fundoshi fabric photos and more

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Khaki Cheesecloth Fundoshi - Back by Popular Demand - Part One

While I have shown the khaki cheesecloth before in a couple of shoots, this is a new pattern with lighting that plays off the contrast of the design. As I have mentioned before, this particular fabric color is quite difficult to photograph as it takes on different shades in different lighting conditions. You will see this in the difference in the photo studies of the fabric opposed to the posing shots. These were taken on different days under different lighting conditions.

The design for this actually follows the pattern of my dining room table, which has a large checkerboard pattern made of tile. I simply lay the material on the table and used a brush to follow the grout lines of the tile. It was probably the simplest idea I have had to create a design.

If you’ve been following my tumblr ramblings, you have seen the green cheesecloth being used in a hotel room and wet series. With the wet series, you know how revealing this fabric can be. I have included a shot or two here that proves the right lighting can also cause cheesecloth to be rather sheer. I hope you don’t mind…..

I am finding that using a stark approach to the lighting is creating a mood I like and is helping to highlight the textures of the fabric. I think I will continue to explore this and the use of gels.

fundoshi…khaki checkerboard inspired pattern

fabric…100% cotton cheesecloth - sheer and light

photography…I am continuing with the stark lighting from the last couple of rounds….I like it…..

On to the rest of Part One.....

Sarashi Fundoshi - Part One

Today, direct from Japan, I give you sarashi. A new fabric….I haven’t talked about weave in a while!

Based on my own limited research, sarashi is the traditional fabric used in Japan for fundoshi - especially during festivals. The fabric is also used for household items and clothing. The Nara prefecture is said to produce the highest quality of sarashi. In Nara, there are still hand-woven workshops that use the traditional hemp as the fiber, like

Nakagawa Masashichi.

The thread used in making sarashi is fine. The weave is very similar to a muslin in that the warp and weft appear evenly spun. It isn’t as sheer as some of the voiles I’ve purchased and not as thick as gauze.

As you can see from the packaging, this is 10 meters of fabric. It is continuous in length with no seems. It is 13 inches wide and finished on each edge. This version of sarashi is made of cotton, not hemp.

I purchased the fabric from fabric tales. I didn’t encounter any issues ordering from Japan, but your mileage may vary, as they say…..

For the shoot, I kept the lighting a bit stark and white to better show off the fabric. I did place a dimmer back-light at an angle to try to give a sharper contrast.

I keep my fundoshi rolled up to avoid wrinkles when using them in a shoot.

For this set of photos, I am trying to show the beginning stages of putting this fundoshi on. It did take me a couple of tries. A hint I have is that this needs to be tight. The volume of fabric being wrapped will easily droop and unravel if it isn’t tightly wrapped. This is probably why people help one another during festival preparation. Doing it alone takes a bit of patience and trial and error.

fundoshi…as traditional as I can get without guidance from a professional….

fabric...100% cotton sarashi

photography…nicely contrasted lighting to highlight the fabric

And now....on to the rest of the group....

Pink and Moody Fundoshi - Part One

Well, those last two blogs were quite bright with that white backdrop and white light and white body……

Let us now get moody, a little sultry, perhaps.

Here is pink gauze in a design I haven’t shown. Some simple lines and rough circles all done with a brush. I think I have mentioned before that the pink gauze really hold onto its color, so in some of these shots with a deep contrast, you can’t see the pattern.

For the lighting, I tried an extremely different approach than I normally use. There are two main sources of light. A white source at about a three quarter angle from the shooting area. The second source is directly at the opposite side and is covered with a deep red gel.

Depending on where I positioned my body, you can see how the light reacts. I think the red is also helping in showing off my body hair.

As you get deeper into the set, you will see that I tied this fundoshi a bit lower than normal…..do you mind?

fundoshi…pink with a simple pattern

fabric...100% cotton gauze….try it, you’ll like it

photography…continued use of colored gels and stark lighting

Onward for more….

Fundoshi of Brown Voile - How I’ve Missed You Part One

The brown voile fundoshi hasn’t been around for quite a few months, so I rummaged in my drawer and found a design I have highlighted or talked about.

When I look at this design, it appears to have a sort of specific ‘kanji’ like quality. It is not. I’m not that talented or knowledgeable.

What I did on this one was a kind of test to see what would happen. I have many long strands of material torn away from test fundoshi. I normally start a new fabric with 14 inches. After trying it on, I will then tear it down to a more comfortable width. This leaves me with strips of fabric to play with.

For this design, I first dampened the brown material so it would accept the bleach solution a little faster than normal. I then soaked one of my stray strips of fabric in a pretty strong bleach solution and lay it in an abstract way on the material. For this one, I folded it in half so the pattern repeats once.

I like how the bleach and damp aspect of the voile has reacted to create different shaded areas. Of course, the strong yellow that comes from direct contact with the bleach soaked fabric is lovely as well!

Once again, I have the white backdrop. This time, I used a bit dimmer lighting and moved a light to the back of the posing area. I like this look, and you will see in the future it takes on a great quality when used with the black backdrop as well!

fundoshi…brown and yellow pattern

fabric...100% cotton voile…..thinner than the gauze from last time, but very comfortable

photography...a change of lighting position than I normally use. I also played with some settings post-production to strengthen the skin tones and body hair a little.

And now....on to the rest of the group....

Blue Gauze Fundoshi - Dots and Dashes Part One

Here is another design in the lovely blue gauze. I call this one Dots and Dashes since that is what unintentionally happened during the design process.

I was actually going for lines in this one. I kept the fabric dry and folded it into sections. The hope was that the bleaching solution would soak through all layers, creating a continuous line.

As you can see, this didn’t quite happen. I liked how it turned out with the sections of fabric further away from the application only getting minimal solution, so I didn’t ‘correct’ the mistake. Happy accidents are part of the fun!

For the photo shoot, I set up a side light with a blue gel. You can see it in some of the shots. I’ll be experiencing a little more with gels in the future to see how they can change the studio feel. Originally, I was taking these photos with the intent of ‘over processing’ them in the computer. I decided against it, but am continuing to explore those realms of post-production.