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Service and/or Provider's Name:
Class-A Photo Studio, Kobayakawa Reiko
Date of Encounter:
December, 2016
Contact Method:
Web form/Email
Appointment Length & Costs:
1hr 45min (2 sessions back to back), 25,000~30,000yen x 2 (estimated - I don’t remember and the price wasn’t listed on my confirmation emails)
Type/Location:
Photo studio in Shimbashi
Language Notes:
Japanese only
Details of the Encounter:
I was inspired to write this review since a fellow TAG member recently posted about his experiences at a similar venue.
Class-A is just one of a number of studios around Tokyo where you can book personal one-on-one photo shoots with nude models ranging from beginners all the way to major JAV stars like Hojo Maki and Sawamura Reiko. The rules for these studios are pretty basic. The photography is for personal use only - you are not allowed to post the photos online anywhere. You can shoot with your own camera (no cellphone cameras) or rent one from the studio. Some basic lighting equipment is included with the studio time . During the session you are not allowed to touch the model, ask too personal questions, or share contact info. Most of the models will allow pretty much any pose you want them to do. There are a few that may have restrictions, which are listed on the model’s profile page. Basically you can pose them any way you want, as long as you do not touch and also if the model is comfortable posing in that manner. Video is also an option, as well as vibe/rotor for additional fees (have not tried those options yet). They also have a rack of costumes you can choose from (for the model to wear, not you)
Reservations are handled through the website form (Japanese only). There are usually 10 time slots , starting from 10am and going to 8:45pm. Each slot is 45 minutes long, and is spaced 15 minutes apart. Pricing starts around 10,000円 for the beginner/amateur models and can go as high as 40,000円 for the JAV actresses, depending on their popularity. Fees for the session are paid in cash on the day of the shoot. If this is the first time you are attending, they have you fill out an application and they photocopy your passport. You also get a stamp card - for every 20 sessions you book, I guess you get a discount or something on your next session - not sure about this, ‘cause I’ve never been able to complete a card before they expire (1 year).
This past December I had the chance to photograph one of my favorites - Kobayakawa Reiko. I got pretty lucky in reserving her first two sessions of the day, because usually the popular JAV actresses get booked up really quick. Less than an hour after Class-A sent out notice that they would start accepting reservations for her, she was booked up solid.
When I arrived at the studio, I got the usual odd looks from the other attendees and the staff. I’ve been going to Class-A for many years now, and pretty much everyone else that goes there usually shoots with just the camera around their neck. Now here comes ol’ numnuts lugging a ThinkTank rolling case with lighting gear and stands, plus my camera backpack. I think I’m pretty much the only attendee that treats the sessions like the photoshoots we do back home.
In the past Class-A has had studio spaces in Nishi-Shinjuku and Gotanda. Their current studio takes up several floors of a building in Shimbashi - each floor has one or two studio spaces. There is no elevator, so of course on that day I get booked into the studio space on the top floor. Lugging all that equipment up several flights of stairs was an adventure all by itself.
Yes, I am a certified lunatic.
The staff let me into the room a few minutes before the session so that I could start setting up for the shoot. The studio space was quite roomy (maybe 20’x 30’ I’m guessing?) with a couch, chairs, and a simple canopied bed. There were also a couple of lightstands with medium sized soft boxes and CFL lights which I didn’t use. At exactly 10am there was a knock on the door and the staff escorted Reiko in and introduced us to each other. I was informed that since I had booked two sessions back to back, we could either shoot it as two separate sessions (meaning that the model would have a 15 minute break in between) or we could shoot straight through to the end of the second session. I asked Reiko what she would like to do, and she was game for just shooting straight through so we went with the second option.
Meeting Reiko in person was great. She’s a little shorter than I expected, but has an amazing figure and could give you a look that would stop your heart. I gave her some small gifts from Hawaii, including some things for her pet dog, which she seemed really jazzed about. We had a good laugh ‘cause I misjudged her dog’s collar size (oops). As I continued setting up, I showed her some samples from my portfolio and explained the type of shots I was planning to do. I also reassured her that we would not be shooting anything she was not 100% comfortable with doing and she seemed quite happy with that.
We started off pretty simple in order to get used to working with each other - some basic posing (fully clothed) by the windows utilizing what little natural light we had. Being late December, there wasn’t a whole lot of good natural light coming in through the frosted windows so I had to work the ISO a little high for this first part of the session.
As she got more relaxed in front of my camera, we transitioned into shooting her in the lingerie she was wearing underneath (I had originally planned to bring somethings from Victoria’s Secret, but I couldn’t find her size). Reiko is very experienced and even though my Japanese isn’t that great, she was able to understand what I wanted and was able to nail each pose I wanted her to do almost instantly (love working with seasoned pros). As a result, we rapidly got through a lot of the ideas I had planned.
While we were working her lingerie look, I decided to experiment a little with the lighting. I put a couple of CTO gels on the main light, set the camera’s WB to tungsten and dialed down the ambient a bit and took a few frames. This darkened the room and made the window light turn blue. making it look like nighttime. When I showed Reiko those images she got pretty excited and told me she wanted that shot (I guess ‘cause no attendee had photographed her like that before?). When I mentioned the no-contact rule, she explained to me that I could get the photos to her by mailing them to the studio so I promised her I would do so.
Once we got down to shooting her fully nude, I had her pose lying down on the bed so that I could photograph her from above. To make it a little more interesting than just being plain naked, I had her wrap herself in some white organza material and silk plumeria flowers which I had brought as props. On a side note, you are allowed to bring outfits for the models to wear, but they have to be new and you can’t take them with you (neither the model nor the outfits) when you leave.
This was one instance where the no-touching rule made things a little difficult, as you cannot touch the model, even to do little things like fix hair strands on the face. It would have been much faster to just go in and adjust things myself, but didn’t want to break the trust I had already earned from her. Since at this point in the shoot the camera was positioned over the bed and I was remote controlling it from my iPad, I just showed her the live view so that she could see what the camera saw and adjust her pose/hair and props on her own as needed. That slowed the session down a bit, but we worked through it together and eventually got several goods shots, including one erotica image that we both really liked. When we reviewed the image together, we were both like “High Fiv- oops, waitaminit, we can’t do that”
By the time the staff knocked the door to remind us we had 15 minutes left in our session, we had pretty much gone through the whole list of ideas I wanted to shoot with Reiko. I decided to try one last thing with the lighting where we would shoot her fully nude, but rim lit from the back and sides silhouetting her figure. In hindsight I should have gone with something a lot simpler. It took a lot of trial and error to set up the lighting for that at the last moment, and I didn't bring the right light modifiers to do it properly (they were backordered from Amazon at the time). By the time I had it set up even halfway decently, I only had time to fire off about 4-5 frames before we had to wrap up. Only got one shot that was barely useable. Doh!
As I gathered up all my crap, I had Reiko browse through the iPad to choose some of her favorites. She seemed genuinely pleased with the results from our session and made me promise to send her the images. We said our goodbyes and that was the end of the session. When I returned home from Japan, I printed up a mini album of our shoot and sent it to the studio. Got an email from the owner of the studio expressing his and Reiko’s thanks.
Expensive? Yup. Worth it to me? Oh Hell Yes! Was able to spend the morning doing Japanese language practice with one of my favorite JAV actresses, cross an item off my bucket list, and add some images to my print portfolio. Plus I got to write the whole thing off on my taxes.
Final Thoughts:
Recommended, Will Repeat.
Closing Comments:
Since there’s no sexual interaction going on here, the majority of the TAG community will probably give it a pass. But if you are interested in meeting your favorite JAV actress and practicing your photographic and Japanese language skills at the same time, you might want to check out these types of studios.
Class-A Photo Studio, Kobayakawa Reiko
Date of Encounter:
December, 2016
Contact Method:
Web form/Email
Appointment Length & Costs:
1hr 45min (2 sessions back to back), 25,000~30,000yen x 2 (estimated - I don’t remember and the price wasn’t listed on my confirmation emails)
Type/Location:
Photo studio in Shimbashi
Language Notes:
Japanese only
Details of the Encounter:
I was inspired to write this review since a fellow TAG member recently posted about his experiences at a similar venue.
Class-A is just one of a number of studios around Tokyo where you can book personal one-on-one photo shoots with nude models ranging from beginners all the way to major JAV stars like Hojo Maki and Sawamura Reiko. The rules for these studios are pretty basic. The photography is for personal use only - you are not allowed to post the photos online anywhere. You can shoot with your own camera (no cellphone cameras) or rent one from the studio. Some basic lighting equipment is included with the studio time . During the session you are not allowed to touch the model, ask too personal questions, or share contact info. Most of the models will allow pretty much any pose you want them to do. There are a few that may have restrictions, which are listed on the model’s profile page. Basically you can pose them any way you want, as long as you do not touch and also if the model is comfortable posing in that manner. Video is also an option, as well as vibe/rotor for additional fees (have not tried those options yet). They also have a rack of costumes you can choose from (for the model to wear, not you)
Reservations are handled through the website form (Japanese only). There are usually 10 time slots , starting from 10am and going to 8:45pm. Each slot is 45 minutes long, and is spaced 15 minutes apart. Pricing starts around 10,000円 for the beginner/amateur models and can go as high as 40,000円 for the JAV actresses, depending on their popularity. Fees for the session are paid in cash on the day of the shoot. If this is the first time you are attending, they have you fill out an application and they photocopy your passport. You also get a stamp card - for every 20 sessions you book, I guess you get a discount or something on your next session - not sure about this, ‘cause I’ve never been able to complete a card before they expire (1 year).
This past December I had the chance to photograph one of my favorites - Kobayakawa Reiko. I got pretty lucky in reserving her first two sessions of the day, because usually the popular JAV actresses get booked up really quick. Less than an hour after Class-A sent out notice that they would start accepting reservations for her, she was booked up solid.
When I arrived at the studio, I got the usual odd looks from the other attendees and the staff. I’ve been going to Class-A for many years now, and pretty much everyone else that goes there usually shoots with just the camera around their neck. Now here comes ol’ numnuts lugging a ThinkTank rolling case with lighting gear and stands, plus my camera backpack. I think I’m pretty much the only attendee that treats the sessions like the photoshoots we do back home.
In the past Class-A has had studio spaces in Nishi-Shinjuku and Gotanda. Their current studio takes up several floors of a building in Shimbashi - each floor has one or two studio spaces. There is no elevator, so of course on that day I get booked into the studio space on the top floor. Lugging all that equipment up several flights of stairs was an adventure all by itself.
Yes, I am a certified lunatic.
The staff let me into the room a few minutes before the session so that I could start setting up for the shoot. The studio space was quite roomy (maybe 20’x 30’ I’m guessing?) with a couch, chairs, and a simple canopied bed. There were also a couple of lightstands with medium sized soft boxes and CFL lights which I didn’t use. At exactly 10am there was a knock on the door and the staff escorted Reiko in and introduced us to each other. I was informed that since I had booked two sessions back to back, we could either shoot it as two separate sessions (meaning that the model would have a 15 minute break in between) or we could shoot straight through to the end of the second session. I asked Reiko what she would like to do, and she was game for just shooting straight through so we went with the second option.
Meeting Reiko in person was great.
She’s a little shorter than I expected, but has an amazing figure and could give you a look that would stop your heart. I gave her some small gifts from Hawaii, including some things for her pet dog, which she seemed really jazzed about. We had a good laugh ‘cause I misjudged her dog’s collar size (oops). As I continued setting up, I showed her some samples from my portfolio and explained the type of shots I was planning to do. I also reassured her that we would not be shooting anything she was not 100% comfortable with doing and she seemed quite happy with that.We started off pretty simple in order to get used to working with each other - some basic posing (fully clothed) by the windows utilizing what little natural light we had. Being late December, there wasn’t a whole lot of good natural light coming in through the frosted windows so I had to work the ISO a little high for this first part of the session.
As she got more relaxed in front of my camera, we transitioned into shooting her in the lingerie she was wearing underneath (I had originally planned to bring somethings from Victoria’s Secret, but I couldn’t find her size).
Reiko is very experienced and even though my Japanese isn’t that great, she was able to understand what I wanted and was able to nail each pose I wanted her to do almost instantly (love working with seasoned pros). As a result, we rapidly got through a lot of the ideas I had planned. While we were working her lingerie look, I decided to experiment a little with the lighting. I put a couple of CTO gels on the main light, set the camera’s WB to tungsten and dialed down the ambient a bit and took a few frames. This darkened the room and made the window light turn blue. making it look like nighttime. When I showed Reiko those images she got pretty excited and told me she wanted that shot (I guess ‘cause no attendee had photographed her like that before?). When I mentioned the no-contact rule, she explained to me that I could get the photos to her by mailing them to the studio so I promised her I would do so.
Once we got down to shooting her fully nude, I had her pose lying down on the bed so that I could photograph her from above. To make it a little more interesting than just being plain naked, I had her wrap herself in some white organza material and silk plumeria flowers which I had brought as props. On a side note, you are allowed to bring outfits for the models to wear, but they have to be new and you can’t take them with you (neither the model nor the outfits) when you leave.
This was one instance where the no-touching rule made things a little difficult, as you cannot touch the model, even to do little things like fix hair strands on the face. It would have been much faster to just go in and adjust things myself, but didn’t want to break the trust I had already earned from her. Since at this point in the shoot the camera was positioned over the bed and I was remote controlling it from my iPad, I just showed her the live view so that she could see what the camera saw and adjust her pose/hair and props on her own as needed. That slowed the session down a bit, but we worked through it together and eventually got several goods shots, including one erotica image that we both really liked. When we reviewed the image together, we were both like “High Fiv- oops, waitaminit, we can’t do that”
By the time the staff knocked the door to remind us we had 15 minutes left in our session, we had pretty much gone through the whole list of ideas I wanted to shoot with Reiko. I decided to try one last thing with the lighting where we would shoot her fully nude, but rim lit from the back and sides silhouetting her figure. In hindsight I should have gone with something a lot simpler. It took a lot of trial and error to set up the lighting for that at the last moment, and I didn't bring the right light modifiers to do it properly (they were backordered from Amazon at the time). By the time I had it set up even halfway decently, I only had time to fire off about 4-5 frames before we had to wrap up. Only got one shot that was barely useable. Doh!
As I gathered up all my crap, I had Reiko browse through the iPad to choose some of her favorites. She seemed genuinely pleased with the results from our session and made me promise to send her the images. We said our goodbyes and that was the end of the session. When I returned home from Japan, I printed up a mini album of our shoot and sent it to the studio. Got an email from the owner of the studio expressing his and Reiko’s thanks.
Expensive? Yup. Worth it to me? Oh Hell Yes! Was able to spend the morning doing Japanese language practice with one of my favorite JAV actresses, cross an item off my bucket list, and add some images to my print portfolio. Plus I got to write the whole thing off on my taxes.
Final Thoughts:
Recommended, Will Repeat.
Closing Comments:
Since there’s no sexual interaction going on here, the majority of the TAG community will probably give it a pass. But if you are interested in meeting your favorite JAV actress and practicing your photographic and Japanese language skills at the same time, you might want to check out these types of studios.
