Underwater Transformation About Face Underwater Transformation About Face

Underwater Healer About Face in BOSTON 7/17/2015

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June 11, 2015/by
Underwater Healer About Face in BOSTON 7/17/2015 Underwater Healer = an underwater portrait photography as a form of healing About Face = a complete change in attitude 180 degrees Help cancer survivors rediscover their beauty through underwater portrait photography. July 16, 2015 we are meeting 3 cancer survivors to do an underwater healing photography project, Underwater Healer About Face in Boston! Also giving a talk at Apple store on Friday the 17th. We want to thank you who signed up for underwater portrait session in 2014 and 2015 to support our project moving forward. A partial portrait session money is going to be used for the Boston trip. Flight, transportation, Airbnb, pool rental fee and all other expenses. The rest of the money is for the Bay Area survivors (approximately 3) in August, 2015. It's never too late to sign up for an underwater portrait session to support cancer survivor project! Please let me know if you have any questions. Since 2013, I've met 14 survivors. And now, I'm adding 3 more mermaids to my underwater healer map! Chien-Chi HuangSurvived from triple negative breast cancer (stage 2). She was diagnosed at the age of 40 in 2005. Katie Shute Survived from breast cancer (stage 2). She was diagnosed  at the age of 40 in 2013 Kim Santagata Survived from triple negative breast cancer (stage 2). She was diagnosed at the age of 26 in 2014 . I'm really excited to meet these beautiful ladies and see them transform into mermaids through underwater portrait photography! Please come hear the story and...
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40th birthday with sharks in Hawaii

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April 25, 2015/by
40th birthday with sharks in Hawaii I've been busy lately! I was in Santa Monica for a presentation at Apple Store few weeks ago, I hosted a Sumo wrestling birthday BBQ party and I just came back from Hawaii! I was in Oahu for 5 hours last year to meet a cancer survivor, Amber and my friend, Kimi. We had such a great time doing underwater photo shoot but it was too short! I'm glad I'm back on the island for 5 days this time. On my birthday, we did a PELAGIC MARINE ANIMAL RESEARCH DIVE to see sandbar sharks! I was so excited! They came so close to us! We were super lucky to have 100ft visibility! so beautiful... They love to play with the bubbles from the boat! So cute! I felt like I was in a dream, swimming in the deep blue and seeing 20 sandbar sharks. I'm so happy with this shot! Juan and Ocean are so knowledgeable, confident and humble about sharks and the ocean conservation. Please check out their site to learn about them! http://www.oneoceandiving.com AND Ocean is a captain, scuba instructor, freediver, and everything ocean! Super woman!! It's so cool to see a female captain! We stayed at a condo with a beautiful ocean font view in Haleiwa. We snorkeled every morning!   We drove to Honolulu to see my friend, Kimi Werner at Ocean Expo! I see her every year for 4 years now. Since I missed her in January, I feel it's complete! Thank you, Kimi- It was so coincident to...
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Underwater Yoga Portrait Session from Maui

about, Travel, Underwater Healer About Face, uw portrait
March 2, 2015/by
Underwater Yoga Portrait Session from Maui I'm back on the mainland and still spreading the ALOHA spirit!! I'm finally uploading images of underwater yoga portraits from Maui retreat! We all had a great time underwater. I'm missing everybody... Our annual happy baby pose! Also Matrix!! I'm going back there in January, 2016 for the same underwater yoga portrait session in Maui. Underwater group portrait photography is included in the package, everyone!! You can reserve a spot by contacting Lisa Danylchuk http://howwecanheal.com/retreat-with-me/ You can also see other Maui photos from here https://underwaterhealer.com/about/2015-maui-yoga-retreat I hope to see you guys in...
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Interview with a Brazilian TV show　ブラジルのテレビ局とインタビュー

about, uw portrait
October 1, 2014/by
Interview with a Brazilian TV show　ブラジルのテレビ局とインタビュー I got a email from a Brazilian TV show, MULTISHOW. They told me that they are launching a new TV program and it will suit perfect with my Underwater Healer Project. They wanted to interview me in person. ブラジルのテレビ局、ムルティショーのプロデューサーから連絡があり、来年の新しい番組に私の去年からしているキャンペーンがぴったりだと言う事で、サンフランシスコの私の家（オフィス）でインタビューがしたいというメールでした。 I was super excited to have people over from Brazil and I felt definitely flattered by it. I'm grateful to be part of the show and to share my story to inspire the world. もちろんオーケーを出してすぐにスケジュールをくみました。他国からも興味を持っていただけて私のストーリーが世界中に広がってくれるのはとても嬉しいです。 The director, Gustavo and the cinematographer, Manuel were super nice, interesting and professional. I talked for 40min. I'm a listener and usually don't talk much so I felt like I used up 1 year worth of my voice and tons  of calories! They had few shots of me editing photos and my mermaid decorations. I hope I told everything they needed to know... It was a great experience meeting them and talking in front of the camera!　ディレクターのグスタボとシネマトグラファーのマニュエルはとても親切でoおもしろくて、プロフェショナルでした。４０分ほどのインタビューで喋りまくり。普段は聞き手なので、一年分の声とカロリーを燃やした感じです。笑。その後は私が写真を編集している所を何ショットか撮ってくれました。彼らが知りたいことをすべて話せてたらいいのですが、少し心配です。 For the perfect composition....The cinematographer, Manuel is fixing my best friend's underwater portrait photo from Puerto Rico. 私のベストフレンドの写真の位置を完璧な場所に動かしているマニュエル。 AND it is a SMALL WORLD. Manuel and I have a mutual friend, Branca!! I asked Branca if Multishow really exist in Brazil (hahaha). Meanwhile, Branca was trying to meet Manuel to catch up! Crazy! He was too busy and they had no chance to meet up :( I hope three of us can meet...
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Sport Diver Magazine 2014 July Issue

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June 5, 2014/by
Sport Diver Magazine 2014 July Issue スポーツダイバー7月号ページ21に載りました〜！！ I was interviewed by Sport Diver magazine few month ago. Somebody emailed me that I'm on the Printed July issue!! This magazine was hard to find in San Francisco! One of my friends suggested to try calling Smoke Signals  They had 3 more left!! I bought them all! (I was too excited:) スポーツダイバーの雑誌に何ヶ月か前にインタビューされて７月号に良い記事で載ってるよいうメールが読者からきました！この雑誌は結構見つけにくいのでサンフランシスコにある本屋に電話をしまくりました。親友がスモークシグナルはあるはずとの事で、朝７時オープン直後連絡したら、３冊残っているとの事。興奮して３冊とも買ってしまいました！ Sport Diver magazine July 2014, page 21! Click here to enlarge the...
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Solo Exhibit at Tokyo Gallery Midoriso

art show
May 7, 2014/by
水中ポートレイト写真家、下田恵玲奈が手がける水中ヒーリング  プロジェクトの展示会『Underwater Healer About Face"』 Solo Exhibit at Tokyo Gallery Midoriso 展示会 2014年 17日（土）18日（日）12:00~17:00 オープニング•レセプション•パーティー 日時 : 2014年 5月 16日（金）18:00～21:00 場所 : 中目黒「みどり荘」 東京都 目黒区青葉台3311 2階/ 3階 http://midori.so/ カリフォルニア州サンフランシスコをベースに活躍する水中写真家、下田恵玲奈が癌克服者に捧げるプロジェクト。水中でのヒーリング活動を手がける下田恵玲奈の願い、それは、癌克服者が自己の美を再び見いだせるよう、彼らの内成るパワーを引き出すチームとなること。 癌克服者が経験する癌告知から手術、治療、副作用、そして再発への恐怖といった経験。それは肉体的にも精神的にも 辛いトラウマ的な経験だが、癌を通じて生に向き合い諦めずにチャレンジするというかけがえのない経験から彼らは自らの人生をさらに強く美しく塗り替える生命力を得るのだと下田は語る。癌サバイバーが再び自信を取り戻し、セルフイメージを高める事が出来るように、彼らの内なる輝きを水中ポートレイトとして贈る手助けを活動の一貫とし、２０１３年、アメリカ各地にて１３人の癌克服者達の写真撮影を行う。２０１４年の３月、彼らの美しいイメージと、ストーリーを記した本を出版。そして今回初の東京での展示会がギャラリーみどり荘にて開催されることとなった。 画期的で慈悲に満ちあふれる下田恵玲奈の世界観を五感で体験する３日間。 http://underwaterhealer.com/testimonials http://igg.me/at/aboutface/x/1633174 Erena Shimoda's "Underwater Healer About Face" Solo Exhibit at Tokyo Gallery, Midoriso May 17 (Sat.) and May 18 (Sun.), 2014 12:00~17:00 opening reception May 16 (Fri.) 18:00～21:00 San Francisco, CA – April 21, 2014 Erena Shimoda, a San Francisco-based underwater photographer has launched an innovative and philanthropic fundraiser to benefit cancer survivors by rediscovering their beauty through underwater portrait photography. Solo Exhibit at Tokyo Gallery Midoriso In 2013, Shimoda photographed 13 cancer survivors across the United States and published a corresponding book of the photographs and beautiful stories of the survivors. She will be exhibiting her photographs as well as her book at Midoriso in Tokyo, May...
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Underwater Healer Project Book Release Party

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April 17, 2014/by
Underwater Healer Project Book Release Party Thank you so much for coming to my book release party!! It was a full 3 hours and I hope I've got to say Hi and Bye to everyone! I was selling my first self-published book from the cancer survivor campaign. All the money is going to be spent for Tokyo Gallery show in May. My mother was helping me out all night long-!   I was also selling my metal prints from my Japanese Folklore Yokai Project. It was selling a lot! All the small ones are GONE! I printed 10 canvas gallery wraps from my cancer survivor project and these are shipped to Arizona for Genentech Conference. I packed and shipped on Monday! I hope they arrived safely.... One of the cancer survivors, Sante came to support my party! I'll be going to Arizona with her. She is giving a big talk in front of 500+ audience about her experience of  transformation and letting go. She is also going to mention about the underwater healer project experience. I'm so thrilled and grateful to be a part of medical conference with my project! I'll be showing my work and Q and A after Sante's talk. It was so nice to see everyone. I was really nervous how it was going to turn out but I'm happy with the result! I still have some books left before I take them all to Tokyo. If you are interested, please email me. Thank you so much again for your support! I'm grateful...
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Come celebrate for my first self-published book!!

about
March 31, 2014/by
April 12 Come celebrate for my first self-published book!! @WORKSHOP 1798 McAllister Street, San Francisco, California 94115 I recently self published a photo book of 13 cancer survivors and their inspirational stories. https://www.behance.net/gallery/Underwater-Healer-About-Face-Photo-Book/15560457 I would love to celebrate both the success of the indiegogo campaign http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/underwater-healer-about-face and the book release with my contributors, friends and family. I'll also be showing and selling both prints and the photo book. All the proceeds will go toward renting a Tokyo gallery space, MIDORI.SO for my exhibition that will happen in May. My work was featured on different media. (yay, thank youuuuu-!) http://underwaterhealer.com/press Most recently, it was featured on Comprehensive Cancer Center site http://www.cccnevada.com/2014/02/05/underwater-photographer-uses-art-to-empower-cancer-survivors/ (Thank you sooooo much!) I was invited to USMA conference, organized by Genentech in the end of April. (This is craaaaazy!) It means a lot to see this project spreading around! THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support, everyone! I would not have been able to do this campaign without your support!! Besides my book, I'll be selling my YOKAI metal prints and other canvas prints from the previous shows. Prices are half of the gallery price.   Hope to see you there. Erena (and it's my...
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Underwater Healer About Face Photo Book

Uncategorized
March 5, 2014/by
Underwater Healer About Face Photo Book Hundred copies of Underwater Healer About Face photo book finally arrived today! I worked on the book for 2-3 months. It seemed forever... It was a whole new experience designing a book and learning InDesign at the same time... I was really nervous to open the book and see if I made any mistakes.... I found few! (shhhhhhh-...) I remember I was exhausted and going blind towards the end. But I'm really happy to see my final product!!! Thank you! I got a sad news from NY few days ago. Emily Morrison passed away. I met her for the first time in NY photo shoot. Even though Emily has gone through a lot of difficulty, I was totally blown away by her positive energy. Her amazing spirit motivated me, especially since she wrote, “Have Under Water photos taken” in her "To-see list," a wish list of all the things she wants to do before she loses her eyesight. When Emily and I met, I could tell she was eager and ready to jump in the pool immediately. She thanked me for coming out there and told me how happy and excited she was to do the photo shoot with me. Because of Emily’s ongoing medication and treatment, I wanted to be careful and make sure she was feeling okay. But because we had a good connection from the start, my nervousness began to melt away. I was confident that this photo shoot would head in a good direction. Emily wore...
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Happy New Year!!! Underwater healer project will be growing in 2014!

about, Underwater Healer About Face, uw maternity, uw portrait
January 1, 2014/by
Happy New Year, Everyone!! あけまして　おめでとうございます！ 2013 was an amazing, inspirational and evolving year for me. I felt like I was riding on a roller coaster emotionally and physically everyday. It was definitely fun and dizzy :) Looking back into all the underwater portrait photos in 2013, I had 23 portrait photo shoots including survivors, engagement, family and maternity! I was busy towards the end of the year especially working with 10 survivors in 3 states in 3 months besides my full time job! I managed my time to not lose myself and I think I made it through successful result! ２０１３年はとても刺激的で進化した一年でした。毎日、ローラーコースターに乗っているような楽しく、目まいのする、激しい毎日でした。一年を振り返ってみると、今年は２３の水中撮影を終える事ができました。サバイバーの人達、妊婦さん、婚約、ファミリー撮影、昼のお仕事の合間を探しながらスムーズにこなす事ができました。特に年末は１０人のサバイバーを３つのロケーションで３ヶ月で撮ったので風邪を引きましたが　自分を失わず、キャンペーンを成功する事ができたと思います。 My project, Underwater Healer About Face, helping heal cancer survivors through underwater portrait photography, was featured on CBS, The Huffington Post, The Huff Women, BuzzFeed, Weather Channel, IMDb, AsianWeek etc.  It was an exciting moment and I've never felt that kind of chill and goosebumps all over my body inside out. I loved that feeling. (definitely not good for your heart :) キャンペーンは色々なメディアに取り上げられ、多くの人達に見てもらえる事ができました。ドキドキして、鳥肌のがたち、心臓に悪い毎日を過ごしました。 I'm currently working on a book of cancer survivor underwater images with their stories. It'll be in English and Japanese. I'm hoping to extend my project all over the world and reach out to people as much as I can. This is my first book that I'm designing and I hope many people can read it and get inspire. 今はサバイバーのイメージコレクションの写真集をデザインしています。彼らのストーリーもそえてレイアウトしました。初めて自己出版する写真集。日本語にも訳してあるので多くの人達にみていただければ良いなと思います。 Thank you so much. I would not have been able to do this campaign without your support! I hope you all have a fantastic new year! 本当に皆様のご協力のおかげでここまでやって行く事ができました。ありがとうございます。２０１４年も良いお年をお迎え下さい。 Sincerely, Erena　下田恵玲奈 photo by Jeremy...
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