The beginning.....

Welcome to my first blog. About 3 weeks ago, I became interested in 2 things at once.....fundoshi and studio photography. I have always been interested in fabric...maybe more on that later.

If you don't know, a fundoshi is a garment originating in Japan. It can be used as an undergarment, or is appropriate (in Japan) in public. You will see them at times of ceremony, at the beach and even in some bars. After trying to wear one, I found the function and feel appeals to me. If you want to learn more, Ryan Rokushaku has set up the following sites that will teach you history, show you how to tie one and give you many photographic examples: fundoshiphile - all audiences or fundoshi4all - adults only. These are the sites that got me started.

Before you get in too deep, a note regarding the 'adult only' aspect of this blog. For now, if there are people in my photos, they will be of myself. I don't have a cadre of models at my disposal. Due to the nature of a fundoshi, you may glimpse a peek of my privates. Let's face it, this is a 'skimpy' garment, so it lends itself to other non-PG types of posing.......we'll see where my comfort level takes me......

I will explore the fundoshi from a fabric and fabric design perspective. In the coming blogs, I will give information on fabric choice, styles, manipulation, and anything else I happen to discover. At the same time, I am teaching myself studio photography, and hopefully, you will see my work improve as the blogs continue.

Fundoshi....
My first fundoshi came about after visiting the sites above. I was actually researching the malo of Hawaii, and became entranced with the fundoshi. The malo worn during battles in ancient Hawaii are very similar to the fundoshi, which is how I jumped across the pacific ocean.

Fabric...
I had an old duvet cover that had enough material to fashion a few fundoshi. You need about 3 yards of continuous material. Again, I urge you to go to the sites above for more information. The fabric was a little too thick, but it worked. I made fundoshi in a few different widths to decide what my preference is. That may be a topic for a different post....gotta space out the blogs......

Photography...
These photos have absolutely no studio feel and/or lighting. They are what got me interested in exploring those aspects of photography. I have been primarily a nature photographer, so am used to natural, outdoor lighting. From an aesthetic perspective, I enjoy high contrast as well as severe close-up (macro) photography. A couple day's after shooting this series, I purchased some lights and backdrops, so I didn't have to use 'found' objects any longer. My closet doors will also be disappearing from view in upcoming blogs. For now, we are bare-bones....my first fundoshi, fabric and photography.....

more from my first shoot...

These were shot with natural light coming in from a window.