summer evening a girl is walking to a small jinja in Kitakata, Fukushima prefecture. I like the quiet feeling of this image, the simplicity and beauty of this spot, can still hear the silence and the smell of trees.

Artist Hishiki Asako

The Japanese artist based in Bologna Hishiki Asako exhibition in Milano at the Paraventi Giapponesi - Galleria Nobili. Most of the artworks in the exhibition are black and white, for this reason I desaturate her portrait, to give a more light, ethereal feeling to her, a more dream like image.

Artist Kobayashi Kiyochika

I found this great ukiyo-e print of artist Kobayashi Kiyochika and I could not resist at the teptation of putting my face in the picture, please forgive me, I think is fun. More information about the artist Kobayashi Kiyochika. How do I look wearing a uniform?

Capa Nude magazine

   

Capa is a photographic Japanese magazine and Capa Nude is a special yearly issue on erotic photogrphy, I've been invited to publish some photograps on the 2008 issue. This black and white photographs are quite old, I think I shoot this in Milano in 1998, with my Fuji 680 camera and b&w film on artificial ligh (only the black background picture) and the others where shoot on natural light.

Yasukuni jinja

When the Emperor Meiji visited Tokyo Shokonsha for the first time on January 27 in 1874, he composed a poem; "I assure those of you who fought and died for your country that your names will live forever at this shrine in Musashino". 

The Zero!

The Zero is the famous Japanese airplane of the II World War, at the beginning of the conflict was the best and fastest fighter plane. Here a perfectly restored original Zero photographed at the Yasukuni jinja museum in Tokyo is really a  beautiful airplane. I read a great book written by a fighter pilot of Japanese air force who survived the war, titled Samurai! by Saburo Sakai. Really interesting book and a dramatic true story of his experience during the war and the post war American occupation, very sad.

Yasukuni jinja tori

The third tori (holy gate) in front of Yasukuni jinja in Tokyo, with his distinctive chrisanthemum, symbol of the Japanese emperor. Is a great temple with a classical architecture and has many building, chapels, a garden and a museum in his complex.

Yasukuni Jinja

This is the massive gate of Yasukuni Jinja in Tokyo, the golden decoration on the door is the chrysanthemum symbol of the Japanese Emperor, at the temple are honoured and remembered all soldiers died in all wars. Is avery nice temple, build in the mid of XIXth century. If you like to know more: http://www.yasukuni.or.jp/english/index.html?mode=skip

Pretty girl with yellow yukata

Is really nice to see young peaople and especially girls wearing traditional clothes in Japan, in Summer a nice ykata, the same shape of a kimono but in cotton. I coming back in fashion to wear yukata, not only at festivals, but also in normal life, on festivity or an evening out with friends. I found it really sexy.

Mid Town Sculpture

In Summer 2007 in Mid Town area in Tokyo I found this nice sculpture, I'm sorry don't know the artist name, it was nice to look through the big hole, like framed reality. By the way the title of the sculpture is not "swiss cheese", it have only one hole, I mounted two pictures together.

Kumiko

I desaturated this portrait of nice Kumiko, shoot in the shadow in a very bright sunny Winter day, it was November 2006 in Rivoli near Turin, Italy. This are the first pictures I took with my new Nikon D2xs and I was really impressed with the quality and latitude of exposure of this camera, no surprise about sharpness and quality of Nikkor lenses, I know very well, at the time still manual focus 85mm f2.8. She has great eyes, intense look and sensual mouth.

Lovely hair

A portrait of Akie, she is a classical singer, I love her nice black hairs and sweet smile. I took this portrait in my studio in September 2010, I decided to de-saturate the color to add mood to the image and keeping the photo quite dark to keep attention on her eyes and sensual expression.

Japanese Artists in Vicenza

In Vicenza I met 3 Japanese artists, a sculptor and two painters, they where exhibiting during "Haru no Kaze" a very nice Japanese festival in Vicenza, Italy, during wich I exhibit my photographic work too. I took the opportunity to shoot this portraits, using ambient light, a mix of artificial lights and used my 85mm f1,4. I choosed  the position for the pose in front of or close to each one work of art, kind of reportage/portrait. It was very nice to know them.

Yes, I like it!

A nice neck, again, the yukata is the summer version of the kimono, same shape but in cotton, the neck is nicely shown by the soft fabric and is enfatized by the hair tied up. The ear is sexy too. I love the shallow focus given by my 85mm Nikon f 1.4 in natural light from a window in my studio with a shoji to soften the light.