Stekki 06: Mari Hirao

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mari hirao | alfie goodrich | kamakura | hayama a japanorama production | japanorama.co.uk/stekki

no.6 . august 2014 < japan, fashion, photography, lifestyle, life

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素敵 すてき su-te-ki /ste ki/

adjective: beautiful, great, lovely, splendid, wonderful, nice

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index/ credits

credits EDITOR IN CHIEF Alfie Goodrich.

SPECIAL THANKS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Hiromi, Joe, Ami and Charlie [for putting up with and supporting me throughout the years], Gianluca Carrero [for the initial magazine template design], Matthew Lamb [for that chat in tbe van, on the way back from Kinugawa].

Mari Hirao for her fabulous modelling. http://www.iara-ag.co.jp/model/iara_models/ mari_hirao/ H&M Japan for the loan of the clothes. produced by japanorama www.japanorama.co.uk/stekki

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WELCOME TO STEKKI

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hooting fashion on location is by far and away the most satisfying photography that I do. I love all the work I do, but the combination of place and person that happens when you have a creative model on location is especially gratifying.

The locations neednâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be grandiose, elaborate or hard to find. In the set that Mari and I captured in Kamakura and Hayama on a few hours one day recently, away from the temples and shrines we found as much satisfaction is using a piece of seawall beside a busy road.

Pre-visualization is a very large part of finding locations that will work with your model and the clothes he or she is wearing. When you are cruis-

ing an area in a car, that pre-visualisaion often has to be dine very quickly; as you round a corner or turn onto a street, the abilioty to instantly imagine your model in a particular space can be very handy.

As well as the photos we took, I have also included in this edition of the magazine a Google map and some description of the places we shot in Kamakura. Our Hayama locations were about 5kms past Hayama town itself and are noit on the map.

Alfie Goodrich, Editor in Chief Photograph by Ben Torode

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed making them. Mari is a very talented model and we are already planning our next shoots.â&#x20AC;?

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KAMAKURA PHOTOWALK Off the beaten-track walk to forest temples, over the hill & down to the beach...

Kamakura is full of wonderful places to visit but can be prone to getting very crowded. Here’s a less populous route that includes all the places Mari and I shot at during our day in Kamakura.

Some years ago I discovered a walk that takes in some beautiful shrines and temples but that which manages to never get overcrowded with people.

Myohon-ji Temple is a spectacular and peaceful forest temple, where you’ll find no hassle from security guards when you are shooting. Just be sensible, don’t use stands or loads of gear and you’ll have a very trouble-free shoot. There’s a whole set of pics in this magazine, which Mari and I shot there recently. During the hour we were at the temple, we saw perhaps as few as ten people and no security guards.

From Myohon-ji the walk follows roads, small and not so small, past a few cute little shrines. Cross the railway to reach Choshoji, which you’ll access through a low door in a long, white wall.

The path that traverses the hill is accessed from the back of Chosho-ji and will take you about 25mins of walking to reach the stunning Komyo-ji Temple, down near the north beach.

Ample parking at all shrines and near the beach.

Enjoy!

Here’s a Google Map I created, with all the main aspects of the walk marked.... http://tinyurl.com/q6ag7qf

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CHOSHO-JI through the tiny door Textures of wood, colours of green

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hosho-ji is not a big temple and getting in the side entrance involves the tiniest of doors, set into a big white wall.

Once inside there are some impressive statues and a beautiful wooden rotunda. Set to one side up some steps are a collection of momoji trees and another building, with a wooden deck that has great light on two sides.

The wood offered us some great, flat expanses of space and soft colour.

There’s a “shoes off ” rule for the deck and that gave us an opportunty to get some barefoot shots, which was not so possible at Myohon-ji Temple due to the proliferation of splinters on the large wooden deck there. No one wants splinters in their

feet. Least of all a model who has a whole day’s shooting ahead of her.

The greens from the trees, the wooden deck and low eaves of the building all made for some nice backdrops. The light was fairly soft and the proximity of the trees to the building helped diffuse a little more. Luckily the whole day was one not of the usual harsh summer light. Good cloud cover had given us a much softer light to work with. Hard sunlight is not just hot to work in but it is very contrasty.

< Details of this shot:

Nikon D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.6 @ 1/125th sec 50 ISO Spot metered Manual exposure mode

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Nikon D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.6 @ 1/200th sec 50 ISO Spot metered Manual exposure mode

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Nikon D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.6 @ 1/200th sec 50 ISO Spot metered Manual exposure mode

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Nikon D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.6 @ 1/125th sec 50 ISO Spot metered Manual exposure mode

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Nikon D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.4 @ 1/100th sec 50 ISO Spot metered Manual exposure mode

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Nikon D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.4 @ 1/100th sec 50 ISO Spot metered Manual exposure mode

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komyo-ji arborial tranquility, off the beaten-track One of Kamakuraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most beautiful temples and a place of peace and tranquility amongst the trees....

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The main part of the temple at Myohon-ji is adorned with many spectacular, ornate wooden carvings....

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yohon-ji is without doubt, for me, one of Kamakura’s finest temples. It may not have the huge stone statues or the elaborate ponds full of carp.

It doesn’t even have any cutesy red-painted bridges or elaborate staircases. What it does have, though, is peace and quiet and a beautiful location. Kamakura is beautiful. No doubt about that. But for the most part it is choked with people, clogged almost to saturation at weekends and during any sort of holiday period. Once you have seen the main attractions, browsed the shops and endured the crowds, it’s time to find another level to the town - and there are many. Anywhere you re-visit or spend a long time has a habit of revealing other layers of itself. The trouble with me is that I often don’t want to even do the touristy stuff once... I just want to get straight to the ‘hidden charms’. Over the years I have found that a healthy sense of curiosity combined with a love of exploring has helped me quickly find this ‘other layer’ in places.

Part of that is down to my always having a camera with me [even if it just the iPhone] and some sort of ‘plan’ for shots I want. Sometimes the plan is loose or the shots I want are shots that I am taking in my head and saving up for another day: imagining a model in a scene, imagining the scene through a specific lens. Pre-visualisation for me is actually what I am doing all the time, wherever I am. I’m constantly saving up shots in my head for ‘next time’.

Myohon-ji has been like that for me for a long time. I’ve done several organised photowalks that have visited the temple and apart from that have visted it myself on many other occasions.

Throughout all those times, I’ve been taking shots in my head with a model. It was great fun to finally take those shots for real, with Mari.....

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/2 @ 1/200th sec ISO 250 Spot metered Manual exposure mode In-camera monochrome

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.6 @ 1/125th sec ISO 320 Spot metered Manual exposure mode In-camera monochrome

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AiS f/2 @ 1/125th sec ISO 320 Spot metered Manual exposure mode In-camera monochrome

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/2 @ 1/200th sec ISO 160 Spot metered Manual exposure mode

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/2 @ 1/320th sec ISO 400 Spot metered Manual exposure mode In-camera monochrome

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/2.5 @ 1/200th sec ISO 800 Spot metered Manual exposure mode In-camera monochrome

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.8 @ 1/200th sec ISO 200 Spot metered Manual exposure mode

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.4 @ 1/320th sec ISO 50 Spot metered Manual exposure mode In-camera monochrome

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This page: NIKON D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.4 @ 1/400th sec ISO 50 Spot metered Manual exposure mode In-camera monochrome Oppostite page: f/1.8 @ 1/200th sec

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 Ai f/1.2 @ 1/80th sec ISO 0.7EV under 100 Spot metered Manual exposure mode In-camera monochrome

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Sat close to the beach, this sprawling and spectacular wooden temple was our last location with the white dress.

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 135mm f/2 AF-DC f/2.2 and rear de-focus set to f/2 1/250th sec 160 ISO In-camera monochrome

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NIKON D800E | Nikkor 80-200mm EFID @ 120mm | f/2.8 | 1/80th sec | Manual Mode | Spot metering | ISO 0.3 EV under 100

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or a year or so, Komyo-ji Temple was undergoing a substantial renovation. The pavillion at the rear of the temple, that sits behind a large pond, was completely rebuilt. During the renovation, access was limited and the whole temple was a mess of construction and scaffolding. Komyo-ji is now fully back in operation and along with the forest temple of Myohon-ji is one of my favourite templs in Kamakura.

Situated a few hundred metres from Kamakura’s north beach, Komyo-ji is near the main Route 134 but has no direct access from that coast road. A tunnel connects the car-park opposite the temple to the long sandy beach.

Komyo-jo is built from a light-coloured wood that makes the buildings glow in the afternoon sun. The tome of the wood is soft and perfect for the sorts of shots we wanted to get there. In the end, most of what we shot was monochrome. It just suited the dress and the light more.

Whatever the season, Komyo-ji is a joy to behold but hanami season in particular is one of the best times to visit, when the numerous cherry trees around the main courtyard erupt into showers of pink petals.

A rock garden at the right-side of the main building and the temple’s substantial pond and attractive pavillion make Komyo-ji a multifaceted visual experience. It’s soft light and delicate wood create a beautiful ambience for fashion.

As with all the temples we shot during our day in Kamakura, Komyo-ji presented no problems. All the shots were hand-held, no reflectors were used and we were courteous and respectful of our surroundings. The small group of visitors there during our shoot were all politely inquisitive and enjoyed watching us....

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.4 @ 1/220th sec ISO 50 Spot metered Manual exposure mode In-camera monochrome

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.4 @ 1/100th sec ISO 250 Spot metered Manual exposure mode In-camera monochrome

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.4 @ 1/100th sec ISO 250 Spot metered Manual exposure mode In-camera monochrome

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素敵 CHOSHO-JI MYOHON-JI KOMYO-JI

Kamakura, Kanagawa White dress by H&M: レースサーキュラーワンピース http://www.hm.com/jp/product/36214?article=36214-B

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Last shots of the day at a beach on the Hayama Peninsula

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Half an hour’s drive from Kamakura and we found the perfect spots for ‘that yellow skirt’....

NIKON D800E Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S G @ 29mm f/8 @ 1/125th sec ISO 50 Spot metered Manual exposure mode Three Yongnuo 560ii flashes, bare, on a stand at camera left Triggered by Yongnuo 603 wireless triggers

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 80-200mm IFED @ 200mm f/4 @ 1/200th sec ISO 100 Spot metered Manual exposure mode

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As we were driving along the coast from Zushi through to Hayama, we found a section of small road with access to the sea wall. The wall was high, Mari was brave and climbed on top. The neutral textures and colour fo the concrete were the perfect counterpoint for the yellow skirt and top. We tried a couple of different angles and viewpoints, to vary the background items and accentuate the feeling of how high the wall was. Very happy with these shots. Great to have a model who is as adventurous as me; when she saw the angles I was looking at, she was up on the wall in no time. Using the longer lens - for a couple of shots set to the DX crop and 300mm crushed the perspective nicely.

The beach we found farther down the coast gave us an opportunity to get the flashes out and have some fun on the last shots of the day.

This shot: NIKON D800E, Nikkor 80200mm f/2.8 IF ED @ 170mm, ISO 100, f/4 @ 1/200th sec.

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These two shots; NIKON D800E Nikkor 80-200mm IFED f/4 @ 1/200th sec ISO 100 Spot metered Manual exposure mode This page: lens at 92mm Left page: lens at 112mm

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 80-200mm IFED @ 112mm f/6.3 @ 1/200th sec ISO 50 Spot metered Manual exposure mode Two Yongnuo 560ii flashes, bare, on a stand at camera right Triggered by Yongnuo 603 wireless triggers

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These two shots NIKON D800E Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G f/1.4 @ 1/320th sec ISO 50 Spot metered Manual exposure mode

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NIKON D800E Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S G @ 29mm f/8 @ 1/125th sec ISO 50 Spot metered Manual exposure mode Three Yongnuo 560ii flashes, bare, on a stand at camera left Triggered by Yongnuo 603 wireless triggers

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素敵

HAYAMA BEACH Kanagawa Neoprene two-piece by H&M http://www.hm.com/jp

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