All images © Michael Yamashita
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Caravan of Camels Traveling Along "The Sands That Sing" |
For over 25
years, Michael Yamashita has combined his passions for photography and
travel by documenting the Asian continent for National Geographic. He
has covered such diverse subjects as the Mekong River, the journeys of Marco Polo,
The Great Wall of China, and much of Japan. He has also published a
number of books, including In a Japanese Garden, Mekong: Mother of Waters, and the best-selling Marco Polo: A Photographer’s Journey, which
chronicles Yamashita’s travels throughout 10 countries while retracing
the excursions of this famous 13th century Venetian. His most recent
book focuses on the Ming Dynasty admiral and explorer, Zheng He. As
with Marco Polo, Yamashita has photographically retraced the steps of
Zheng He. Images from this project were first published in the July
2005 issue of National Geographic, and have since appeared in a book, film and traveling exhibition. Yamashita is the
recipient of the Pictures of the Year Award from the National Press
Photographer’s Association, and has received awards from the New York
Art Director’s Club and the Asian-American Journalist’s Association.
Michael Yamashita relates, “As a kid, I played a lot of
sports, and was a pretty good athlete.” His father was an avid amateur
shutterbug who showed up at his son’s football games with his Nikon
camera and a telephoto lens. “He looked like a pro, because everybody
else was using Brownie cameras”—thus the young Yamashita started out on
the other side of the lens. He later majored in Asian History at
Wesleyan University and
continued to play sports, but sustained some injuries that forced him
to quit. "At the time, I thought nothing could take the place of
sports," he remembers. Ater graduation, he traveled to Japan on a
self-described "roots" trip. While he was there, he held various jobs,
including working for a marble company and teaching English.
"I bought a Nikon camera to document what I
was doing and to share the images with the folks back home," he says.
Yamashita
soon became hooked on this new interest, and even joined several camera
clubs.
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Mongolian Elders Caring for Children |
Assignments of Epic Proportions
Around 1976, Yamashita decided that he wanted to become a professional
photographer, “and I began making a push in that direction.” He started
submitting his images and pitching ideas to travel magazines in Japan,
as well as in Hong Kong and Singapore. His first major breakthrough was
a campaign for Singapore Airlines, in which he was in the enviable
position of shooting a variety of Asian travel destinations for their
brochures and calendars. “Basically, that became my portfolio,” he
says. “It was a great learning experience and I was getting paid.”
After returning to the U.S. in 1979, Yamashita made contact with Bob
Gilka, the director of photography at National Geographic. “He’s
started the career of many of the National Geographic photographers,”
he explains. “I’ve been a free-lancer for over 25 years, and they [National Geographic] have
been my principal client. No one else is as generous in terms of time
and resources.” His most recent Geographic
stories have been
epic, long-term assignments, he points out, many of which have evolved
into books. Yamashita’s images have also appeared in many other
magazines, both here and abroad, as well as in advertising campaigns
for a variety of clients, including tourist boards and airlines.
During the ’80s, he decided to concentrate on Asia, as it’s the
part of the world that made him happiest. “I’ve watched it grow up,” he
says, referring to the continent’s economic growth during that decade.
According to Yamashita, his China images represent his largest body of
work. And because this region is currently blossoming, he says,
“Suddenly, everybody wants those pictures.”
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Garden of Salhoji, Japan |
The Right Place at the Right Time
Yamashita traveled freely throughout the Middle East and Europe while
following the path of Marco Polo, resulting in Marco Polo: A
Photographer’s Journey, which has sold approximately 240,000 copies in
12 languages thus far. “I think it took off because Marco Polo is a
household name, and I traveled through a lot of territory. It was good
timing because I was one of the last photographers to be in Iraq, Iran, and
Afghanistan prior to 9/11.” When I mention that he
has a knack for being at the right place at the right time, Yamashita
replies, “Photographers are paid to be lucky.” He also says he doesn’t
plan for the long term. “It’s more like what’s the next step, or the
next picture?”
TO SEE A GALLERY OF MICHAEL YAMASHITA'S IMAGES, CLICK HERE
Does he still travel extensively today? “I have a family and try to
balance my life as much as possible,” Yamashita replies. “I’m going on
shorter trips these days. I used to go out on excursions for months at
a time.” Nonetheless, he was working on two National Geographic
assignments in Japan at the time of this writing. “It’s great to go
back,” he says fondly. He routinely conducts lectures and workshops
throughout the U.S. and internationally, including Maine Photographic
Workshops and Tuscany Workshops. Yamashita is also the producer and host of two
award-winning National Geographic documentaries on Marco Polo and Zheng He, which
have been aired throughout Asia and Europe. “I go to places like
Singapore and people cheer me on,” he comments. Because of these
documentary films, he’s had a “steady diet” of exhibitions and
workshops throughout Asia.
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Shinto Ceremony, Nikko, Japan |
Camera Gear
“I’ve been a Canon user since the early ’90s,” he explains. Yamashita
says that National Geographic photographers have been 80% film users up
until recently, and he’s gone digital just this year. “The Canon EOS 5D
made a big difference,” he says, praising its full-frame sensor. “And
whatever Image Stabilizing lenses they’ve made, I’ve got them.” Yamashita
has amassed primarily zoom lenses because the quality is so
good—including 14mm, 16–35mm, 24–105mm IS, 70–200mm IS and 100–400mm IS
lenses. Back home, Yamashita is also a volunteer
fireman with the Ralston Engine Co. in Mendham, New Jersey, and sometimes
shoots pictures on the job. “You can only carry one camera,” he says,
“and for me, it’s a Canon D-SLR with a 16–35mm lens.”
Exploring the World
His current book, Zheng He, published by White Star, is a coffee table book on the order of its
epic predecessor, Marco Polo. Yamashita traveled to 12 countries to
retrace the travels of this legendary Chinese admiral. His Zheng He coverage was inspired by another book, entitled 1421: The Year that China Discovered America,
written by retired British naval officer. This controversial book
conjectured that early explorers like Columbus and Magellan
discovered continents by using Chinese maps. Though these claims have
been refuted by scholars, Yamashita was nevertheless hooked on finding
out more about this larger-than-life admiral. In the 15th century,
China was a great superpower, and the emperor sent Zheng He on trade
missions all over the world.
This Chinese admiral made seven voyages to destinations as far as
Africa and Yemen. Though ignored for centuries, Zheng He is now
being lauded as a great hero, according to Yamashita. “He traveled to
all of these places and didn’t colonize or conquer any
of them." Instead, he acted as a cultural ambassador, promoting
peaceful commerce. With China's economic resugence and its upcoming hosting of the 2008 summer Olympics, Yamashita
says, there’s a renewed interest in Chinese culture. His next book will
focus on the Great Wall of China, to be published in fall of 2007. And
as a diversion from his Asia projects, he is also working on an aerial
photography book entitled Flying High: New York, with text by his wife, Elizabeth Bibb, who has also edited a number of his books, including Mekong River, In a Japanese Garden, and Japan: The
Soul of a Nation.
Yamashita declares that his primary love will always be still
photography, although he also enjoys making documentary films.
“Photographers are not long-term planners,” he states. “I always say
that photographers don’t retire, they just get older.”
To see more of Michael Yamashita’s work, visit http://www.michaelyamashita.com.
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Last Updated: Feb 4th, 2010 - 13:02:03
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