Hokkaido Hair Design Competition

A few weeks ago I was asked to be the photographer for my hair dresser, Rie, as she was entering the Hokkaido Hair Design Competition here in Sapporo. Her model was my Aussie friend, Samantha, who got a gorgeous head of vibrant red hair for the occasion!

We took over Earth Hair Salon in downtown Sapporo, transforming it into our own studio! The shoot lasted 6 hours (until 4:00 in the morning), but we got some fabulous shots! A few examples:

To kick off the competition, there was a fabulous lounge party held at the Cross Hotel here in town, complete with food, drinks, music, entertainment, a make-up martini bar, and Hokkaido's best hair stylists. I felt more like I was in a hip club in New York, rather than here in Sapps:

Sometimes you just gotta get away from everything for some sweet bathroom self-portrait shots! Love that mixed-lighting:

The Dream Team:

Finally, all of the entrants' photos (including our own) were on display at the tres urban CAI02 Art Gallery downtown. I guess this can technically be my first gallery showing here in Japan, so that's pretty cool:

So, there's nothing like a bit of fashion photography to keep me in gear in between festivals, parties, and a little traveling! It's a world I've yet to completely delve into, but this little sampling was quite fun. Yet another one of those crazy experiences to check off from my time here in Japan!