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Thread: All Japan Kendo Federation's 10th Kendo Photo Contest Results

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    Default All Japan Kendo Federation's 10th Kendo Photo Contest Results

    Hello,

    As some of you may already know, I have been taking photographs for quite a few years now. Perhaps you have even seen some of them in Kendo World, Furyu, or other publications by Koryu Books.

    I'm happy to announce that a photo I took recently won the All Japan Kendo Federation's 10th Photo Contest.

    The contest results have already been published in Japanese in Gekkan Kenso (the AJKF's monthly magazine) and Gekkan Budo (the Nippon Budokan's monthly magazine), but I thought I would also post some information here in English as well.

    The AJKF's contest is the largest martial arts photo contest to my knowledge. This was the first year that photographers were allowed to retain the copyright of their images and so I decided to send them one photograph I had taken last year.

    The following English language press release was sent out recently. It has also appeared on Google News, Yahoo News, and various other websites via a newswire.

    Links to the winning photographs and more information can also be found below.

    Sincerely,

    Ron Beaubien

    -------------------------

    Photographer Captures Emotions Behind the Mask to Win Top Award

    American prevails in Japanese martial arts photography contest.

    Tokyo, Japan (PRWEB) November 20th, 2006 -- A photo taken by Tokyo based photographer Ron Beaubien (www.ronbeaubien.com) was recently awarded the grand prize and 300,000 yen ($2,600 US) in the All Japan Kendo Federation's 10th Kendo Photo Contest. His monochrome work titled "One Chance in the Blink of an Eye" was recently singled out for this special honor.

    Taken with a professional digital camera and a powerful telephoto lens, Beaubien's photograph of a kendo practitioner scoring a point by striking his opponent's head was the first black and white photograph to win the top award in the history of the photography contest. Kendo, a traditional Japanese martial art based on the use of the sword, has been gaining popularity around the world as it attempts to become an Olympic sport.

    "The real difficulty in photographing kendo practitioners is not just catching the extreme speed at which they strike with their bamboo swords, but focusing on their faces behind the horizontal bars of their protective face masks," Ron Beaubien said. "Capturing the intensity on their faces - the emotion in the eyes - is what is important."

    A martial arts practitioner himself, and not satisfied with photographs of kendo he had seen published in magazines, Beaubien, 37, set out to record an image that would evoke the true spirit of the traditional Japanese sport. He took approximately eight thousand images over a period of several years before finally getting the photograph he desired.

    "People often see a stunning photograph and mistakenly assume that it was because of the use of an expensive camera," Beaubien said. "However, they seldom realize just how much time and hard work actually goes into making a memorable image."

    Approximately 340 photographs were submitted to the annual contest by 129 photographers throughout Japan, which was a 1.6% increase over the number of entries in the previous year's contest. The panel of judges for the 2006 photo contest were: Miyashita Yasuhiro, professor emeritus of Tokyo Art University; Kajiwara Takao, professor of photography at Nihon University; and Okamura Tadanori, executive director of the All Japan Kendo Federation.

    Ron Beaubien is a Tokyo based freelance photographer. His images have appeared in numerous books and magazines both in the US and Japan. He is currently working on a personal project to document the classical martial arts of Japan.

    -------------------------

    English Language Press Release:

    http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/11/prweb481202.htm

    Official Online Kendo Photo Contest Results in Japanese:

    http://www.kendo.or.jp/picture/index.html#02

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    Great site and photo works Mr. Beaubein. Thank you for sharing this.
    Prince Loeffler
    Shugyokan Dojo

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    indeedy
    nice photo and congratulations
    deborah elizabeth bell
    see spells deb- aint my mum clever

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    Congratulations, Ron.

    $2,600 doesn't seem like much of a prize for such a work of art, but since you're able to retain copyright, I imagine people will be beating down your door to purchase rights for books and magazines...if you're into that kind of thing.

    I like that photograph a lot. Your use of selective focus really brings attention to the kendoka's face, and the way you were able to keep the bars of the men sharp while still getting some motion blur in the shinai is impressive.

    Did you happen to record ISO, focal length, shutter speed, and f-stop data? (And, if so, are you willing to share your secrets? )
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

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    Hello,

    Thanks everyone for the kind words. I'm glad that you enjoyed the photograph. It is also always nice to hear good things said about one's work.

    Quote Originally Posted by Prince Loeffler
    Great site and photo works Mr. Beaubien. Thank you for sharing this.
    You're welcome. Unfortunately, my website is in dire need of some upgrading, but hopefully I will be able to do so in the near future.

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Owens
    Congratulations, Ron. $2,600 doesn't seem like much of a prize for such a work of art, but since you're able to retain copyright, I imagine people will be beating down your door to purchase rights for books and magazines...if you're into that kind of thing.
    I'm definately not doing this for the money... Photography is very expensive. I'll be lucky if I can break even and pay off all my gear.

    I mainly take photographs for my own enjoyment and plan to use them for my own writings in the future. However, soon after the contest results were announced, I was contacted by Japan Airlines which requesting one-time publication rights for use in Skyward, their in-flight magazine. Their offer was reasonable so I allowed them use the photograph. Unfortunately, editorial photography generally doesn't pay very well, unlike advertising photography where there is money to be made.

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Owens
    I like that photograph a lot. Your use of selective focus really brings attention to the kendoka's face, and the way you were able to keep the bars of the men sharp while still getting some motion blur in the shinai is impressive.
    Thank you. That took a lot of work to get right.

    I wanted to show both motion and stillness in one photograph. As kendoka, at least from my limited understanding, usually strike using their whole bodies, I needed a fast enough shutter speed to freeze their torsos but still slow enough to show the motion at the end of their shinai. It was a difficult balance to achieve.

    In addition, a lot of othewise fine photographs had to be thrown out because in the final photograph I could not see the kendoka's eyes clearly between the bars of his men. Often one or both eyes would be hidden behind the bars making the photo useless.

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Owens
    Did you happen to record ISO, focal length, shutter speed, and f-stop data? (And, if so, are you willing to share your secrets? )
    Yes, I did. My camera records them automatically for each frame:

    Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II
    Date: 2005-05-03
    Time: 17:31
    Place: Kyoto Butokuden
    Shutter Speed: 1/250 sec
    Exposure Program: Manual
    F-Stop: F 1.8
    ISO: 1600
    Focal Length: 200 mm (Prime lens, not a zoom.)
    Flash: None
    Data Format: RAW

    Those were the settings I used, but they vary widely for each venue and lighting situation.

    The real secret is a lot of hard work and patients.

    Thanks again.

    Regards,

    Ron Beaubien

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Beaubien
    ...I'm definately not doing this for the money... Photography is very expensive. I'll be lucky if I can break even and pay off all my gear.

    I mainly take photographs for my own enjoyment and plan to use them for my own writings in the future.

    ...Unfortunately, editorial photography generally doesn't pay very well, unlike advertising photography where there is money to be made.
    I know where you're coming from.

    I used to do a lot of photography (president of my high school camera club in the '70s, member of Seattle's (now defunct) Photo Workshop in the '80s, etc.), and the only way I was able to stay supplied with film and paper -- not to mention the ocassional new lens -- was to support my hobby (landscapes, gardens, and the Seattle Zoo) with weddings and theater work.

    I lost interest a few years back and sold all my gear, but am getting back into it now, having bought an entry-level DSLR last year (Canon 20D). Now I just need to figure out how to earn some fast money for a few new lenses and some lighting gear. (The kit lens is useable, but not great, and one Speedlight is never enough.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Beaubien
    ...I wanted to show both motion and stillness in one photograph. As kendoka, at least from my limited understanding, usually strike using their whole bodies, I needed a fast enough shutter speed to freeze their torsos but still slow enough to show the motion at the end of their shinai. It was a difficult balance to achieve.

    In addition, a lot of othewise fine photographs had to be thrown out because in the final photograph I could not see the kendoka's eyes clearly between the bars of his men. Often one or both eyes would be hidden behind the bars making the photo useless.
    Well, your patience and dedication paid off, artistically if not (yet) financially. 8,000 takes to capture "the decisive moment"? I'm very impressed with the end result, I assure you.


    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Beaubien
    ...Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II

    F-Stop: F 1.8
    Focal Length: 200 mm (Prime lens, not a zoom.)
    Nice camera, and very nice glass. (Right now I'm stuck with the 18-55mm f/3.5 - 5.6 lens that came with the kit. I have dreams of an f/1.2 50mm and an f/1.8 200mm, plus a stabilized 70 - 200 or so zoom.)

    Anyway, enough gear talk. Rembrandt's work wasn't defined by his brushes, and yours not by the camera and lens, though they may have helped. That shot was obviously the result of hard work and an artists eye.

    Thanks for sharing it with us.
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

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    Congratulations, Ron!

    As a keen fan of your photography it's wonderful to see this success.
    Hope to see more of your work in the future.
    Daniel Lee

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    Very impressive. Your photos catch the inner state of a martial artist. It was a pleasure to surf your website.


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    Hello,

    Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Owens
    Well, your patience and dedication paid off, artistically if not (yet) financially. 8,000 takes to capture "the decisive moment"? I'm very impressed with the end result, I assure you.
    The number may sound quite high to some people, but taking 8,000 photos might not be that unusual. The professional photographers who shoot for National Geographic magazine on average take 7,200 photos (200 rolls of 36 exposure film) for a normal article, of which only about 12 of the those photographs ever get published. However, their subjects are not usually moving as quickly nor as unpredictably as what I was trying to photograph.

    I don't have a number, but professional sports photographers in particular are known for going through quite a lot of film in order to get the shots they need for publication. I would not be at all surprised if they took 5,000 photographs a day, especially if it was difficult to anticipate what was going to happen during the event.

    I knew that the kendo shot would have been a lot easier to get if I had just hired a couple of kendoka to model for me at one of the local dojo, but then the photograph most likely wouldn't have had the same intensity either. There is just something about the "real deal" that cannot be faked.

    Thanks again,

    Ron Beaubien

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    So digital cameras have been quite the godsend for pro shooters, then. I can't imagine the expense of all that film and development.

    Ron, is there any chance a guy could get a hi-res version of that photo for personal use?
    Neil Gendzwill
    Saskatoon Kendo Club

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    Quote Originally Posted by gendzwil
    ...Ron, is there any chance a guy could get a hi-res version of that photo for personal use?
    Hey! I asked first.

    (So, uh, Ron; any chance several guys could get a hi-res version?)
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

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    Hello,

    Again, sorry about the delay in responding. I have been busy with work, family, writing New Year's postcards, and end-of-the-year cleaning.

    Quote Originally Posted by gendzwil
    So digital cameras have been quite the godsend for pro shooters, then. I can't imagine the expense of all that film and development.
    I think as Brian mentioned earlier, many of the pros never needed to worry so much as they were supplied with film and the developing was paid by their companies.

    At first glance, it appears that amateurs have benefited by the invention of digital cameras. It is true that the learning curve is much shorter as a digital camera can provide instant feedback, and the cost per image may be cheaper if you take a lot of photos and don't print them.

    However, at the same time, a high end digital camera easily costs three times the amount of a high end film camera. There is also all the other hidden costs like the need for digital storage, a computer with a high-speed processor, etc. The time involved is a factor as well. Even just trying to edit out the bad photos after a good day of shooting can take several full days.

    Quote Originally Posted by gendzwil
    Ron, is there any chance a guy could get a hi-res version of that photo for personal use?
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Owens
    Hey! I asked first. (So, uh, Ron; any chance several guys could get a hi-res version?)
    Sorry, I usually keep a tight rein on my photos, especially on the high resolution files. I sleep much better at night that way. Normally, I would not even release a photo as large as the low-resolution image that the All Japan Kendo Federation has put on their website, because of all the problems it can cause.

    Unfortunately, I have have had a lot of troubles in the past with people taking my photos and then using them illegally to advertise their own martial arts schools. One person even went so far as to mock me saying that I couldn't do anything legally because he lived in another country and that he wasn't going to remove it. He quickly changed his tune when I informed him that I knew his teacher (the soke of the ryuha) here in Japan personally and that I would have no other choice but to speak to his teacher about our problem if the stolen image wasn't removed.

    I even had to stop contributing to one martial arts magazine recently because I found out through the grapevine that they repeatedly gave others permission to publish my images elsewhere, despite having signed contracts which specifically forbade those actions.

    Now, I only post photos online after registering them with the US Copyright Office. Theft is also why I use Flash on my website and visibly watermark the images. They are not impossible to copy but they are more difficult and less valuable to those who want to use them for other purposes. I was also was forced to remove some photos on my friends' websites like this one ( http://www.koryu.com/photos/m97shingan.html ) because of constant theft.

    Despite the wide distribution, the image that won the photo contest has been uniquely watermarked so that usage can be more easily tracked. Although it won't prevent more theft, at least it should make it easier for me to catch them later.

    Thanks for your understanding of my situation.

    Sincerely,

    Ron Beaubien

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    Hello,

    The All Japan Kendo Federation asked me to write an urabanashi, a behind the scenes essay, on how I took the picture that won their photo contest.

    The essay titled: Capturing the Fleeting Moment: A Look at Kendo Photography ( 瞬を捉える −剣道写真について− ) has just been published on page 39 of the January edition of the AJKF's magazine Gekkan Kenso. The table of contents of the magazine can be found here:

    http://www.kendo.or.jp/bulletin/index.html

    The essay goes into much more detail than what has been published before, but unfortunately the magazine is only available in Japanese.

    Gekkan Kenso is also not distributed through regular book stores, but instead directly through the AJKF. Most, if not all, kendo dojos who are members of the AJKF already receive the magazine, so if anyone is interested in reading it then they might want to ask their instructor, as he or she would probably already have a copy.

    Sincerely,

    Ron Beaubien

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    In case anyone is having trouble linking to the photographs in question, they can be found here:

    http://www.kendo.or.jp/picture/photo10.html#002

    In addition to Ron's photo, there are a couple of other gems there as well (IMNSHO).

    (There are seven .jpg files, so the page may take a moment to load, especially on dial-up connections.)
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

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    Indeed it's a great site. I love the Arquebus that has misfired - the expression on the gunners face is amazingly caught.
    Mat Rous

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