Portrait of Masako Furuichi

I chose to do a portrait of Masako Furuichi because I felt I could somehow capture an image that shows her many dimensions. Masako is the owner of  cafe Istanbul, the shisha bar and Turkish restaurant, located in front of Kansai Gaidai's east gate.

This first picture I took of her is giving a beer can to a customer. I want to show her in motion and in a casual manner. It was difficult to come up with ideas and to portray her in motion, but this is a shot we both came in agreement in.

I never really put much thought into pictures the pictures I take because prior to taking the shots I have a general idea of the scene I want to capture and they tend to be associated with a feeling. I take pictures of things, places, or people I want to remember and the reason I want to remember them is because they evoke an emotion. I wanted to do the same with the pictures I took of Masako.

Every time I go to Cafe Istanbul she always has a smile and seems so relaxed, even when she is busy, she effortlessly manages her restaurants. I had visualized a shot I wanted to take of her smoking hookah because I feel it would have captured this aspect of her. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take the picture I intended, but I think this picture of Masako studying captures her hard work and dedication.