Warming up after diving in the sea - a photo on Flickriver

We went to Toba, a coastal village in the Mie Prefecture of Japan. Toba is known for Ama divers. Ama (海女), literally meaning "sea woman", are Japanese free divers famous for collecting seafood and pearls in the ocean. It is a 2000 year old tradition. Without mask and wetsuits in the old days, the women dove up to 10 meters deep, and stayed in the water for 15 minutes, before returning to the Ama hut at the shore to warm up their body at an open fire pit. Then went back to the sea to dive more. Nowadays women use wetsuits and masks, and thus can dive longer, up to an hour.

We asked around in the village if anybody is an Ama diver. Someone directed us to a general store, where the owner is a diver. It is always good if a photo tells a story. I discussed my idea of taking a photo of an Ama diver returning back to the Ama hut to warm up at the open fire. She agreed to do it. I mentioned that I'd like to take a photo of an older Ama diver. She picked up the phone, and another Ama diver in the traditional diving suit showed up shortly thereafter. We walked to an Ama hut at the shore, they unlocked it, we got the fire going, moved tatami boards next to the fire pit, and removed cardboard boxes out of the way. Ready for the shoot! I love how an idea becomes a reality -- a bit of open mind tends to bring serendipity.

I plan to show this photo at the upcoming "Japan Then and Now" exhibition at the Art Ark Gallery in San Jose, California this August.

I processed a balanced, a soft, and a realistic HDR photo from a RAW exposure, blended them selectively, and carefully adjusted the color balance and curves. I welcome and appreciate constructive comments.

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-- ƒ/8.0, 16 mm, 1/125 sec, ISO 3200, Sony A6400, SEL-P1650, HDR, 1 RAW exposure, _DSC4644_hdr1bal1sof1rea1k.jpg
-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2024 Peter Thoeny, Quality HDR Photography

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Taken in: Japan / Mie / Ōsasu (show map)

Taken on: February 26, 2024

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Camera: Sony ILCE-6400, f/8.0, 1/125 sec, 16mm (=24mm), ISO 3200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Sony ILCE-6400
Lens:	Sony E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	16mm (35mm equivalent: 24mm)
ISO:	3200
Exposure Bias:	-2 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto bracket
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Pixelmator Pro 3.5.8
Show full info

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