Monday, June 30, 2014

Fundoshi of Purple Gauze - Part One

No pithy or catchy titles on this one, but I have a rather haphazardly fun new design to show off.
 



















Sometimes, you just canʻt think about grids and lines and patterns....just go for it and have fun. This one is a bit more organic looking than other designs Iʻve been showing. The purple gauze doesnʻt turn white when bleach, but has a rather tan looking color - much like natural cotton. 
fundoshi rokushaku
There is nothing really fancy or clever in this shoot. Just the standard progression of putting the fundoshi on.
fundoshi rokushaku
You can see I still roll up my fundoshi. This is mostly so I donʻt have any wrinkles in them when I want to use one for a photo shoot.
fundoshi rokushaku
You canʻt see it yet, but I will be tying this one quite low on my hips. You have probably noticed I vary where I wrap my fundoshi. This is mostly just for the photo shoots. When wearing fundoshi for every day use, I simply tie it around my natural waistline.
fundoshi rokushaku
One last thing....look for the fancy knot on this one....let me know your thoughts!

fundoshi…purple organic design

fabric...100% gauze - yes, gauze again.....get some, you will like it!


photography…Basic lighting, basic posing, basic angles...nothing much to say.....


Keep going.......


Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Black Voile Fundoshi - The White Shoot - Part One

Yes, the title is a bit confusing. Before going any further, here is the new design on this ever so lovely voile fundoshi.
 



















It is a simple enough design - a single stripe down the center, bordered by hand painted circles. As you can see above (and from other black voile fundoshi blogs), this particular fundoshi is quite sheer. Of course, when the fundoshi is completely wrapped and tied, there is a double-up of fabric, so wearing it is a bit more modest.
fundoshi rokushaku
Now for the ʻWhite Shootʻ reference. I used my new white vinyl backdrop for this. I also used as much light as I have. My vision was to blur the lines between the backdrop my body.
fundoshi rokushaku
Some of the shots came out better than others for this. I then used my photo editing programs to slightly desaturate my skin tones and pumped up the exposure a little. This helped achieve the look I wanted.
fundoshi rokushaku
Overall, I am please with how these turned out. 
fundoshi rokushaku
fundoshi…black with a fun design

fabric...100% cotton voile. Due to the sheerness of the fabric, I had a ton of fun taking photos of just the fundoshi. You will find more than the usual amount of non-body shots.

photography…extra bright to desaturate color

To the rest of the grouping.....

Friday, June 20, 2014

Gauze Fundoshi - A Good Use of White - Part Two

White on White on White - even more fun.....
fundoshi rokushaku
fundoshi as art
As I said before, it is hard to see the color on this particular fundoshi, especially with the lighting and diffusion going on in the setup. So here is a closeup of the fundoshi.
fundoshi rokushaku
fundoshi rokushaku
In some of the more details shots, the plastic drop looks like an old glass pane.

On to more.....


Sunday, June 15, 2014

Purple Voile Fundoshi - A Dimly Lit Life - Part One

All these new designs......what a treat! Another purple voile fundoshi to show off.




















This is a different take on the simple stripes I did on the orange gauze fundoshi. In this pattern, I did the stripes at a diagonal. The fundoshi was folded in fourths, which then created the chevron pattern. Depending on the layer of the fold, the discharge solution hit the fabric harder, making the nice transitions between white and blue.
fundoshi rokushaku

Have I ever mentioned how comfortable voile it, especially on a hot day? The fabric has a cool feel to it, much like a bed sheet. The main difference is that voile is a bit more sheer than most bed sheets. 
fundoshi rokushaku
As you can see, I went for a dark mood for this one. My skin looks so much more tan when I dim the lights and add a bit of colored gels!
fundoshi rokushaku

fundoshi…purple striped pattern

fabric...100% cotton voile


photography…dark and perhaps a bit contemplative

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Orange Gauze Fundoshi - The Test - Part One

Orange fundoshi in a new design. You can easily do this design with a brush - just simple stripes!
 



















What test could I possibly be speaking of?

Generally speaking, I do about 3 or 4 fundoshi shoots within a weekend. This gives me time to edit the photos and schedule the blogs without being in a rush.

For the current crop of photos starting with the white on white on white shoot, I did 6 fundoshi and 2 fundoshi related shoots in the span of 2 days. Doing it this way minimizes the setup and breakdown time of the backdrops, lights, etc. Doing so many in 2 days also meant my creative juices seemed to be draining from a posing perspective. I have to face it, there are just so many ways I have of positioning my body and wrapping a fundoshi to appear interesting. So I gave myself the following challenge:  Can I put on and take off a fundoshi without standing? 
fundoshi rokushaku
You will notice I am on a white background. This is a new one for me to use and is made of vinyl. It shows up much better when out of focus.
fundoshi rokushaku
It also has a much neater appearance. The only issue is if I am too close to it, there are some manufacturing indentations that show up. Iʻm hoping these will go away over time.
fundoshi rokushaku
I quickly found that while I tried to maintain the ʻno standingʻ rule, I did have to get on my knees a couple of times....
fundoshi rokushaku


fundoshi…bright orange - a happy color!

fabric...100% cotton gauze

photography…a shoot trying to mimic normal lighting conditions

Keep going......

Thursday, June 5, 2014

More Guaze Fundoshi - Deep Burgundy - Part One

Okay....a new design with the burgundy gauze. 
 




















This was created by applying the discharge solution with a brush in a very steady and organized fashion. I wanted a grid-like feel to the pink, and I think I achieved it well for not taking out rulers and other measuring devices.
fundoshi rokushaku

I kept the lighting sparse and added some purples and pinks to a side light. I also raised the camera for some of the shots to give a different angle than I normally use. 
fundoshi rokushaku
In post-production, I desaturated the skin tones, but tried to keep the colors of the fundoshi bright. 
fundoshi rokushaku
Some of the focus could be a little sharper, but when dealing with minimal light, this is always a risk!

fundoshi…burgundy with pink spots

fabric...100% cotton gauze

photography…dark with a bit of post production trickery thrown in

Onwards.....