Nippon Between the Light

Japan and since

curiousgeorge — Mon, 7 Sep 2015 02:39:59 GMT

I suppose the true answer to this question lies in my passion for filmmaking. It has been a pursuit of mine for many years, and one which I have attempted to cultivate by working in the film industry behind the scenes whenever possible. Despite my efforts however, I have come to the honest realisation that no amount of supporting work will ever equate to the necessity to make my own films, to see from start to finish my own ideas without so much as an excuse as to why I have not yet made something great, something I am truly proud of. This being the case, and in conjunction with my love for travel, I have found myself documenting everything and seeing it through the eyes of an editor as well as a storyteller. As such I really feel like my ability has improved and my passion is now a lot more focussed than it has ever been, having the most significant effect on what I now find to be truly empowering and immersive film work.

Ultimately I feel I am the right candidate for this opportunity as I have the passion, the experience and the drive to make the most of it and create something really worthwhile from the experience. I am also in dire need of a mentor to guide my film style properly, and I feel this may be the best chance I'll have to do so. I'm a hard worker, I care genuinely for film, and I have no intention of letting myself or mr Rapsey down. And, if nothing else, I hope my film attached here at least inspires some confidence of that, beyond what words can tell.

The Land of the Sun, Arisen

curiousgeorge — Thu, 21 May 2015 13:40:01 GMT

Stop me if you've heard this before, or know it from experience, but summer in Japan is hot! With temperatures often exceeding 30°C (86°F), and humidity floating around the 60-80% mark, it can be somewhat claustrophobic to find yourself wedged between 30 Japanese businessmen as you ride the train from Kyoto away from the city. My time spent in Nippon had been fraught with culture shock and intolerable heat, but the good kind where you know you'll want more once you've left. I'd been so caught up in catching the right train, speaking in formalities and drinking cold coffee from a can (vending machines, everywhere) that i'd found myself agreeing to anything so as to cool down and shed some of the weight of travel. Turns out you carry a lot of it in your shoulders, and I was in dire need of a swim.
That was just where we were headed. My good friend Ben, who had been living somewhere between Kyoto and Osaka in a 'small' city known as Nagaokakyo, knew of a watering hole that was rather well utilised by the few whom were in the know. "It's at a train station called Hozukyo", he divulged, "under a bridge. It's pretty sweet".
With what remaining fluid i had left in my body now entirely made up of Suntory Boss 'Rainbow Mountain Blend' kohi in a can, I was up for anything. As I squeezed my body into the packed train compartment along with my mate, a Japanese girl called Maiko and his new Californian neighbour Laura, both suffering a little less than the two Kiwis in the heat, it was clear this was something of a normality to the businessmen that paid no mind to our intrusion nor our state of walking fluidity.
Pulling up to the station, seemingly just a bridge upon which the train paused briefly, we managed to slip, quite literally, out onto the platform. There was no mistaking it, this was simply a bridge between two grassy hills, of which Japan appears to have endless; beautiful as they are, mind you. Despite my trepidation, down we wandered into the valley, satisfaction seeming less and less likely with each gasping breath i pulled from what air there was left to extract.
Still, inspired by my friend's determination, we finally burst through the trees to discover a swimming hole better than i could have hoped. A river running down, primed for body-surfing; a big rock face to our left, seemingly exposed for which to jump from; & beautiful, cool water to bathe my sorry self within.
Who'd have guessed treasure was to be found under a bridge, only a train ride away.

Photos: My Scholarship entry - The Noble Eightfold Path

curiousgeorge — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 20:07:00 GMT

The capacity for a photo to be so candid about a subject has driven me to travel solo to a few far-reaching locations and attempt to capture them for what I felt they were, at that time, to me. It is by no means a vocation I have even begun to master, but it is one that I have now strived to learn sincerely enough to realise this truth, and pursue honestly the depths of this art form for which i have unearthed a true passion. I truly wish to capture and tell the stories that are to be told via the medium of photography, and bring something of my own to the ever-expanding collage of incredible work that so many photographers the world over have had to offer through both their eyes, and lens. I am of the age now where I have been around long enough to understand just how little I really know; the value of hard work and sweat on the brow; the importance of team-work through the coalescence of individuals; and, if you can believe it, the true worth of silence and patience. I’ve grown up in the wee town of Queenstown, NZ, and have been exceptionally privileged to see first hand the beauty that can unfold if you’re willing to wait and watch. I’m also no stranger to a hike or a tent.