These images were taken on a recent field trip with master photographer Duncan McEwan to Harris and Lewis, two islands in the Outer Hebrides group which lie off the north western coastline of Scotland. The sequence begins with the famous Standing Stones, a 13 metre circle of 13 stones ranging in height from 1m to…
I’ve always been an acutely visual person, with an instinctive appreciation of the visual arts. As a child, I was given an old box brownie to play with and later a small Kodak roll film camera, to record our family antics, so I suppose the seed was sown early.
Much later, through reading photographic magazines in my teens, I had become fascinated by photography, particularly photojournalism, and had invested in a Canon FTbN 35mm film camera as a first step into the world of film and darkrooms. I was very taken with the images of the great photographers, who worked exclusively in monochrome, although I knew little about it at the time as would have been very obvious from my early efforts.
To me, there was something deeply appealing about conceiving an image, in the mind’s eye, finding the unique location or choosing the ‘decisive moment’, composing and exposing the frame and then working diligently from the latent film image all the way through to a beautifully printed, mounted exhibition print. I just didn’t have the first idea how to go about achieving it. That was when I had the most amazing stroke of good fortune. I met Peter Gant, a true master, who volunteered to show me how it was done ……..
I wrote earlier about how I was introduced to martial arts. Through those early training years I became deeply interested in every aspect of these ancient arts of defence, their origins, history and their development into today’s modern forms.
To the uninitiated, the martial arts is all about the pursuit of violence. Those that think that, do not last long in a Dojo. The better informed often focus on the self-defence aspects, but actually, there is so much more to it than that. But it is where most people. myself included, begin.
When I first discovered Shotokan Karate, in late 1973, it opened up a new world for me. At my first visit to a genuine dojo, I watched in amazement at the speed, agility and incredible balance of the students. Their persistence, dedication, and determination to master the complexities of the techniques inspired me to attempt the training myself. And so it began……..
Master Gichin Funakoshi is widely recognised as the founder of modern day Shotokan Karate. He was born on November 10th 1868 in the Yamakawa district of Shuri, Okinawa. He began his training under Master Yasutsune Azato at the age of eleven. Master Azato also trained Funakoshi in the Confucian classics. He also studied under Master Yasutsune Itosu.
Funakoshi dedicated his life to the development and promotion of Karate training throughout Japan. Harry Cook’s superb ‘Shotokan Karate – A Precise History, 2001′ offers a detailed account of his personal development and his eventual formulation of the style of karate which became known as Shotokan. His Shotokan style has become world famous and the principles he passed down from his own teachers is as relevant today as it has ever been in man’s struggle for perfection of character …….
Calligraphy by Masatoshi Nakayama 9th Dan This is the Shotokan Dojo Kun or Fundamental Precepts as handed down by Shotokan’s founder Gichin Funakoshi (shown above right). It is recited by each karateka in unison at every training session, to reinforce the aims and values of Shotokan training. The translation, from right to left, I remember…
It was quite a while before that first step was taken. I had asked around at my workplace in London and discovered a Korean practitioner who was willing to teach me the basics of Tae Kwon Do during the lunch hour in a basement judo hall, but this proved to be a false start. In…
I remember, at about the age of eighteen, at the end of a jamming session with musician friends, getting into a conversation about the Martial Arts, although I didn’t know anything about them at the time. As it turned out, one of the people in the room had been studying a Chinese form for many…
This blog presents some of my preoccupations and passions in life, in the hope that it might, in a modest way, inspire just one or perhaps a few people to make the most of their opportunities. Which Path? Over the years, I’ve enthusiastically pursued many opportunities without needing the encouragement of others, but there have…
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