Found More Photos from Taiwan: Part 1

Good morning to you :).

I hope you are enjoying a productive and relaxing day. Last week I discovered some untouched photos from my Taiwan trip and wanted to share with you some of my favorites from this “lost file.” All of these photos were shot on 35mm film. These photos are from my visit up to the Hydrangea Flower Field in Taiwan, Taipei.

There were a large number of families, couples, and groups of friends visiting to bask in the beauty of the flowers and trees. I may have been the only person visiting alone, but when you travel solo often it isn’t a concern. As you can see some of them allowed me to photograph them. My favorite photo is on the very bottom. Explanation will be given below!

This photograph which you see here is my favorite photo from my entire trip. After visiting the Hydrangea Fields I took the bus to explore nearby areas. This was on one of the hikes (that I went on with sandals, let’s celebrate shoe diversity). I remember reaching a random hill, and I caught this duo just about to walk down together. It was another hot & humid day in Taiwan, but the the views were dreamy and the winds, comforting. They two were quiet. Seeing that she was fixing her hat, I assumed that they had just taken a break and were heading down to continue their hike. Something about capturing that moment was wonderful for me. To see this duo, assumably a daughter and father spending time together when perhaps she has other friends to choose to hang out with, or perhaps she struggles to make friends and her father wanted to give her company. We will never know, and that’s the beauty of it.

More to come :)

Taiwan Minimally

Hello and goooooood morning again!

Here are some minimalist views that I encountered during my hikes in Taiwan. They were breathtaking, grounding and calming all in one package. Which one is your favorite? :)

As you can see, the overall greenery there was rich with almost a blue-green hue. It’s wonderful to understand how climate affects not only lifestyles but the very colors that surround us.

My favorites are torn between the last photo and the second to last.

A little about this last image though. It was on the left side of my hiking trail. When I saw it, it felt as if time had stopped. There was nothing but myself, these long grass, and the wind wisping through it. Funny how certain moments are engrained in your memory one it has made an impact on your life.

Have you ever experienced a moment like that? Tell me about it!

Asuka

Painted Hills Destination Bridal

Before moving out east I went out to shoot Ai who turned her wedding dress into a tie dye work of art. The colors worked beautifully with the mountains of Painted Hills, Oregon. The morning of that shoot was beautiful. Nice and warm, the sun a little harsh but we made it work in our favor. The mountains were truly dreamy. Nothing like traveling to shoot!

Photos shot on both 35mm and digital.

LambaLena on 35mm

The Portland Zouk community is really grateful to have Lena join the land of evergreen, awesome food carts & weirdness. Lena specializes in Lambada, which is a lovely partner dance style that I hope to one day dance well. 

You can easily see from the photos that Lena has experience with ballet and contemporary dance, dance forms that amaze me always. What is best about having her as a new instructor here in Portland though is really, her silly personality. Anyone who knows her would most likely describe her as cute & silly. Quirky. Personable, & respectable. As a Japanese person, I'm happy to have happa Lena to speak Japanese with too!

Thanks for being here Lena ^^. 

Masumi

Nikki: Kindness

A few months ago I had the privilege of shooting with contemporary dancer Nikki Leopold. For those who already know my shooting style, we started off by dancing improv to some music. Many dancers have lovely movement but there was something extremely different with Nikki. Moments within her dancing, I started to feel emotional. Her movement demonstrated something that deeply moved me. It was unfeigned kindness. Accepting of pain that may be received, yet understanding of circumstances, still kind. 

That is what I love about improv - to me it is the open door to showing you who are. At least for myself when dancing improv, though my technique may often lack my emotions are expressed, putting heart into movement. I appreciated her demonstrating her genuine self. As a photographer it is my job to photograph the beauty of somebody's authenticity and to have viewers feel what I feel. To see the beauty that I see. 

The images from this session made such an impression upon me that I wanted to create a book of it for my photo show that came around the next month. Sadly it did not work out but I hope that you enjoy the photos. I hope that you can feel the kindness that I felt that day.

Masumi

Sydney Moments

Some moments from my trip to Sydney. This trip was probably the trip where I missed my husband the most, as he spent two years of his life there before meeting me. Having met up with some of his friends, I felt like I was tracing his footsteps. Bittersweet experience. Here are some of the things which I captured while roaming around the land of Aussies.

There must have been a school trip to visit the same place as myself. So many little ones (even shorter than myself) in these yellow polo shirts & brown sweaters roaming about. I wonder what they were thinking. 

Student and Sydney University

Sydney Opera House

It's amazing to know that I remember exactly where I was when taking this photo. I guess photos really are a ticket back to a moment once experienced.

Probably one of my favorite images. Taken at the tallest building in Sydney. Sydney was kind enough to demonstrate a height comparison chart with the other tallest buildings in their city. Sydney's was proudly one of the shortest buildings built. 

The passenger sitting in front of me in the train. 

Waited forever like a real creeper to get the right angle of her face to be in view. 

The lovely greener that was in front of the apartment complex that I stayed at. 

Masumi