Imamura Ayako: Japanese Deaf Filmmaker and University Professor

I completed my teaching practicum for the University of Arizona at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind in some past century.  I've always enjoyed the time I spent with my Deaf/deaf friends and colleagues while in the US.  My current city, Suncheon, has a rather large deaf community, and I have always enjoyed spending time with the group and with individual friends.

Topics on Deaf Japan is a blog I follow regularly.  Recently, I read a couple of posts at ToDJ about Imamura Ayako who is a Deaf filmmaker in Japan and who also happens to teach Japanese Sign Language at Nagoya Gakuin University, which is a private university in Nagoya.

Imamura Ayako made and released a short movie some time ago about Deaf people who were in the region of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the resultant tsunami that devastated many areas of Japan.  One can correctly surmise that many Deaf people in those areas never knew of the evacuation announcements and orders that were broadcast using the community alert systems and loudspeakers.

Read a couple of posts about her at the Topics on Deaf Japan blog here and here.

Learn more about Imamura Ayako at her website here.  She has a couple of short clips of her film on her site that can be seen here.

How Felix Baumgartner's Historic Skydive was Documented

Admittedly, I couldn't stay awake to see the record setting skydive made by Felix Baumgartner; however, I was able to view the lift-off and some of the ascent.  After a restful slumber, and after reading the news of Mr. Baumgartner's successful feat, I was curious to know how this event was documented.

David Cardinal wrote an informative piece about the dive that also included some history and perspective on this incredible accomplishment.  As an educator, I appreciate the illustrations and visual aids that complemented his article.  Read Mr. Caridnal's article at ExtremeTech here.

The next logical step, for me, was to visit the "Cameras and Communications" page by none other than Red Bull Stratos.  One simply does not shop online or drive to the local hardware store to buy all the equipment and gear necessary to ensure the success of this hazardous endeavor.  It had to be designed, tested, manufactured, reviewed.  So, too, the equipment used to document the dive.  Read about it here.

Thanks to the information and link on the "Cameras and Communications" page mentioned above, I visited Jay Nemeth's website:  Flightline Films.  It is a fascinating look into aerospace cinematography and photography.

Congratulations to Felix Baumgartner and to all who worked to make this dive a success.

Ryan Libre and Documentary Arts Asia

The documentary photographer Ryan Libre, whose personal website can be accessed via this link, established Documentary Arts Asia not all that long ago in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Ryan Libre is a visionary, and he saw the need to reach out and to teach others how to document Asian issues and life with photography, and with film.  Surrounding himself with a strong and committed group, Mr. Libre has established several programs to benefit documentary artists.  As a photographer who enjoys exhibiting my own work, I am impressed with the monthly DAA exhibitions at its gallery in Chiang Mai.  The residency program and the workshop program is noteworthy as well. 

For the serious photographer and for those committed to creating documentary films, the Documentary Arts Asia website contains much information regarding how to learn and/or how to improve documentary skills.  The DAA site is here.