I’m so Blue.....and so is my Fundoshi.....

This is the month of gauze, all from Island Breeze Gauze at fabric.com. We had the black and white at the beginning of the month, then moved on to the lovely orange and pink for Christmas. Today, we have a true blue. This fabric discharges to white, and the contrast is quite striking.

The different sized circles are courtesy of cookie cutters being used as stencils. Remember to grab anything you may have around you and experiment! 

You may notice in this shoot that the photos are a bit grainy. I could type away and let you know that was my photographic choice. I wanted to have a less slick look to these photos. I wanted to give it a faded 60’s sort of vibe. I wanted to make a comment about the futility of life and lament that even digital information has a tendency to decay over time....

...I hit a button by mistake. 

When I do these shots of myself, I have to set the camera’s timer. Normally, I do this without actually looking at what I am doing. Since I am in front of the camera, I just reach around and hit the appropriate buttons (circular button array, right button 1 time, bottom button 3 times, shutter button). This gives me an initial delay of 10 seconds, then 3 shots. Unfortunately, early on in the shoot, I hit the left button in the array. This caused the iso selection to appear. The bottom button 3 times causes the iso to change to 400. My camera is especially bad at using 400 and greater. Doing so introduces digital noise into the photographs. The film version of this is grain. 

Even though this occurred, I think the overall concept of the shoot worked and was able to get some interesting photos. 

I was working on using a bright backlight to create a silhouette with a dim front light so I wouldn’t just be a black shape. I didn’t do a lot of testing first, so to ensure I wasn’t taking a bunch of shots I would throw away, I actually did each photo two times....once with the lighting I set up, then again with the camera’s flash on. 

fundoshi:  blue with a frenetic circle pattern

fabric: cotton gauze...just can't seem to get enough...

photography: some mistakes in-camera, but I press on, learning from them....

An now....the rest of the shoot!

Fundoshi for Christmas - Just for me? Take Two…

This is really a ‘take two’…the same shoot from the last one with this fundoshi, just a different set of photos from beginning to end. 

I thought I would do it this way instead of the normal ‘putting on the fundoshi’ in one blog, then ‘taking off the fundoshi’ in a second blog….what do you think? 

Does it kill the anticipation of the future blog this way? 

Are more photos better, or should I try to limit them a bit? 

Let me know, and even if you don’t, I am truly wishing you a fantastic holiday season…..

More of the shoot....

Fundoshi for Christmas? Yes Please! Part the Second…

Look...it's that rather loose orange fundoshi with green tinsel…..

  Look....we have some close-up back shots.....

 Look...is that tinsel being worn like a boa?

 Look....it seems to be coming untied...

Look...more from the shoot....

Fundoshi for Christmas - Just for me?????

Look what Santa left under my sparkly tinsel tree….another fundoshi, this time in hot pink gauze. 

Wait a minute….is that a new design I see? Why, yes…it is. 

 

I think I have mentioned in a previous blog how this particular pink  ‘island breeze’ gauze from fabric.com doesn’t take well to discharge dye techniques, but this one was quite simple to do.

1.  The fundoshi was folded in thirds a couple of times. The power of three gives the large design the perfect spot for wearing.
2.  I dampened the fabric so the edges of the reaction would be soft. 
3.  The discharge solution (a strong one - 50/50 water and bleach) was poured in the center of the fabric.
4.  I let it sit for a while.

That is it….simple, but I think it turned out rather elegant in its simplicity. 

For the shoot, I got out a green and a pink tinsel tree to pay homage to the favorite color combination used by Andy Warhol. It also happens to be my second favorite color combination right now, so there wasn’t too much thought going on…..

Normally, I tie my fundoshi right around my natural waist line. For this shoot, I deliberately changed it up a bit and tied it quite low. In contrast to the simple wrap of last blog’s orange fundoshi, I got a bit elaborate with the twisting and tying and wrapping…just trying to highlight the design a bit. 

fundoshi - hot pink with a simple fade

fabric - island breeze cotton gauze

photograpy - general lighting, some close ups….you are probably used to this by now….

On to the rest of the shoot.....

Fundoshi for Christmas? Yes Please!

If you have followed my tumblr feed, you know that I have been posting some daily photos using christmas lights. Well, the holiday season could not continue without one or two special fundoshi shoots as well.

To begin with, a treat with a new color - orange. Once again, this is the ever so comfortable cotton gauze. With the temperatures going down, I find it a bit more pleasant and cozy than cheesecloth or voile. 

 














I have been fascinated by the combination of orange and green, so couldn’t resist using some green tinsel in a shoot. 

While the design on this fundoshi appears quite random, it was created in a strangely meticulous fashion. I folded the lovely orange gauze like an accordion. Then the bleaching solution was applied along the edges of the folds. Depending on where the solution hit, and if the fold was even gives the results you see. The fabric was also dry, so there was little bleeding, making the white edges crisper. I’ve done the exact same process on wet material and the results are completely different. So, if you are trying your hand at this technique, I encourage you to do one with the material dry, and another with it wet….you may be delighted at the differences!

Fundoshi...Orange and tied quite loose. No fancy knots or twists going on today.

Fabric....100% Cotton Guaze

Photography....Lots of light. I think this works well with the sparkly tinsel. These bright colors seem to work well with the white backdrop. 

And now….we continue on with the photos!

Fundoshi in Black and White - Part Three

Black and White fundoshi in gauze.

So lovely to wear.

So lovely to take off.

And that is what is happening.

Jump ahead for more (less?).....

Fundoshi in Black and White Part Two - Now in Living Color

A warm afternoon with a glass of champagne - a perfect combination for a shoot!

Perhaps you can join me and grab your favorite libation......

Black and White fundoshi in gauze, so lovely to wear! 

Jump ahead for more....

Fundoshi in Black and White

Back as promised with lots of new items. First off, I am back to gauze...specifically Island Breeze black cotton gauze. I had a ton of fun creating some new designs and tweaking some older ones. 

For the first outing, I decided to keep it simple with some large circles. As you can see, this gauze goes to white during the discharge process. I didn’t realize this until the rinsing process. During the application of the bleach, the fabric actually turned a bronze color. The bronze was a lovely contrast to the black, but I think I like the stark nature of the white. 

For the template to create the circles, I actually used a salad plate. I placed it onto the fabric, then used a brush to apply the discharge solution. The technique worked quite well. The only issue is that the edge of the plate retained some discharge liquid which dripped a couple of times in unwanted places. This is how you know my fundoshi designs are handmade and one-of-a-kind....they all have human flaws!

I actually hadn’t planned on doing a shoot of myself when I did these. A friend wanted me to take some photos of her during her seventh month of pregnancy. Because of this, I moved the backdrop and lights into my living room where I had more space to play with. After lugging all the furniture out, this left a large amount of room to have fun with. I got some great shots (standard and ‘boudoir’) of my friend and we went out to lunch. Getting back home, I was going to put my living room back, but thought - why waste this? Grab a glass of champagne and do a shoot....

What the larger space did was give me more options. I could move the camera farther back, avoiding some proportion distortions that happen if the camera is too close. It also allowed me to place the lights a bit differently. 

There are many, many, many photos in this shoot, so they will be presented in the next three blogs. For today, since the fundoshi is black and white, we have the first in a black and white series (which you probably guessed based on the photo above). I think I may need to state it is a complete coincidence that drinking and black and white are showing up in my blog as well as Ryan's at  Fundoshi 4 All! this week.....

And now....the shoot.....

Back to Basics - Fundoshi with a Hint of Color.....

While on vacation, I always spend time hiking. For this shoot, I had just gotten back to the condo after a hike along some beaches and the bordering woods at those beaches. Upon getting home, I was about to jump in the shower when I saw the camera was still hooked up to the tripod, so I did a quick little shoot taking off my fundoshi.

I tried to use the same angles as the shoot I had done the previous evening (featured in the last two blogs). You can now see what the buildings are like. I must admit, they make a better backdrop during the evening!

While this blog may morph over time, I still try to focus on photography that utilizes a ‘studio’ approach. When I think of this, it is mostly about how to manipulate light. I started by taking simple objects around the house (the camera’s flash, lamps, flashlights, etc.) to try to learn about lighting. While I do have a simple studio set-up now, it is always good to get back to basics. 

I used the phrase “reluctant exhibitionist” in my teaser last time.  I must admit that I felt quite exposed with those large windows open and a couple of buildings in view. For a true exhibitionist, this must appear quaint. On my hikes during vacation, I actually tried to get some photos of myself in fundoshi in the great outdoors. I know I’m not a true exhibitionist since I was always on the lookout and wary of being caught...a true exhibitionist would have welcomed onlookers!  I’ve been posting some of those on my tumblr site along with some other photo shoots that just don’t meet my current blog guidelines. 

Onward for the rest of the photos.....

Back to Basics - Khaki Cheesecloth Fundoshi...Part Two

Still on vacation, and as promised, the lovely cheesecloth fundoshi is being taken off. I noticed that the low light nature of some of these photos accentuates how much hair I have on my body.

I really do like the city lights in the background of these shots. 

I don’t think I have to say it, but I wouldn’t wear cheesecloth fundoshi in public....especially if swimming. Maybe one day I’ll do a full ‘wet’ series showing how the different fabrics react. I’ll have to think about that a bit. Believe it or not, I do have a little bit of modesty left in me....not much, but a little!

And now, the rest of the photos....

Back to Basics - Khaki Cheesecloth Fundoshi

Well, back to that ultra comfortable cheesecloth in a never-before seen design!

This fundoshi has simple stripes from end to end. This was relatively easy to create, as the discharge solution easily flows through multiple layers of fabric. A simple fold and apply. Unfortunately, I did not document the process, but I have been documenting other fabrics and will be creating a photograhpic ‘how-to’ for this design. Look for it in a future blog!

While on vacation in Hawai'i, I actually couldn’t resist doing a little shoot one night. Maybe it was the pattern of lights from the buildings in the distance....maybe it was that last martini....who knows what prompts me to drop my drawers and start to pose!?!

I was equipped with only my camera and tripod, so it was all about what could be done with the limited light. 

I’ve also included some shots I took while back home in the studio in my ongoing ‘fundoshi as art’ project.

And now, the rest of the photos....

Fundoshi as Prop....Part Two

Part Two of the shoot using the wonderful white cotton lawn fundoshi. Since I am more interested in discharge techniques opposed to additive ones, this is the last design I did with this material.

here is the untouched, colored and black dot fundoshi

This group of photos has the camera a little closer to the action than the last group.

I also couldn’t resist just using the fundoshi as a prop, I had to put it on!

And now, the rest of the photos.....

Fundoshi as Prop

Happy Birthday to me!!!!  That's right, gentle readers, it is my birthday week and to celebrate, a special 'birthday suit' edition of fundoshi, fabric and photos.

For some of the shoot, I wanted to see how far I could push the focus contrast. Here is a test shot that gave me the idea. 

For the fundoshi, I am back to that semi-sheer, soft and comfortable white cotton lawn. In this  additive design, I simply folded the fabric in half a few times, then poured black ink in the center. After letting it set for a bit, I then rinsed. This left behind lovely artifacts of the initial circle created by the pour. 

 

I wanted to switch things up a bit and instead of doing a demonstration-like shoot of me putting on and taking off the fundoshi (which we have seen a number of times), I thought of using the fabric as a simple prop for the photographs. 

Fundoshi...just a simple design that has grown to be one of my favorites....wait....how many favorites is that?

Fabric....cotton lawn

Photography....Lots and lots of light. I played with focus for a few shots, sometimes having it in the foreground while one shot was done with the focus on the background.

And now, the rest of the photos.....