Typically, photos taken in celebration of becoming an adult in Japan, known as seijinshiki-maedori (成人式前撮り), are shot in a very, let's say, traditional manner. They are regularly done in studio, in front of a mottled background, use non-directional lighting, have poses that appear to have been gleaned from a long-outdated posing manual, and they can frequently include less than genuine expressions.

While this is a look that may work for some people, I will admit it is not to my particular taste...

Coming of AgeAnthony WoodSeptember 17, 2017Comment

Traditions || Sake Brewer

A significant part of Japan's appeal to me has always been its history and how much of it is still clearly visible in the modern era. In large part, this facet is what led me to begin a personal project photographing people involved in the traditional crafts of Japan...

Personal Work, TraditionsAnthony WoodJuly 1, 2016Sake, JapanComment

Coming of Age in Tokyo

It's been a little while since I've managed to sit down and write another blog post. This past season has certainly been on the busier side of things. I've spent a considerable amount of time on the road driving to various corners of Japan to shoot traditional craft makers and then working through the large amount of post-processing work that came with it. I've added several images from these shoots to a new portfolio...

Coming of AgeAnthony WoodJanuary 1, 2016Coming of Age, 成人式前撮り, Kimono, 成人式, 東京, Tokyo Comments

Traditions || Ikebana

Here we have another addition to a personal project. This time around I met with a woman who practices and teaches Japanese flower arrangement, or ikebana (生け花) as it is known in Japanese.

The location for this set of photos was an old house located on the quiet back streets of an older area of Tokyo. It was a fairly small home situated in the kind of area...

Personal Work, TraditionsAnthony WoodAugust 30, 2015Japan, Ikebana, KimonoComment

Portraits at the Pacific: Surfers

On a recent afternoon I decided that I wanted to photograph some surfers out on the coast. I'm not sure what prompted it, but that's what I felt like doing and that's what I set out to do.

It didn't take very long to find a few surfers. As it turns out, some long time acquaintances of my wife are regulars to the waves of Chiba Prefecture's Pacific coast...

Personal WorkAnthony WoodApril 25, 2015Japan, Kujukuri, Pacific Ocean, Surfer, PortraitsComment

Tea Time

A little over a year ago I began a project to photograph some of the traditional aspects of Japan. I kicked the whole thing off with Japanese tea ceremony and a few photographs of women who practice the craft.

In the last year, I have come to be well acquainted with these women as well as a larger group of people who practice tea ceremony. In addition to referrals, more work...

Personal WorkAnthony WoodMarch 23, 2015Japan, Tea Ceremony, KimonoComment

Traditions || Tatami Maker

A quintessential element of Japan, at least for me, is tatami. It's difficult for me to form in my mind a basic concept of Japan without also visualizing Japanese structures, new and old, that are filled with these simple woven straw mats.

For the next installment to my series on Japanese traditions, I created a few portraits of a gentleman whose profession it is to construct this traditional floor covering...

Personal Work, TraditionsAnthony WoodMarch 7, 2015Tatami, JapanComment

Portraits in Tokyo: Shinji Yoshiyama

Last month, I traveled into Tokyo to do a portrait shoot with a young aspiring actor named Shinji Yoshiyama. We were basically shooting for the purpose of creating a new set of photos that could be added to our respective portfolios.

We began our day and the shoot inside the architectural marvel that is the Tokyo International Forum. Located in the Chiyoda Ward of Tokyo...

Personal WorkAnthony WoodFebruary 21, 2015Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo Portraiture, PortraitsComment

Traditions || Shinto Dance

In the late spring of last year, I spent the better part of a day out at a small Shinto shrine in rural Chiba Prefecture working on another addition to my personal project where I photograph people involved in certain cultural and traditional aspects of Japan.

On this occasion I was photographing two women who had previously worked at Shinto shrines...

Personal Work, TraditionsAnthony WoodFebruary 7, 2015Japan, Shrine Maiden, Miko, ShrineComment

Layover Fashion

I was recently out with friends in the city of Katori in Chiba Prefecture entertaining a visitor to Japan. Our visitor, Joshua Alexander, was in the country on layover as he made his way back to the States from Korea.

We spent an afternoon wandering around the historic areas of Sawara, a national preservation district in Katori that still retains a good portion of its traditional Japanese design...

Personal WorkAnthony WoodJanuary 7, 2015Japan, Sawara, Fashion, ModelComment

Blog