balance {一} • wang shifu • shaolin temple kung fu

beach, martial arts, outdoors, sports

This is my third installment of my project with Shifu Wang Bo of Shaolin Temple Kung Fu. We had such a rich morning of shooting: the location was inspiring for us both, & I used it to structure our session. I showed Wang Shifu three areas that I wanted to use, & I asked him to choose which weapons he wanted for each one. For the enclosed space of the cave, he chose the shorter weapons, & out in this open space on the very precipice of the cliff above the ocean, he chose to use the longest—the staff. I had been shooting at close range, but for these shots, I wanted to go wider, which involved me climbing down & away from him. From even quite a distance, Wang Shifu’s dynamic presence & expressions in face, body, & movement were as arresting as from close up. And he was at once part of his surroundings, & yet also like a dancer upon a stage—no matter the gorgeous set, your eye is drawn to him…

rock & water • wang bo • shaolin monk & kung fu shifu

beach, martial arts, sports

My daughter recently started taking kung fu at the Shaolin Temple school near our home. The first time we met Yuan Shifu & Wang Shifu, we knew that we had finally found the teachers we were looking for–their presence is strong & caring, & their expertise is obvious. (I was also excited that Zoë might get to learn kung fu in Chinese!) Wang Shifu is an experienced performing martial artist as well as warrior monk of the Shaolin Temple. I had the amazing opportunity to do some pictures with him at a beautiful location that inspired us both. I have been so excited about the photographs; I just have to post a few here now, even though I have so many more to go through. Thank you, Wang Bo, for a spirited, energetic collaboration! I look forward to more in the future…