travel

Last Summer

For our summer trip, the last place we picked was Marseille. We left Madrid after staying for a long hot summer month in August.  We left at midnight and took busses to go Marseille. We were not sure it was a good idea to take a night bus, but ended up that it was not that bad. For my body, a bus was much easier than flying. And the seats had more space than an airplane’s.(economy seats).

Changing busses at Barcelona in the early morning, I felt some sort of melancholiness to see the city again. We arrived on Marseille on Sunday afternoon, tired. Suitcases rolling on the subway and street. We had a stupid fight in very beginning of our journey. Exactly the same, arriving Paris, tired, taking subway, rolling suitcases to find our airbnb. Seems like we had a tendency to fight in France. As well as feeling of extra passion and romantic feeling to me. France… such a passionate country.  

Check-in was bit hectic, but we really liked the apartment. After Spain, we craved a good baguette, yes, french baguette. We got a bottle of red, and a much better baguette most of Spain offered. And our standard meal, grilled ground beef, salad and some cheese. Celebrating our journey to arrive, and excited to see what surprises Marseille had for us. Also I couldn’t resist a feeling of sadness, because the summer was about to be ending very soon…


Next day, we walked everywhere in Marseille, that’s what I felt. Up and down in the city, we went to a beautiful church on top of a hill. It became one of my favorite churches. Brighter and airy. A lighter vibe than most of churches. We went to the harbor and were considering hopping onto one of the boats. We couldn’t decide, so we just kept walking around the sea port and had some rest at a cafe. Sometimes we are very indecisive. We had some fun photo shoots at our place later that day and prepared for a day trip to Cassis next day. 


Cassis was such a perfect pick for our final adventure. Turquoise ocean, mountains and rocks. We jumped in the sea several times. He was laughing because I couldn’t jump from the rocks. When I did, I hit my body badly on the water… Cassis was like a dream, it was just magical. 



Our long summer vacation ended. I won’t forget this summer. And it is actually almost a year ago…. New summer is about to begin. Life has changed a lot since then. Life is always changing. Although the most memorable changes happened in this season. My life started June 27th, on my birthday. Since then, summer is always about to bring me fresh air. 

 

Travel Portrait

I started traveling about 6 months ago. It’s been a great time, I also miss home but I’ve almost become addicted to moving constantly. I used to say I am a Portrait photographer based on Kauai, but I don’t really feel that way anymore. I think I’d like to call myself a travel portrait photographer? It’s not important but I just thought it might be cool:)

Since I started taking photos, photography and traveling have always been two pieces of the same puzzle. I don’t remember when I first thought I want to be a photographer, but I must of been really young. I remember when I went to a museum with my dad around 7 years old? and saw Robert Capa photos. I was thinking “Oh.. as a photographer, I have to go to a war too” I thought photographers need to go a war, and going to war is sort of traveling.

There are many different aspects of “Why I wanted to be a photographer”, but one of them is traveling. I’ve liked traveling almost all of my life, and I wanted to share my travel experiences with my family and friends. Also I wanted to keep the memories as my treasure. And another element is to connect with people. I remember unconsciously how I felt love from my parents and grand parents taking my photo as a child. And I started using my dad’s camera to take my family photos. I still rely on photography to connect with people, but I think I am better than before. I can make some friends without holding a camera.

But I can’t be a photographer who meets people anywhere they go to take their portrait photos, I am too shy to do that. Also not interested. I like having deeper connections with people than I would have if we had just met. I like to spend time with people. I guess great photographers opens up other people quickly and get deep connections with them, but I definitely need a little time to warm up with people. So I like traveling with someone and then surfacing the moments through them. Also the person I’m traveling with hopefully likes to take photos. That way, I’ll end up inside a few of the memories after all. That gives me some fun little surprises after the trip. :) That’s the best!

So I don’t know if what I’m talking about is called a ‘travel portrait photographer’. Maybe so. That is what I want to do right now.

ふと気づけば 6ヶ月前から旅をし続けています。家が恋しくなりもするし 旅疲れもしてくるけど なんだかんだ この常に新しい環境にいるということに 今はハマってるな、と思う。ちょっと前まで 自分はカウアイベースのフォトグラファーです、と言っていたけど 今はそれには違和感を感じるし ベースってのもないなぁって思ってきて トラベルポートレイトフォトグラファーにしよう!と思って まぁ肩書きなんてどうでもいいんだが、、と思いつつ なんかいいかも、と:)

旅と写真は 子供の時に写真を撮り始めてから いつもセットである気がする。これ書いてて思い出したけど 最初にした 一人での展示はテーマが”旅だった。子供の時に両親と行った ロバートキャパ展で ”私も写真家になるのなら 戦争に行かなきゃいけないのか。。。”とドキドキしたのを覚えている。これもある意味で旅だし。

子供の頃 写真家になりたかった、そして それをそのまま今でも同じくやってるのには 色々な要素が組み合ってるけど 旅はその一つ。小さい頃からずっと旅行が好きで その思い出、キラキラしてる状況を家族や友達にシェアしたい、そして それを忘れたくない、とっておきたい、というので写真を撮っていた。 もう一つに 人とのコミュニケーションツールであること。無意識で 両親から、おばあちゃん達からの愛情を 写真を撮られることで感じてたのを覚えている。そして お父さんのカメラで妹とかを撮り始め、17、18歳くらいからは 写真を撮る事によって人と繋がっていくことが増えて行った。20歳でニューヨークに行ってからは ほぼそればっかり。気がつけば 最近はカメラなくても 友達がやっと作れるようになってきたかも。。。?笑 でも トラベルポートレイトフォトグラファーのイメージにあるような 旅先で 色んな人と出会い 生々しいショットをゲットできるような写真家にはなれないなぁと思う。それをやりたいかも微妙だし。誰かと旅をして その人を通して その時々を写していくのがいい。スローな旅の途中で 新しい人に会っていくのも それもそれでもちろん楽しい。あ、あと その人が写真好きで 私の写真を撮ってくれるっていうのも条件だなぁ〜 旅が終わって 全く私の写真がないとか寂しいし! 

これをトラベルポートレイトフォトグラファーと呼ぶのか微妙だけど 今はこうしておこうかと:) 

Spain trip

I am traveling in Spain this summer. My first time Spain, not much being planned.  I wanted to see something new, and renew my passion for life and creation.  My time here is already half passed but still feeling like the same old me... But a small shift is happening, after a month of staying in a different country, breathing different air, eating and drinking local foods and water, and hearing different sounds. My cells are renewed. During this time, a lot of old memories came up, especially ones from when I first moved to America. Those memories are sweet and sour. I was so full of expectations for my life, and myself. - Before I experienced some pain and setbacks. Those memories come and go, reminds me of that feeling of expectation and my invisible source of passion. Some smoldering passion is somewhere inside me. A passion I am hoping I can start to light up.