fashion

Eco Project: Homage /  by Masumi Taguchi

Times have been tremendously busy, but I am still holding on to the goal of producing one creative, environmentally conscious photo shoot once per month. Despite much chaos going on outside of photographer, thankfully during April I got to manifest Homage.

Homage is a project created to give respect to the existing space between an end and a beginning. That empty space in between the end of a chapter and the introduction of a new one. Those moments of your eyelids closing as it welcomes rest. The silence between the inhale and exhale.

This







Space.

Often when events in our lives come to an end we eagerly anticipate what is next, but this project hopes to provide space to embrace the moments that often go unnoticed. I would argue that it is these moments that are the strings which connect our human experience that deserve a hug of recognition.

What is the eco aspect of the shoot you ask?

Over a span of several weeks, I crafted this skirt from local foliage which I individually picked from near my apartment. Two other types of skirts were crafted but in the end I chose the one you see here, as I felt it was fit for the concept. It is nowhere near perfect but I had a blast making this skirt.

Model: Kelsey Butler
Hair Stylist: Arisa Gonzales
MUA: Yuka Ito
Photographer: Asuka Visions

On an extra fun note, I got to retry shooting Portra 800 on 120mm again. This time around the images turned out fabulous. I am beyond pleased to have tried again and cannot recommend it enough.

I can’t wait to go on another adventure photo trip. Asuka’s travel plans are going to be seldom due to the pandemic, but for future bookings you can send an e-mail to see if we can work out a happy arrangement.

Cheers,
Asuka Visions

Chess, One Day /  by Masumi Taguchi

Hello lovely people :)

The other day I got to speak to someone who is a high level chess player. He taught me a bit about the chess world and also shared some chess basics. I learned that chess games can last about seven hours. To make each move you get a certain amount of time. As the game gets deeper you get more and more limited amounts of time to decide where to place your player. Hearing these rules reminded me of everyday life. We have a cute 24 hours every day, and at the start of our day we get to choose how we want the game to go and act accordingly with the goal we set in our hearts. If we were to say, "I want to improve at X today", within each hour we get to choose how to make that goal happen. 

What do you wish for today?

"I want to smile"

"I want to tell my family I care"

"I want to cultivate better friendships"

"I want to get out of bed today"

"I want to learn a new hobby"

"I want to love"

"I want to feel okay"

Mine is "I want to speak more clearly today."
Your want is valid and important, no matter how small it may seem. 
Let's get it my Instagram friends 🌟

Model: Esther Lam

Cheers,
Masumi

Simple Black Dress in Nature /  by Masumi Taguchi

The other week I had the opportunity to work with fashion model Rachel Dahle at Rocky Butte Park, Oregon. That day Portland received unusual sunshine as it rains most of the time, so with that sun the following is a snippet of the work we created. All of the shots were taken by the Olympus OM-2 on Kodak Portra 400. It is always a privilege when you not only get to work with professionals, but people who have the same vibe with the art concept you have in mind. Ladies and gentlemen, keep an eye out for this lady, I reckon she can make it big. So much talent and kindness.