Oracle bone script is the oldest officially recognized Chinese calligraphy script, and it goes back all the way to Shang dynasty, starting around 1600 BCE. It appeared on animal bones (mostly ox shoulder blades) and turtle shells. It was used by priest diviners who were acting as oracles, and also were responsible for recording important state events. Texts were carved onto the bones and then heated up in fire until they cracked. Those cracks, their shape, and the way they visually interacted with the text were considered and interpreted as signs of the gods. Oracle bone script is often seen as pictographic writing but only a small percentage of characters that have been deciphered are actually of pictographic nature. You can read about this in greater details in my article on oracle bone script here. This is the first time I actually wrote oracle bone script on skin. I have been studying it a few years ago during master classes organized by a Grand Master Kajita Esshu of the All Japan Calligraphy and Literature Association, who happens to be my calligraphy teacher. It was a small group for those who wish to go beyond regular studies of Chinese calligraphy. It was a great experience to actually translated some of this ancient writing and find out more about ancient Chinese civilization. Oracle bone script, and any type of great seal script really, requires patience. Writing should imitate chiseled characters with fairly sharp lines well defined strokes. It should appear raw and unpolished, irregular yet harmonious. Writing on skin imposes many challenges. Skin is uneven, it stretches too especially when model changes her pose. Writing itself is quite tiring because positions I have to write in are uncomfortable. Models lay down for the most part of it, first reason is that it is comfortable for them (in fact it is so comfortable and relaxing that literally all of them fall asleep in a process) and second is that it minimizes body movement and heaving. Calligraphy that you see on pictures took me about 3h to finish. We had a great two days shoot with Naomi, who flew all the way from Kyushu to Tokyo. This type of shoot requires lot of preparations, especially on my side, and also photo retouching is not as easy. Skin retouching is time consuming and one needs a lot of patience for it, but skin covered in writing is on entirely different level. It is not just down to splitting tones and textures in photoshop via frequency separation, but also separating tones from one another and lots of fine tuning and very local and taxing dodging and burning, etc. Nude photography is unforgiving as there is no chance to hide body language imperfections with clothing. There is no fancy dress that will draw attention away from the model like in fashion photography. Working with flashes that offer no modelling light one has to know how light works and predict its effect. Low key dramatic photos are based on shapes of shadows, light fall off is usually quite dramatic so shadows are well defined and rapid. A centimeter of movement can ruin or improve a photo. Last but not least, if the model does not trust the artist it will show in the photos clear as day, just like a lack of skill and knowledge shows in writing of a Chinese or Japanese calligrapher who has not mastered his art yet. Models interested in Chinese or Japanese calligraphy body art please message me directly. You can find my portfolio here. Contact me directly for one-to-one online photoshop tutorials via desktop sharing. Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ Chinese calligraphy is an ancient art, one of the oldest types of art practiced by human race. Its origins go back thousands of years back to Yangshao culture in China, or perhaps even earlier than this. Traditionally, calligraphy is practiced on paper, although poverty of some of the greatest Chinese calligraphers forced them to be creative with media. Some of them used palm leaves, others wrote with mud on temple walls. I often combine calligraphy with modern technology, and create custom backgrounds for my works inside photoshop. Occasionally you will see my calligraphy art on female skin. This type of photography art is very rewarding, but also really exhausting and time consuming. Skin is a very difficult media to write on. it is uneven, does not absorb ink well (if at all) and skin alignment changes depending on person's movement or position. Writing full body length in reasonably small characters takes anywhere between 2 to 4h. Writing position is extremely uncomfortable and unnatural. I ask my models to lay down so they can relax. It would be too tiring for them to stand for 4h and then still have enough of zeal and spark to do a few hours shoot. Photo shoots are long and can even take 10h or so in total.
Nude photography imposes other challenges. It is extremely difficult to capture well balanced and naturally beautiful body language because there are no clothes to hide any imperfections. I am not talking here about body imperfections but issues caused by highlights and shadows. Working with flash guns that do not have modeling lights in very confined spaces that we have here in Japan (the smaller the space the harder is to control light bouncing in the room), it is extremely tricky to capture the image I envisioned. I often work with deep shadows, low key and drama, and even a centimeter of movement, either of the light or a model, can change the entire mood of the photo and ruin the shot. My advice to anyone starting with nude photography would be to find a model that feels comfortable around you and vice versa. Make sure that you know what you are doing with lights. Beautiful girl in bad lighting will look bad. Make sure that your model is in a good mood, other wise do not even bother. If you are publishing her photos, make sure she agrees to it. Be confident but naturally confident. Women will sense immediately if you are fake. Be professional but at the same time make a mental connection with your model. Learn about female body and how to present it from angles that will make your model look sensual and not common. Each person has different body shape, so do not apply standards during your shoots. You can use them as starting point but two different girls will look differently in the same pose and light. Listen to your model suggestions and take them on board, you may learn something. I am shooting for female audience, I could not care less about men. In most cases it is women who understand and appreciate art, men just pay for it. Create for those who understand and enjoy it, not for those who buy it. There is a very fine line between delicate, erotic, and cheap. Learn how to walk that fine line but without crossing it. I am a multi-genre artist and consequently I have a few websites and few portfolio's. It was all too scattered so I decided to put all of my best work together in one folio, in separate categories. It took me a few days to update my entire portfolio on Smugmug. I went through all of my photos and picked those that I personally think represent what I do as an artist. New portfolio holds all types of photography: portraiture photography, architecture photography and cityscapes, street photography, photoshop manipulations and digital art, black and white photography, nature photography and landscapes, boudoir and body art photography, and Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art. All photos are in their original size at 300dpi. Some of the files are as large as 160MB, so if you are viewing them in original size it may take some times to load them up. All of the images are quality edits which is exactly why I uploaded full size files. Enjoy! Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website
http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ Regardless of what type of artist you may be portfolio is your business card. It is your resume, marketing tool, an ad and a statement in one. It says "look this is what I can do and that is my style". It is also a self-check medium for you as the author of its content. There is no time frame within which you should review your folio. you should do it as often as needed, or as often as you feel it is necessary. If you are like me and you love editing your photos, love learning and are on a constant hunt for new ideas, new ways of retouching, new ways of toning images and so on, you will realize two things very quickly. One is that the quality of your work improves with passing time, and two, that your style is evolving. Consequently, if you have a mix of old and new images in your folio, it may happen so that some of them may become outdated and inconsistent in terms of their style. This sends a clear message to your clients that you are not a mature artist, or perhaps a lazy one, who cannot see inconsistency in his or her own work, etc. All that suggests unreliability. Also, clients will choose you mainly for your style and quality of work. They do not know you in person, so all they know about you is what they can see in your portfolio. It is essential to develop a self assessment routine and implement it rigorously in your timetable. Yes, it is time consuming, but it is worth it in more ways than one. Look at the above images which were created within less than a year. The top one is a new version and the bottom one was created last year. It is a whole new edit from scratch, and you do not have to take my word for it, just watch the video below which shows the entire editing workflow in photoshop. Both photos are very different in style and quality. First the quality of texture is much better in the new edit. Old version suffered from texture loss due to blur vignetting done manually without working on tones layer and texture layer separately. This is something I would not do now. Also, skin texture received a much more detailed retouch via micro dodging and burning which eliminates small skin bumps amplified by the hard steep angled light. Vignetting is executed very selectively in the new photo, and it complements the way I reshaped the body of the model with shadows and highlights. The entire image was turned on its axis counter-clockwise to add more kinetic energy and create diagonal lines across the image. They contrast with a general calm and moody feel to the photo. The old edit was a bit too static for my liking and was not multilayered. Dodging and burning emphasizes the drama and creates more visual anchors. I added a tilt shift blur to redirect the attention of the viewer to the body art and lines running across model's body. I also changed the toning to much warmer, which further calms the feel of the photo. There are no happy accidents here, it is all planned and premeditated based on what I feel when I look at the photo. The old edit was not in full agreement with my current style and it had to be addressed. I truly enjoy re-working my images. Some of them I re-edit a few times, even complex photoshop manipulations. I do not care how much time it takes. It is always a very rewarding and educational experience.
Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/postsFor more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ This exhibition is one of the most interesting and impressive things to see in Tokyo National Museum in Ueno. The exhibited sculptures are superb, some of them are huge, others are smaller. Museum rotates items on the display every 3 months, so you can admire various masterpieces. Some of the sculptures can be photographed, so do not forget to bring your camera with you. The room with the statues has amazing energy, it is very peaceful and soothing. I have added my calligraphy to the below photo, written in cursive script, it reads 平穏, i.e. tranquility (heion).
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography services in Tokyo website! Any type of photography that involves photographing people is based on some sort of a relationship between the model and the photographer. Naturally this applies to any type of art, like sculpture, or painting. Portrait photography for example is more difficult than people may think. Often times I have to be able to capture the real character and personality on my camera, after meeting them only a few minutes earlier. It is our job as photographers to be able to connect, to reach through all the social masks and safety doors, and get through to the core of a person. On top of this we have to be able to evoke real emotions, and be fast enough to photograph them before they fade away. Now, boudoir or nude photography brings this to a higher level. A model is trusting us with her intimacy, and it is crucial to respect it. I don't know about you but I love working with the same models over and over, as the more we work together the better the photos will be. Look at painters, they all had their favourite models, and for a good reason. It is a unique bond of mutual appreciation and trust, difficult to build, but easy to lose. Then there is body painting or in my case calligraphy body art. Ask a professional photographer if he would dare to touch a female model during a nude shoot. I highly doubt it. I have to spend hours (full body texts can take as long as 4h or more of continuous writing) touching the model head to toes during writing. This is one of the most intimate types of photography out there, and it could not be done without a really good understanding or trust. Respect and understand your models guys, listen to them and learn, and you will get great results. My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! model: Asuka
This is a re-edited version of a photo that I took back in 2013 with one of my most favorite texts - the Buddhist Heart Sutra. This is my copy of a classic by Wang Xizhi from the 4th century C.E. in semi-cursive script. I gave this photo an old distressed look, as if it was recovered from an old building or some forgotten drawer on an attic in the distant future. The scratched-like text to the right is in oracle bone script and reads "Tokyo 2015". I think the original mood of the photo fits perfectly for such a dramatic edit. This photo now tells many different stories.
Girls interested in boudoir / nude / body art shoot please contact me directly (Tokyo area). My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! I have launched a new service for everyone that wants to order a kanji tattoo that actually has the meaning that you wanted, and it is written in a skillful professional manner, in accordance with the ancient rules of Chinese and Japanese calligraphy. I can design for you a tatto of any length, from a single character to the entire body. All my tattoo designs are researched, studied and written the way I would write a calligraphy work, with a brush on paper. Each calligraphy work is very unique, and cannot be reproduced. I do not sell the same design twice, so you have my assurance that no one on Earth will have the same tattoo as you do. I adjust my writing style according to your sex, character, personality, the meaning of the text, etc. Tattoos can be ordered in few calligraphy scripts. You will find more details here.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Due to increasing amount of emails and inquiries regarding Japanese kanji tattoos written in calligraphic scripts, I decided to launch a new service page with all the details and prices. Tattoos are for a life, so when searching for a design we want something unique. Tattoos in Chinese characters are common, but I have rarely seen any decent ones, not to mention any good ones. If you are looking for a Japanese kanji tattoo design you should look for someone knowledgeable in the era of Chinese characters and Japanese or Chinese calligraphy. Tattooing computer fonts is a blasphemy, not to mention that such tattoos look really boring. IT may seem cool in the Western countries, but whenever you meet any native speaker of a language that utilizes Chinese characters, your tattoo will not be appreciated. Below photo - calligraphy in ancient Chinese small seal script, reading 龍精 - dragon spirit. Model: Eccaia
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art I am back from a two day marathon with ink and brushes. Oh it was FANTASTIC. We had over 30 Grand Masters coaching us in 4 Chinese calligraphy scripts. We studies clerical script, cursive script, semi-cursive script and standard script. It was amazing to listen to various points of view they had and just listen to them explaining or writing, correcting our works and so on. Writing on a floor from early morning till late evening is not easy, so I am dead tired, but it was well worth it. I have learned a ton and the event had definitely helped me a lot in preparation for my upcoming Master Instructor exams next month.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art I have been studying a lot recently for my upcoming Master Instructor exams in Chinese and Japanese calligraphy. Lots of paper, lots of ink and lots of time, but lots of fun as well. I am off to two days national level seminar for aspiring Master calligraphers, organized by All Japan Calligraphy Art and Literature Association here in Tokyo. I am very honored to be considered and invited. There are limited spots there, and I am the only foreigner that has been offered this amazing opportunity. Wish me luck!
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art I love the fusion of that is ancient and traditional with what is modern. There are not many types of art, which would be so sophisticated and so ancient as the art of Chinese calligraphy, Japanese calligraphy was derived from the former around 5th century C.E. The history of Chinese calligraphy, on the other hand, is monumental, and goes ca. 7000 years back (see my articles on the Yangshao culture markings in Neolithic China). My daily studies of calligraphy are based on more "modern" classics, no older that 3600 years. This calligraphy was written with a huge marker pen on a paper, brought into photoshop, and I added some textures to it, and post processed the entire image. Kanji: 速 / meaning: speed.
Photo editing & Chinese and Japanese calligraphy tutorial videos Buy fine art calligraphy prints at my store in my store on Fina Art Amercia. 情熱 (jōnetsu) means passion in English. It also stands for enthusiasm and zeal. This very calligraphy can be found in one of my books, and more precisely in my poetry book, the Soul Nova, together with two other works of mine. The book has three chapters and each of them is opened by one of my calligraphy art works, though they are all black on a white background. I gave this calligraphy a new look by adding some colours. Passion and zeal is always associated with energy, power, and spirit. Bright warm and strong colours fit perfectly, I also added movement and kinetic energy symbolising spinning mind and soul.
Photo editing & Chinese and Japanese calligraphy tutorial videos Buy fine art calligraphy prints at my store in my store on Fina Art Amercia. Here is a new edit of a shot from last year, with a Japanese model Asuka. My pohoto retouching style has evolved so dramatically, that I am re-editing all my photos taken 6 months ago and before. Lots of work, especially that new photos are coming in nearly on a daily basis. It is important to keep the portfolio up to date and all photos there should be consistent in style. Anyways, I enjoy editing photos, so I am having fun, especially that it is really cool to see new editions and new versions, and having a chance to compare how I evolve as an artist. This is a fragment of Heart Sutra, it is a copy of a masterpiece from Tang Dynasty by a great calligrapher Ouyang Xun, in standard script.
Female models in Tokyo area interested in a photoshop, please contact me directly. Photo editing & Chinese and Japanese calligraphy tutorial videos Buy fine art photo prints at my store on SmugMug. Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. One of my older Japanese body art shots, from a photo shoot back in 2012 wiith a Japanese model Asuka. Text reads: 櫻吹雪, i.e. - snowstorm of sakura petals. I gave this photo a new look, much more moody, dramatic but at the same time intimate and mysterious. High contrast, low key and slight blur on the edges. Girls interested in body art photo shoot please contact me directly (Tokyo area only). You can view some of my other body art photos, as well as boudoir shots on my portfolio on SmugMug, here.
Here is another photo of Tokyo Tower at night, on a humid, rainy and hazy day. I added modern Japanese calligraphy in highly stylised seal script, which reads 夢中, i.e. within a dream. Anyone interested in viewing my Japanese calligraphy gallery, here is a link to my portfolio. My Japanese and Chinese calligraphy prints can be ordered via my fine art online store, here.
This photo is a blend of two exposures, one was a standard shot of the tip of Tokyo Tower, and the other one was defocused, so I could catch some of that wonderful bokeh (blurred lights). Merged together they look way more dreamy. Post processing was done in photoshop, with a bit of help from Silver Efex pro from Google Software, which is a fantastic black and white conversion plugin for photoshop. Here is re-edited photo from a Chinese calligraphy body art photo shoot that I had with a Japanese model Asuka some 1.5 year ago. I have redone this shot from scratch and gave it a fresher look. I also added some textures, delicate bronze tones, and engulfed it in deep shadows, to add a bit of mystery. Asuka is Buddhist, and she actually asked me to write the Heart Sutra on her skin for protection. It is a copy of a stunning masterpiece by Ouyang Xun, a brilliant Tang dynasty calligrapher, who excelled in standard script. I edited this photo in photoshop, trying a few filters from Google software and Topaz labs
This photo is one of the shots that I took last year during a Japanese calligraphy body art marathon with a Japanese model Asuka. I gave this photo a new look today so I decided to post it. I gave it a nice brown finish with a bit of grain, and I really like how it turned out. If you want to see my other body art work, visit my portfolio on SmugMug.
Text: 幸せは旅。目的にあらず。 / Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Models in Tokyo area interested in a body art or boudoir photo shoot please contact me directly via my email. My art studio in Tokyo offers professional portraiture photography services, for individual clients, corporate clients, as well as custom services for artists. In addition to portrait photography services I can create an original Japanese calligraphy artwork that you can use for your business logo. You are guaranteed not only top quality photography and calligraphy services, but also high end photo retouching. I approach each of my clients differently, depending on their needs, personality, what they expect from me as an artist, the purpose for which they require my services, etc. What you can expect from me is non-commercial, original, and creative art. For more details on services and service pricing please visit my Ryuurui Foto Studio website, or contact me directly. To read more about me, please visit "about" tab on this website.
Photo: Japanese artist Yuki Mori / calligraphy art: 雪森苑 (lit. Snow Forest Garden) Each type of photography requires different set of skills and artistic sensitivity. For example, street photography asks you to make a connection with the buzz around, to possess a certain level predictability of upcoming events, and even compassion. Architecture photography requires geometrical imagination, or the gift of seeing the world in black and white tones. Wildlife photography will test your patience and even how you can deal with loneliness. Portraiture, on the other hand, will test your personal and psychological skills. A good portrait photographer has to have an outstanding understanding of human nature, and needs to be able to connect with the person he photographs, and reach deep inside, bypassing any social masks and ego. If the portrait has no soul written all over it, you do not have a good shot.
Model: Lin Lynn Here is another shot from a photo session with Nicole Rayne, that we had two days ago in Shibuya in central Tokyo. When I captured this frame I knew exactly what I want to do with it - go dark and fantasy theme. I added semi-translucent wings and my calligraphy artwork that I written especially for this image - 闇(の)天使 (Yami no Tenshi), i.e. dark angel). I also went ahead and did a film-like post processing, adding more orange to the skin tones and some blues to the shadows, making it look a bit more cinematic. Hope you guys like it! When I import my calligraphy artwork photos into the PC, I cannot help it - I have to play with them in photoshop. It is so much fun. I can tweak them and create a much more strong connection between the meaning of the text, or even a single Chinese character, and its visual and graphic interpretation. It is very addictive, but also a very creative way of adding that final touch to my calligraphy art.
Calligraphy in cursive script - 驚 / "amazed". Chinese and Japanese calligraphy look stunning on a sheet of white paper, and the game of spirituality of brush strokes and the negative space of the void white are the core of this art's magic. However, in China and Japan it is not a rare occasion that calligraphers use coloured paper. Since we are in a digital age, I am adding colours in photoshop. Never fear, the original calligraphy art is still written by me in a traditional fashion, with a hand-ground ink on a white calligraphy paper.
九龍 - 9 dragons - this phrase has a special meaning, and if you want to learn more, please visit Ink Treasures page, which I co-created with an ink painter, Mariusz Szmerdt. I caught this shot from my balcony in the very early morning hours. I am not sure what time it was exactly, my guess it must have been around 5am. I was working overnight on editing photos, and when I came up to the window to open the curtains, there is was - a moon lit by the morning sun. One of my favourite nature's phenomena, the Yin and Yang of Mother Nature, staring at one another from the opposite sides of our world, in silence. Moon and Sun were core "ingredients" of occult and rituals performed in ancient China. Consequently, both Chinese characters, one for Moon (月) and the other for Sun (日), are amongst the oldest ones in Chinese writing. The calligraphy that you see on the photo was written by me some time ago in small seal script, and it reads 唯心, which stands for "spiritualism", in both Japanese and Chinese. Literally translated, the phrase means "only mind", or "only spirit".
This is the eights photo of the recent Chinese calligraphy body art photo shoot series, with a Japanese model Asuka. Here, I decided to go heavier down the vintage path, by maintaining the some contrast between shadows and highlights, but at the same time I smoothed the tones and selectively blurred the edges of the photo. I really like the final result, hope you guys enjoy it as well! It looked quite nice crossed processed in a motion picture style (blue shadows / orange-ish highlights), but black and white is much more classe and allows for the eyes to focus on the writing, rather than the whole scene. |
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